Honestly, this has infuriated me enough that I may just write an article/letter for Shipmate addressed to the current administration at the Academy. Yes, we are a nation at war and the Naval Academy develops midshipman to be leaders in the fleet. I don't disagree with that. What I have a problem with is the restriction of liberty, as well as the curtailment of ECA's. Since I am no longer a midshipman, it's not me bitching about what I want but can't have. It's simply me making note of the impact these decisions will have in the fleet. The administration is forgetting that eventually, these young men and women will be let loose in the fleet, leading Sailors & Marines. They will be expected to set the example for their charges, and conduct themselves as professional officers. While the new policies demonstrate an attempt to do that - it is crippling them for about 1/2 of their interactions in the fleet. It is stunting their social growth (which is almost as important as their professional growth). The lack of liberty, ECAs will not properly prepare them for their new found freedom come graduation. I would not be surprised if the unintended consequence of these policies is a larger number of liberty incidents among junior officers in the fleet (who for 4 years did not develop adequate social skills, responsible drinking skills, etc...), and potentially damaging their credibility among their Sailors/Marines. Not to mention tarnish the reputation of the Academy in the fleet. They use the comparison of the big E that was on deployment for 230 days, and 15 days in port. That is 245 days total - was the crew restricted to the ship 5 days a week the other 120 days that year? No. Did the crew have a sum total of 960 days restricted to the ship in a four year period? No. What happens when you send a SWO to a ship and that SWO has had 496 days total out of 4 years available for his social development, and that ship pulls into port? The Naval Academy's mission is to develop midshipman morally, mentally and phsycially and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty in order to provide gradutes who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government. I think that they're missing that mark with these policies.
