The dougpetch.com design team is putting the finishing touches on the updated site and I’m excited. With any luck we’ll put things in place over the next 12 hours or so and be up and running by tomorrow morning. Included in the update is a new weblog, but this one will remain active at www.dougpetch.com/weblog until the new site is fully functional.

A new look….new features….improved functionality….I can hardly wait to take the wrapper off and enjoy that new site smell.

One of the prime tenets of leadership is that a leader is accountable for his actions as well as those of his subordinates. The resignation of Army Secretary Francis Harvey, regardless of whether it was forced or voluntary, demonstrates this principle in action. Based on this comment by Defense Secretary Robert Gates it appears that he was indeed forced to resign -

“I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed.”

…a leader is accountable for his actions as well as those of his subordinates.While the departures of both Harvey and Walter Reed’s (former) commander were both appropriate and necessary, as a retired Army Senior Noncommissioned Officer I can’t help but wonder what role Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Miller - Major General Weightman’s senior enlisted advisor - played in this unfolding scandal.

For those of you unfamiliar with the ways of the military, taking care of soldiers is one of the most critical and central responsibilities of NCOs at all levels. In addition, the primary role of a CSM is to advise the commander on all matters relating to the enlisted soldiers under his care. The CSM also wields remarkable power when it comes to getting things done to solve problems and take care of his troops.

I would dearly love to know what, if anything, CSM Miller did to rectify the deplorable conditions some of our wounded warriors were forced to deal with and/or advise his commander on those issues and recommend command-level solutions. In my mind he is just as accountable for what has happened as those leaders who have already paid a price.