Sarah, the prolific brains behind trying to grok has hosted what started as a rational discussion of the disparities between Air Force and Army facilities and quality of life during deployments.

It's lengthy but encompasses a host of ideas. You can read it here.

Some of you will recall my post on the subject.

And that post was in response to Joe, a reader with his own site and his own discussion on the same issue.

Well, as it turns out, the discussion at tryingtogrok took an unfortunate turn as one participant in the discussion seemed to boil the issue down to a discrepancy between levels of evolution of Army folks versus Air Force folks.

Sarah has other things to occupy her day today (our prayers to you, Sarah) so I'd like to pick up the ball just a bit and offer my two cents - two cents in which I hope we de-personalize the discussion, and bring it back to tangible issues.

After that first public post I received another communique from Joe:

Thanks for taking the time to write about the issue. Like you, I’ve developed the same “suck-it-up-because-life-isn’t-fair” attitude that eventually becomes ingrained in every soldier and Marine. And in my fifteen years as a Marine, I have always preached that the mission comes first and dictates everything else.

Still, I think we have come to the point where we can’t just overlook the questions the disparities raise. As you mentioned, the Air Force only has three bases in Iraq. Why does a branch of service that constitutes 22% of our military forces only have three bases in a country that we have just gone to war with? If that is all that is required of them then there should be a shifting of funds to the services that are carrying the majority of the load. Also, the Air Force isn’t a privately funded corporation. Every dollar that is spent on the an Air Force “luxury” is a tax dollar that comes out of the pockets of me, my family, and the rest of my country. It should be distributed equitably based on the mission. If the Air Force isn’t carrying their share of the mission than they should be losing funding.

The services are finally shaking off the idea that morale is something that can come second to the mission. Morale is an *essential component* of any mission. And basic fairness and equality should be one of the primary missions of the military.

Now it seems to me that Joe and I don't quite see eye to eye on the issue, but (ahem, Mr. Air Force Major) you will note the discussion remains extremely civil on both sides. I replied:

Didn't know you are a Marine. Good for ya.

Seems you and I measure things just a bit differently. You ask why the service comprising 22% of the military has only 3 bases. And its a fair question.

I would ask, how many bases are required for them to meet the mission that's been given to them? If three is it, so be it.

But I think we have to keep in mind that a base does not equal a base...meaning, one USAF base may represent something wholly different than one Army post or Marine camp. I see it as "capabilty measurement".

I'm not sure what the USAF mission is there right now...so I don't know how to express it. But consider actual combat. While it may take 15 brigades to seize and hold the terrain, the USAF may be able to achieve and enforce air superiority using only 3 launching points (bases). I'm not sure that means the Army and Marines are doing 5 times the work of the USAF.

In fact, I don't think such things can be measured at all.

You also take issue with the "luxury" of the Air Force...and again, I don't necessarily see it that way.

I see what the USAF has early on as the standard that the Army will shoot for when the situation allows.

The old design adage that "form follows function" seems to apply in concept. Mission dictates everything else.

I don't see it as a zero sum game...meaning that if the USAF has it, that somehow prevents the other services from having it too. It seems to me that in some ways they do us a favor, by setting the standard for what level of comfort is possible, again, situation permitting.

So, my bottom line is this...once the Army can consolidate its FOBs to a similar number as the USAF - I'd expect a similar level of comfort.

Besides, if we yell to loudly, they might ask us what took us 10 years to show up for the war, when they've been over there policing the no fly zones all that time.

After reading the discussion at tryingtogrok, I just had to throw in a couple more cents.

Sarah...after having read your lengthy discussion, let me be so bold as to add a couple more observations.

The first gets to the no sleep, no eat, no anything culture the USAF major describes as the Army's "expressing their manliness". That culture exists in the Army, it is true. But it doesn't exist so one can use it to express his manhood. It exists because in the mission of taking and holding ground, it may be required by the mission. Mission dictates everything, and their is no such thing as "crew rest" in a Bradley or an Abrams Tank. And if the Infantry and Armor do not sleep, neither do the Quartermasters or the Medics...

As you said, we train as we fight...in the 3d ID's and 1st MEF's brilliant ground campaign from Kuwait to Baghdad, one contributing factor in the defeat of the Iraqi army was our relentless pursuit on the ground. Ask the commanders and soldiers of the 3d ID how much sleep they got on the road to Baghdad. Answer: not much. And so we train for it. But when the rubber hits the road we also have "sleep plans" implemented when mission allows in order to sustain the brain power and physical strength of the soldiers and leaders.

As to taking care of washers and mood candles and soft music...

Let's make no mistake about it. The mission of the united states Army is to close with and destroy the enemy. We ask something of our Soldiers and Marines that we rarely ask of our Airmen and Sailors. We ask the grunts to look a man in the eye while killing him.

And in spite of years of social experimentation...the removal of many of the raucous trappings and the rough edges of soldiers (when I entered the Army we still had topless dancers in the Officers clubs), the fact remains today...it is hard to raise a killer who has clean fingernails and hums Pavorotti.

The overwhelming number of Airmen never pull the trigger to kill someone. That duty tends to be left to those who fly...a fraction of the USAF.

Jessica Lynch, however, had the primary job of delivering supplies. But she looked those who would kill her in the eye...and she fired back. Any Soldier knows that this is a highly probable event...not the odd rare exception.

Point: as GEN Schoomaker has recently reiterated...all Soldiers are riflemen first, just as are Marines.

The warrior spirit that allows...nay, requires that...may be hard to turn off at the end of the day. Hence, the occasional Maytag washer may take a beating. Social experiments in the services notwithstanding, at the end of the day it is hard to create a killer who is also a perfect gentleman. That is precisely why we heard so much about wanting to get the 1st MEF and the 3rd ID out of Iraq ASAP when the mission turned from offensive combat to - well - to whatever it is we are doing now. Once engaged, the killer mode is difficult to subjugate to something less.

Finally...with regards to niceities added by the Airmen...the Soldier has an adage..."always improve your position". Unlike the Airman...the average soldiers position is much more likely to begin as a shallow hole in the ground.

CPT Patti has established a library...fed by donations by readers of our blog. CPT Patti's soldiers have built showers and walls, and basketball hoops et. al.

It takes them longer though...because they can only work on it when they have the time. Right now she and her soldiers are still working 17 to 19 hours per day...not becuase they are stupid or are "expressing their manliness"...but because that is what it takes to ensure the 4200 soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team have all the beans, bullets and spare parts to get their mission done.

In the end...it is all about mission.

Virtually every servicemember has been to a rifle firing range...the last order they hear before the targets pop up is "Watch Your Lane" - an admonition to keep an eye out for targets representing bad guys, but also to be sure you engage the targets in your lane, not those lanes of your buddies on your flanks to the left and right...

It is good advice. With regards to Quality of Life - watch your lane.

In the end, above all else, it is about the mission...and what mission dictates about your resources...manpower, money, supplies, will and time.

In my opinion coveting that which one's military neighbor may have that you don't certainly costs you at least the last two of those.