Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for April 13, 2010

She’s not in love, she’s freaking out. Poor Mel.

it’s BOTH !

Is that grease or chagrin on Mel’s face? Or both.

Another distraction for Seabrook, like he doesn’t have enough to worry about during the surge.

This can’t end badly.

:-)

LOL

I think Mel could have used some more rehab; she’s clearly anticipating the same problems that she had in the past.

..I think it’s warning signs…

I dunno…if this is a fear-stress reaction, why would she say, “Really? You?” Was he her harrasser/abuser? I hope this is just Mel’s reaction to a secret crush on an attractive guy.

hmm, is this the mid-term of the depolyment? that’s when all women start to look attractive!

After her previous situation, being pulled off the flight line to work “directly under” a male supervisor is a helluva loaded phrase.

Fairpoint,

Something like that would not be in here personel file. By the way 201 files dont exist anymore it is on line.

I don’t care how much therapy you get the scars are always there. Mel is definitely getting deja vu here, the key factor in knowing whether she’s recovered or not is how she deals with this. I’m interested to see how Trudeau will handle this. One thing for sure, he’s not afraid to deal with some tough, and controversial, issues.

If she’s on the flight line, she has a clearance. If she has a clearance and has been medically/psychologically treated through the military/V.A., that treatment is in her personnel file.

And unless she’s an NCO, she should NOT be reporting directly to an officer. There is ALWAYS an NCO in the official chain of command between enlisted and officer. Always. Last I heard, a Specialist was not an NCO.

So either he didn’t read her file (which sucks)…. or he did… and it bodes not well.

randgrithr, I think her diagnosis and treatment would be a matter of record, not what was discussed in in the course of treatment. That would be a matter of confidentiality between therapist and client. If Mel never reported the abuser (and I don’t recall one way or the other whether she did) Then I think there would be no record of it except the therapist’s notes.

I think information about abuse charges that she might have filed or psychological counseling for abuse would I be in what they used to call her restricted file. If I’m right about that, then this captain wouldn’t have seen it.

I agree with you about the NCO part. There should be an NCO in the chain, even if the flow of paperwork goes driectly from the officer to the clerk. The question is, where is that NCO physically located most of the time?

A specialist can be assigned a position of authority. Also this may be a promotion for Mel. I had such authority even as a PFC with corporals and sergeants under me. I could not be promoted because of my MOS.

Sexual assault information is always a confidential matter and would never be in a personel file. It is against all sorts of regs.

An NCO would normally be in between a CO and a SPC however there are any number of jobs that would be an exception. For example the Commanders driver.

Question from a laymen: Wouldn’t her CO know about her past problems? I am not saying he would be sensitive to them but it would him understand why the freaking out?

Fine line between working the line and getting worked by A line.

I’m with myming: it’s BOTH!!!!!

she’s in love. which is in itself terrifying - way more so with her history.

only this is the good guy.

please God.

and please, God. Don’t let him be married.

I just hope that this is not GT’s portrayal of all military personnel in a position of power as sexual predators. Having served overseas in the present engagement, and having served with personnel from all branches of the service at all paygrades due to my job, this is certainly not the norm and as I said I hope it’s not GT painting everyone with a broad brush.

What has this guy done? So far all he has done is ask for assistance in operations.

Why is anyone assuming something sinister?

I need you here in OPs means nothing that makes any sense.

Seabrook makes no attempt to explain himself. A sure sign that he’s not to be trusted.

Affirmative. (to his computer screen for crying out loud) means “I don’t have to explain anything to you, so shut up!”

So much for “I need you.” You don’t say in effect “shut up” to someone you claim you need.

BAMP BAMP BAMP means utter terror!

AH-OOH-GA!! AH-OOH-GA!! Means AIR RAID AIR RAID or something equally horrible.

Really, You? Means this can’t be happening!

“What part or this aren’t you getting.” Means callus indifference and/or massive stupidity.

What more does GT need to say? This is not good.

Every so often, it would do an officer a whole lot of good to ask what the enlisted person would like to do. Some might call that mentoring.

She’s in love with him but he’s gay..

Not having followed Melissa’s previous ordeal, I have to agree with Alex Williamson. GT is preparing another ordeal for her–not a romance. Romance flourishes only where neither partner has power over the other.

Melissa’s alarms are going off… but I’m not sure if he is a bad guy or just an idiot.

Good grief! She’s not in love! All her danger radar have gone off! She’s scared!

Poor Melissa. This must be how it started with her last encounter.

This is why Trudeau is a master of the art form - we honestly don’t know at this point whether those are palpitations from a crush, or warning klaxons from PTSD, and I don’t know if I can stand the suspense!

Honestly, it would be easier if I didn’t know that this is something our soldiers actually face…

Isn’t it special how yesterdays “carry hatin’” Starbucks latte liberals, are todays, rootin’ tootin’ “shoot first and ask questions later” vigilante slingers, like some Michigan militia. Where’s the poverty center when you need one?

This must have been how the LaCrosse fiasco got started. What’s behind all that double standard illogic? It seems as some motha hubbards, are just itching to express animosity at “faulty” identities, no matter how innocent they are, as an expression of their own identity empowerment politics.

On a related subject, has anyone noticed how Polanski has quietly weaseled his way to better leverage?

Whatever he’s got up his sleeve, GT has shown in these first two strips that when Mel is terrified, her blushes only stir up salaciousness in Roz and other insensitive types like (apparently) Seabrook. Every rapist thinks that his petrified victim “was asking for it” because she didn’t fight like a tiger.

She’s had enough of being under a man.

Can the danger signals get any louder? Where’s the counsellor when you need her?

Time for back to the therapist!! – real soon. Not a crush, not romantic, sheer terror!!

I think she is attracted to him (although if we saw this previously, I must have missed it) and also very much afraid–both are scary situations in themselves (as I recall, being a sixty-ish woman from the 60’s) but the combination would definitely set off alarm signals. We will see what happens.

I wrote a love letter to GT when I was single. He responded, “Well, thank you!” The exclamation point helped.

I think Mel is mispronouncing HOO YA. Sounds like a cartoon horn. At least she has a sound off.

FriscoLou,

It’s time for your teabagger party…

I’m surprised at how many people think Mel’s got a crush, when it just does not register to me as anything other than PTSD induced panic to me.

I’m also surprised at how many people have condemned Cpt Seabrook, who in my opinion hasn’t done anything wrong or given any indication that he would.

Roz and Seabrook are clueless because their characters do not know what we know about Mel. Roz is enjoying being a “10” on deployment, and in her reality a crush makes sense. Seabrook just seems to me like the typical Ops (Operations) Officer who never thinks he has enough people working on his staff. I think he does not understand why Mel does not seem to be “getting” a simple direct statement, and if there is some personal problem, he does not want the drama. What he really wants to do right now is get back to his powerpoint presentation or whatever it is he’s working on.

Finally a good perspective, thanx to Chrisnp

thanx