A Synesi Story - What my conscience dictates

Day 1,686, 20:00 • Published in USA USA • by Synesi

As some of you may have guessed, I will no longer be serving under the banner of the JCS. I have stayed with them as long as I have because I had hope that they would be able to see past their own egos and do what is right for their military.

Before I go in depth on this, I feel I should restate my origins. Until I had to directly deal with the JCS, I was the most loyal officer you would have ever seen. I would have fought for the JCS to the end had they been willing to fight for their own people.  I was an ardent supporter of the split when it happened, and I would have defended Bradley Reala’s decision till I was blue. I have dedicated 754 days to this military, that is 2 years and 23 days within the ranks of TC.  The only time I ever had disloyal thoughts was when I was called disloyal by those I had idolized.  But even then, instead of hate, I still remained loyal to bringing progress and light to a military that continually goes farther into darkness.  I had hope in the people, hope in the leaders that they would see reason. I have been in the JCS for at least 6 months, and in that time no progress has been made.  I remember seeing people leave this military in anger during the time of the split from the government, and I wondered how those people could do such a thing. For once, I truly understand them and their frustrations.

The current JCS do not deserve the incredible troops who serve under them. My dispute is fully with the JCS, not those who serve under them.

I wanted to go into a large in-depth article of how the JCS are failing the eUS Military, and someday maybe I will if people want to read it. But right now, I am done with the JCS and I am done wasting my time with a leadership that is content to stay in the shadows and die a slow death.

The JCS refuse to coordinate damage with the rest of the eUSA.
The JCS refuse to take responsibility for their actions and do what is best for their members.
The JCS refuse to acknowledge the state of their own military.
The JCS refuse to go past their hate of politics and the government.
The JCS refuse to even attempt at gaining legitimacy for the eUS Military.

I refuse to be a part of it any longer. I can no longer in good conscience lead TC while underneath the banner of the JCS. I cannot justify sending troops to the higher branches that are led by the JCS.
I have talked to many people about my decision to leave and have come to the conclusion that this is the only way.  There was a point where I had decided to stay and attempt to make things better. But I have realized that this would only lead to more bitterness, which is not something that I want to corrupt TC with. The JCS are perfect examples of how bitterness over the past can infect a group, and I never want to be like them.  At one point I strongly considered leading the Training Corps to secede from the JCS Military, but I cannot in good conscience inflict that damage upon the place I called home for so long. TC means too much to me.  Thus with the counsel of some of my closest friends and advisers, I have decided to remove myself from the equation.

There comes a point where you are unable to justify the actions of the group you are a part of. I reached that point several months ago and I am done making excuses for the JCS.  The JCS would rather comfort their egos than let this military regain its honor. Dearest members of the eUS Military, you deserve better.

Many will demonize me for these words and that is your right.  But those of you who know me, those who I have befriended over the past two years; you know that I play this game to have fun and to help others have fun.  This is a decision that greatly saddens me, but I truly feel that this is the only route for me to take.

There are many aspiring officers who hope to one day be JCS. I give you this advice, there is no glory in becoming JCS, all it will do is stress you out. If you want to be successful in the JCS, you have to follow the rest of the group.  You will get nowhere if you have opinions that differ from the JCS dogma.  The JCS used to be mighty, it used to embody greatness, it used to contain the best strategists and leaders. This is no longer the case, and has not been for a long time.  The current JCS is simply a group desperately riding on the coattails of those who came before.  Being a member of the current JCS is solely a game of “follow the leader” or else be deemed disloyal for your differing opinions.

To Jankems, I’m sure you will be telling the JCS, “I told you so” in regards to letting me join their group. But you hear this, I was 100% loyal to both this military and to the JCS until YOU questioned MY loyalty those many months ago where you stalled my admittance to the JCS.  It was you who planted the seed. No one else.  It is truly unfortunate when your heroes let you down.

[Edit: Looking back, I don't like how I phrased this part about Jankems, I feel like it makes me look like I was throwing a fit against Jankems. All I really meant by this part was to say that I had never honestly viewed the JCS as wrong or erroneous until that moment where Jankems essentially accused me of being disloyal. That was the first time where I began to question the legitimacy of these people as leaders. -Syn 10/2/12]

To Bradley Reala, by convincing the JCS to split from the government, you hurt this military more than your enemies ever could. You had no plan on how to survive after the split and as a result the JCS languished under the guise of strength.  Live in infamy Bradley Reala.

This is by no means a rash decision on my part, for the past month, my suspension from the JCS for extremely questionable rationale has given me a great deal of time to think about this decision. I have talked this over with some of my closest advisers and I believe this is the right decision for me and for TC.

Goodbye to all my mil friends, thank you for all the good times and hopefully we will have many more. Though it is not a true goodbye, because I will still be around, just not on the mil forums.

I suggest you press ctrl-F5 to clear your browser cache/refresh avatar pics before reading this next part.

Now onto the part that many will take great issue with.  While I refuse to work with the JCS, the goal and purpose of helping new players is something that I cannot let go of. To this end, I have been offered command of the USAF Bootcamp.  I will continue to welcome new players to eRep and I will continue in aiding them as they start out.  I will continue doing what I love to do, except I will now do it under the banner of the official military of the eUSA. I honestly understand that many will be angry, some will call me traitor.  I can only follow in what I believe, what my conscience dictates, do not fault me for that. If you hate me, that is your choice and I will not fault you for it, were I in your situation, perhaps I would do the same.

But, it is now time that we choose our own future and not rely blindly upon those who would take that choice away from us.  It is our responsibility to be great, to ask questions, to speak up and become more than we had ever thought possible. It is our responsibility to follow our conscience, and that is what I do today.  There is so much greatness and potential in the members who are under the yolk of the JCS, I sincerely wish for those traits to be realized.

Before I am done, I want to address the members and officers of the United States Training Corps.  It has been an honor to serve as your commander and I am convinced that officers of the Corps are some of the hardest working players that you will find in this entire game.   TC has been my home for a long time now and I am confident that it will continue to provide homes to those who seek friends there.  You were my first and best friends and I wish you all the best. Keep it shiny TC.

This game is meant to be fun, the moment that fun ends, that is the moment to move on. I have moved on. And you should too.

If you would like to talk, or ask me about any of this, you can find me in #TC or in #cathedral_of_synesi . I will also read any comments posted here and do what I can to address them.

-Synesi
[Former Commanding Officer of the United States Training Corps, JCS]