Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Telling Un-PC Jokes Earns Soldier Reprimand

At his blog Pass the Brass, Pfc. Heath J. Coleman a.k.a "Sure Fire", a military policeman based at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, often writes humorously, invariably laughing at his own mistakes. His posts, which he says are all true, often end with a message or lesson.

Appearantly, he discovered the hard way that there can be consequences for posting things his commanders don’t approve of. "He was given a list of rules to follow concerning his posting, and SF did fine by sticking to them. So this website has been known to his superiors for quite some time."

This entry from Sure Fire's blog by his brother, Chad, details the worst part of the politically correct war against his brother:

He has been labeled a rascist, a sexist, and an extremist by his fellow soldiers and officers at Bragg. They have gone as far as to call him a disgrace to the United States. Now, I know my little brother is quite a few things, but he is Far from being a disgrace. They have searched his quarters for extremist materials, stripped him of any privilege’s he had, plan to publicly demean him in front of the company. And this is the beginning stage. They have already sought out how to give him a general discharge.

As all of SF’s friends, family, and readers know, SF has a posted some tacky jokes, and off-color humor. Just like most privates or even civilians. He likes to make up weird crazy stories that are obviously phony, all for the sake of being imaginative and funny. We all knew what was true and what wasn’t.

I think everyone who follows SF’s postings knows that SF is NOT a racist, sexist, or even an extremist. Yea, I’ll agree that some things were definetly in bad taste, but I’m guilty of crackin a joke in the same manner.


An entry on the 14th by Chad states that, "things are looking up for him. He can keep the site. He was given an article 15 for some of his Un-PC comments or jokes, and he has to go through and delete those out." And one on the 20th says he has not yet received the artile 15 they threatened to give him so he is getting out "realitively unscathed".

I can completely understand why it is important to monitor the statements made by mil-bloggers to prevent sensitive information from falling into enemy hands. That is a legitimate concern. Preventing them from offering aid and comfort to the enemy would be another. Ensuring that their statements are politically correct is not.

I'f you share these sentiments, you may want to let the officers at Fort Bragg know. Remember to be civil and respectful. Despite the internal conflict transpiring before us, you are still addressing America's finest.

Hat tip to blogger, Pebblepie, who left word of this in our comments.

Also posted at Curiouser and Curiouser.

No comments: