Show wnnr w 6G The Salt Lake Tribune Sunday Soldiering fi December 'I 13 1987 OPEN TODAY SUNDAY NOON TO 6 PM i and the military As nearly as I can tell the middle class knows little of the armed services but generally doesn't like them the military hates and knows nothing of the press its chief means of reaching the public and the press is too often contemptuous often quite unconsciously of the armed services This is not a recipe for intelligent dialogue A couple of weeks ago we kicked the yuppie press — always a satisfying way to spend a morning Today let's look at how the military deals with the press — which is to say how it deals with the public Fairly often I find myself talking about the press to groups of middle-ran- k officers (apparently generals are thought too important to learn anything and lieutenants are not important enough to teach) These gatherings always go the same way and always suggest — “demonstrate” is probably abetter word — that a high proportion of the officers don’t know how the country works It’s scary To begin with many officers absolutely defest the media Now to dislike specific publications and reporters is not unreasonable To think the media do a poor job or exhibit a bias also is not unreasonable But the solemn bitter hostility I encounter in these sessions is excessive irrational and just plain unwholesome Obviously there are exceptions but the problem is that there are officers d who are neurotically Everyone else in public life understands that In a democracy people and organizations are sometimes criticized For example I expect editors to publish letters from readers highly critical of me but I don't hate either editors or readers because of it Politicians accept criticism without becoming chronically mad Colonels for whatever reason can't take it A second recurrent strand is their desire to censor all information about the military The same questions are always asked: “But who decides what stories to print? Who gives you the right? There is no central control” The phrase "central control” is the key These men have spent their adult lives in an authoritarian society They join the military in part because they are more comfortable with orders than with discussion Control is terribly important to them A lot of them really truly do not understand the democracy they defend — but don’t know they don't They exhibit an appalling lack of For example they invariably say they want news stories to be “objective” In particular they want reporters to "get the facts from the base commander” and especially never to speak to the enlisted men - Cl ' Sfl y - at what we do TO 60 DAYS ONLY! 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We lost 241 Marines in Beirut because the officers didn’t have the courage to insist on protecting an obviously exposed position We lost 37 men on the USS Stark either because the equipment didn't work as the captain says or because the captain didn’t do his job as the congressional report concluded In addition there are persistent reports from within the military of inadequate equipment all denied by the armed services Go to say the Marine base at Cherry Point NC and ask the troops about medical care Then ask the official Marine Corps spokesman Responsibility? It isn’t the press that gets men killed An advantage of the draft was that the country knew its military the military perhaps knew its country and the press largely knew both — which fostered I suspect more responsibility by all concerned SAT 10-- 6 10-- 9 Ortho cuts out the middleman and passes the savings on to you And because we're the biggest and best you never have to sacrifice quality for low prices That's the factory direct advantage Fred that exists today between the country I fnjfr' Time Military Learned How Country Works I sometimes think that there may eventually be a price to pay perhaps a high price for the eerie separation MON-FR- A say t MEHMY CHRISTMAS To Your Newspaper Carrier With Gift Many subscribers have requested that we provide a convenient way for them to say thanks to their carrier during this Christmas season Bill Cosby turned fifty this year His new book Time Flies is a humorous approach to the process of aging Written with unique warmth wisdom and wit it’s sure to please the Cosby fans on your Christinas list $1595 So if you would like to be one of the many subscribers who reward their carriers for their — good service simply fill out and mail the attached coupon We’ll add the amount you authorize to your bill and notify your carrier of your gift It’s the perfect way to say Merry Christmas — -- COUPON — — — — — 1 i Bring or mail to: Newspaper Agency Corporation - Circulation Department PO Box 45838 (143 South Main St) Salt Lake City Utah 84145 Please add the amounts indicated to my bill $ Deseret News Salt Lake Tribune carrier My Deseret Book ' Visit Mormon Handicraft for - the Christmas store handmade gifts fnly hands (or elves) can produce I c Cl - carrier mount Name Address - Apt- City b— — k I 1 YC"rr’r- mount Zip - '°9 With your name I I I 1 $ signature name and address is as follows: I and addreee I I I I I I Si |