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Penultimate USO Update

by TSO••21

I’ll have a full posting about it Monday, when I get a chance to write it up.

But, I owe you at least a quick explanation. I just got off the phone with the communications director for the USO, a lovely lady with whom I had a wonderful conversation. The gist is that (as expected) the whole thing was largely miscommunication. I let her know that we all figured that, but our biggest concern was the lack of response to the 5 emails. She stressed quite vocally that she understood why this angered us and that our anger was rational within the context of what happened. Because she’s WAY better at PR than I will ever be, she managed to convey empathy without ever once assigning blame to anyone, except the system generally. She expressed her thanks for what milbloggers do, and for helping to explore the problems that can arise in this regard.

My takeaway….the initial director sent out an email that was horribly written (“blog” instead of “post”, the “further action” nonsense etc), and compounded that by not responding to us, which sent this into the stratosphere. They intended well, but it was horribly played, and when it started to turn south, for some reason they figured a “see no evil, respond to no evil” approach that made it worse. And it might not even have been a “they”, but just one person.

Again, I will have more on Monday or so, but wanted to update you.

(Actually, I am headed to DC to interview Ollie North on Monday and Tuesday, but I will try to get an update for you guys.)

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21 thoughts on “Penultimate USO Update”

  1. Pingback: This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » An Update about the USO Kerfluffle.
  2. Pingback: This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here » Blog Archive » Why is the USO trying to bully a military blogger into shutting down his blog?

  3. I’d like to read the whole piece but I’m on my way to interview the Queen of England.

  7. He’ll be in Chicago following his wife around. He might even have tickets for the Sox opening day.

  8. Oh, goody–I’ll get to watch him limp-wrist a pitch off the mound while he’s wearing his mom jeans on every nightly newscast.

    AGAIN.

  9. Oh no, even better, Obama will be here in Denver Wed as part of his Destroy the 2nd Amendment Tour, to gloat about the passage of gun control laws here.

    Lucky us. Not. But he’ll be greeted by as many angry constituents as can get off of work to express their anger.

  12. BS. Full written apology from the DIR that started it, the USO as a whole and from everyone that ever used their boss’s name in vain without authorization. Then maybe.

    ANY other blog where the owner is not as stubborn as Sniper and doesn’t have TSO on speed dial might have let this go without a fight and folded up shop.

    This Director overstepped her bounds and wrote checks her ass can not cash. Well, now those checks are DUE in full.

  15. Tell Ollie I said hey and ask him when he will go fishing with us…We have some Great Events for wounded/disabled Military and Vets with Project Healing Waters here in Virginia so he has no excuses. I will even set him up with a rod reel and flies LOL
    Drop me a line and I will scoot up to DC to buy you two or three beers.

  16. @14 etc, I am literally flying in, headed straight to hotel to prepare, doing the interview and right out. In fact. I’m never even making it to DC, out at Dulles the entire time. I’m trying to come up with another trip, but this one is literally 100 percent just for interview and out.

    Am headed to Tucson AZ and San Diego the next 2 weeks for an Air Force PJ operation out there thanks to Jonn, so if anyone lives near either of those places and wants to meet up, I should have some down time.

  17. Hey TSO – my boy Joe Lee who apparently helped straighten this thing out will be out in Tuscon for that same exercise. He’s a Marine. You guys should connect for a beer.

  19. He’s going to be riding along with the PJs too, so you’ll no doubt run into each other. If you want to connect beforehand in DC, that’s where he lives, so reach out via FB or email or whatever. You can find his contact info on the webosphere.

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