Drug testing in the military - Unintended consequences

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-salute-to-name-tags-on-military-uniforms/2011/06/26/gIQAdsvj0H_story.html

It used to be common to hear "the military has gone weak since they let Blacks/women/gays join."

Bullshit.

Leadership died when they started pee testing officers and NCOs for drugs.

Instant degradation and destroyed morale.

"Here's the keys to the nukes. Pee in the bottle because you can't be trusted."

Clear message to the troops that officers aren't held to a higher standard.

The only challenge was from a newly-minted female 2nd Lt. She lost and resigned her commission rather than have her oath questioned.

The rest of us caved. We went off and peed, while under the close observation of a service member of the same sex. As one of the rare female officers, guess who got tapped a lot, both for donating and observing. Yeah.

If you're eating, stop. This isn't pretty.

The protocol for female urine gathering was as follows. The donor was obliged to position herself over the toilet, skirt up or pants down. She would then reach down and spread the lips of her labia apart with her fingers so the observer could watch the urine leave the donor's urethra and drop into a plastic cup.

The observer watches the sample be turned over to the clerk, who seals and labels it. Next donor is allowed into the bathroom. And so it goes.

This usually occurred in dank airport style bathrooms, since women's latrines were afterthoughts in most places.

Hostility to women or just paranoid? Either way, not conducive to a sense of obligation and noblesse oblige in your officer ranks.

I was just ROTC, but I never understood how the ring knockers could stand it.