Day 39 - Illness and XO's Orders

One unexpected development that I can't directly attribute to my conscientious objector (CO) request is that I've come down with the stomach flu. I admittedly felt sick on Wednesday, but I mistakenly believed that my upset stomach and other symptoms were stress-induced. Unfortunately, this morning I felt worse.

There's no such thing as "calling in sick," when one's time is considered to belong to the government. As a result I obediently followed the procedures in place and reported to "Sick Call." It was there determined that I have the stomach flu, and with the necessary paperwork in place, I was sent home.

Between my illness and the immense amount of time that I have spent preparing for, and now transcribing, Wednesday's hearing, I have had little opportunity to respond to many of the emails and other correspondence I have received during the past week. I hope that my blog will provide at least cursory information to answer some of the questions I have received.

I'm soon returning to bed, but I did want to share one part of the hearing as it relates directly to this blog and website. At the beginning of the hearing, the "investigating officer" (IO) presented me with the case file that was said to contain all the documents pertaining to my CO request. Within this file was a thick stack of what appeared to be printed copies of every single page of this blog.

I was thrilled to see that my blog has apparently been read and followed by at least some portion of those in my Chain of Command. I was immediately curious to learn what effect, if any, this would have on the hearing and my request. My curiosity about the latter effect remains unfulfilled, but as for the hearing, the "investigating officer" (IO) addressed it as the very last point of the hearing. That exchange went as follows:

IO: And some final clarifying matters. I know that there’s some concern that there’s some PII on your website

Me: Oh, okay

IO: And that does need to be removed, any reference to names. If you could please do that as soon as possible.

Me: Oh, I will, most definitely. If it’s okay, with your permission, I can go right home and make that, I can make that change.

IO: I can’t give you permission to go home. I don’t know who you’re reporting to today.

Me: Oh, okay, alright. Well with the permission of my LPO, or my Chief, or whomever, I’ll make that immediate change and report back for duty. So is there anything else that is in any type of violation or

IO: Nope that was the only concern.

Me: All names will be removed.

IO: Right. Perfect.

Upon returning to my office later that day, I discovered that the Executive Officer had also emailed my Division Officer to ensure my compliance with the request. To act in accordance with my orders, a modified version of the email follows so as to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

From: (Name/Rank)
To: (Name)
Cc: (Names)
Subject: HM2 Lakemacher

(Name/title),
 HM2 Lakemacher has a website where he is posting information regarding his separation and his views about military rules.  As he is pending a legal process that is not made public, the use of the JAG's name on the website is a violation of the Privacy Act.  Please ensure he is not blogging on a government computer and have him remove (name) name from his webpage.

Also ensure he is not doing this on government time or with any government resource.


R, (abbreviated title)

Given the previous reprimands I received for trying to respond to something the Executive Officer told me, I choose to write back to my Division Officer to inform her that all the requested changes have been made.

Although I will hopefully be feeling better soon, I expect that finishing the transcription (I started at the last segment of question and answer) and getting much more rest than usual will consume most of my time in the days to come.

What happens from here is that the IO will create a report summarizing everything that has been gathered in the investigation of my CO request. This report will include a recommendation to the Commanding Officer as to whether or not my request should be granted. I will receive a copy of the report, and I will have "five business days" to respond with any comments or rebuttal.

As for the blog, each day I'll seek to add some further explanation of the hearing, as well as relate any noteworthy interactions. Please continue to write, and I will seek to reply as quickly as possible.