Letters to the Editor

Don’t ruin mess
Death of veteran
Fighting fit or fighting fat
Long wait for DLSM

WRITE TO US

Don’t ruin mess

EARLIER this year I had the opportunity to spend a month at the School of Armour on course. Living in the RAAC Officers Mess I felt, for the first time in many years, that I was “at home” in a “regimental” mess.

While social norms and attitudes have changed over the years resulting in the quite justified requirement to go to centralised messing arrangements for SNCOs and officers, it was refreshing to be in a mess that has managed to balance the best of both of these worlds.

All RAAC officers have passed through these dark wood panelled rooms during their careers, and remember with nostalgia the good times, and many of the resulting extras. Notwithstanding this, the RAAC Mess has still managed to move with the times to make itself relevant to the modern Army and at any stage almost all of the arms corps are represented in the mess.

Smaller units such as P&EE Graytown and CTC are present as fully fledged mess members, and a constant stream of COAC and MROC students also reinforce the combined arms approach of the modern army.

Given all of these positives for the RAAC Mess it was with some shock that I learnt of the constant battle being fought by the School of Armour and Mess hierarchy to protect the mess from the “razor gang”. To close the mess based on some vague “economies of scale” argument seems absolutely ludicrous, given that almost every accommodation room was filled during my stay with a constant stream of students and visitors.

Not only was the demand present for this accommodation and messing facility, but the mess is also located on site, easily accessible to the training institution. Finally we also have the intangible but no less important factor of RAAC officer history and its resultant esprit de corps.

It is time that we as an Army now have to decide where history, tradition and practicality, become more important than contractor profits and economies of scale. The RAAC Mess should be held up as an example of how it is possible to integrate our regimental traditional systems into modern centralised messing practices rather than constantly having to fight for its existence.

Maj G. Stone
2 Cav Regt
Robertson Barracks

Lt-Col Mark O’Neill, Staff Officer Grade One Base Support, Preparedness and Plans Branch, AHQ, replies:

Maj Stone raises an important issue in his letter. The issue concerns the challenge that the Army faces in ensuring that the Army’s values are maintained while meeting the nation’s expectation that its Army can generate the capability to win the land battle.

At a time when every dollar counts it is important that the money spent sustaining our values supports rather than detracts from our capabilities. Thankfully, the Army has identified a way which allows us to do both successfully.

Maj Stone quite rightly praises the “combined arms” approach, evident in the RAAC Officers Mess, which is reinforced through having multiple units in the one mess environment. This clearly builds upon the “teamwork” that is one of the pillars of our values system. The good news for Maj Stone is that he need not go all the way to Puckapunyal to experience the benefits of such an approach – his own unit, 2 Cav Regt, has the benefit of such an arrangement through its membership of 1 Bde Officers’ Mess. Arguably, the teamwork that has been evident among the member’s of AMTG1 has been contributed to by the fact that all the composite units of the AMTG habitually associated within a common mess environment (at all ranks) while at home.

I believe that Maj Stone is correct in his praise of taking the “combined arms” approach into messing. I also note that the RAAC Officers’ Mess has a history of being at the forefront of mess developments, being one of the first in the Army to adopt a shared kitchen (with the adjacent Sergeants’ Mess).

While there are not any plans to change the messing situation within Hopkins Barracks in the immediate future, it is inevitable that the Army will have to address the issue of messing within the Puckapunyal Military Area at some time in the future. Recent developments, such as the announcement of the future relocation of SME to Puckapunyal, will require such action.

There are obvious financial pressures associated with the maintenance of the Army’s capability. The challenge confronting us all will be to develop an appropriate system of messing at Puckapunyal, and other sites, that will continue to support the Army’s values while remaining affordable in capability cost terms. Success in addressing this issue should allow all of us to enjoy many more of those halcyon days surrounded by dark wood panelling so aptly described by Maj Stone’s nostalgic reverie.

TOP

Death of veteran

THE last edition of Army included a letter from 2/6 Cdo Sqn veteran Eric “Snowy” Williams, who had been forced to cease his sponsorship of 12 Pl at Kapooka owing to age and ill-health. Unfortunately, Mr Williams died on November 1, after the paper went to print. Army offers its condolences to his family.

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Fighting fit or fighting fat

Tipping the scales: Staying trim to stay in. Photo by Cpl Damian Shovell

I RECENTLY conducted an Annual Health Assessment (AHA) and, to my surprise, I was informed that I was obese and needed to see a dietitian and have a cholesterol test immediately.

I thought, how could this be? I have been in the Army for 15 years, I am 178cm tall and have a body weight of 99kg, which according to the body mass index (BMI) scale means I am classed as “obese”.

I run three to four times a week, conduct intensive weight training four times a week as well as Army PT three times a week and have been doing so all my Army career.

I eat a very healthy low-fat diet and would class myself as a quite lean and muscular male soldier; however, the Army obviously thinks I have a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

I currently work with three other Senior NCOs, all of whom are “obese”, yet I wouldn’t class any of them as “obese”.

I also received my cholesterol test back and received an excellent result. Do we have an Army of “obese” soldiers? Or are we gauging our soldiers’ weight incorrectly?

Sgt Kris Amiet
Instructor ALTC
Bandiana

Lt-Col Ros Blakley, SO1 Health Policy Directorate Occupational Health and Safety - Army, replies:

Body mass index (BMI) describes relative weight for height, and is significantly correlated with total body fat content.

BMI is recommended as a practical approach for the clinical setting as it provides an acceptable approximation for the assessment of total body fat for the majority of patients and is closely correlated to the risk of an adverse cardiovascular event.

The BMI should be used to assess overweight and obesity and to monitor changes in body weight.

BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms/height in metres squared (kg/m2). Using the figures provided by Sgt Amiet, this would indicate a BMI of 31.2 and place him into obesity Class 1 using the tables provided in Health Directive 206 Overweight and Obesity.

Prevention of obesity is as important as treatment. A BMI in the low 30s is an important trigger for treating medical practitioners to consider more thoroughly a member’s cardiovascular risk profile and identify any potential conditions that may benefit from early intervention.

Clinical judgment must be used in determining an individual’s overall health status and a BMI result is only one component of the risk assessment. Additional information regarding an individual’s total body fat may be obtained through measurement of their waist circumference or body fat percentage.

Both these measures can be readily obtained from a member’s local health centre or supporting PTI staff.

If Sgt Amiet is not satisfied with his recent health assessment, he is encouraged to discuss the matter further with his treating medical practitioner.

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Long wait for DLSM

NO DOUBT I probably sound like just another serving member complaining about the honours and awards system. I have recently completed my 15 years of service and applied for my DLSM a month in advance. I was informed there would be a “significant delay” in the processing of my award.

I then questioned Honours and Awards what a “significant delay” was in real terms, only to be informed that they are currently processing members with some reserve service who qualified for the DLSM in August 2002, and those that have had regular service who qualified in November 2004.

Unfortunately for me, I enlisted into the GRes, and then transferred to the ARA. The upshot? My long service might be recognised in two years, if I’m lucky. Mine is by no means an isolated incident. I have a serving family member who enlisted in 1987 and is also yet to be recognised for his long service – which is now rapidly approaching 20 years. So much for achieving milestones within Defence.

If the powers that be want to know why long-serving members are disgruntled, then I urge them to take a look into the systemic problems within Honours and Awards.

The only explanations I can grasp is that Honours and Awards is either seriously undermanned or there are significant flaws in its processing system. I do not believe it is that difficult to look on PMKeyS to ascertain an enlistment date, determine that there are no NES periods and issue the award.

I can appreciate a three-month delay in the Governor-General’s authorising the award. I cannot accept, however, that I am expected to patiently wait a further two years for something I am entitled to right now.

Capt S. Lacey
RTC
Victoria

Irene Wilson, Director Honours and Awards, replies:

The Direcrorate of Honours and Awards (DHA) is extremely conscious of the level of concern over the delays in awarding long service awards, particularly to those who have some element of reserve service.

These backlogs have largely grown out of the establishment of new medals and the widening of eligibility criteria for existing medals in recent years.

Most recently, the Review of Service Anomalies in Respect of South-East Asian Service 1955-1975, the establishment of the Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal and the pending introduction of the Australian Defence Medal (ADM) have significantly increased the directorate's work load. This work load will further drastically increase once the ADM is established.

With respect to reserve service, eligibility for long service medals must be obtained seperately for each individual. The lack of electronically available reserve data in PMKeyS, such as training days, parades attended etc, significantly impacts on the time required for DHA staff to assess an individual's entitlement to a long service award.

To streamline the process, DHA now requires that all applicants for reserve awards provide full details of training days and parades attended for each year of service by enlistment year.

This also applies to those members who have previously made an application and are still awaiting notification. This will significantly assist DHA in reducing the curent backlog as well as improving turn-around times for new applications.

While DHA attempts to ensure that serving ADF members are issued with medal entitilements as soon as possible, the directorate also has a responsibility for issuing the many former Defence Force members with medals.

A common misunderstanding about long service awards is that they should be available for award on the day the milestone is reached. This is simply not possible. Once a member has been certified as eligible (which can only happen after he or she has completed the required period or service), the Governor-General must then individually approve each entitlement. This can take anywhere between three to four months.

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WRITE TO US

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Send letters to: The Editor, Army newspaper, R8-LG-037, Russell Offices, Canberra, ACT 2600; or email: armynews@defencenews.gov.au