And some might say our military is full of wimps.

Quite often I hear armchair warriors bemoan how our military has degraded over the years. IMHO most of their bitching comes from not being able to keep up with the times. It's a different world now than when I joined in '70, I know I'd never fit in. These days if I feel like criticizing the troops, I just STFU turn around and go count my last retirement check. It keeps it all in perspective.

But sometimes you come across an item that just makes you shake your head. Here's an article from the land of the samauri and kamikaze warriors. Bet those dudes are twirling in their graves.....

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government will have to pay damages to the parents of a sailor who hanged himself after being repeatedly insulted by his superior, in the first such court ruling involving a civil servant, media said.

The Fukuoka High Court in southern Japan ordered 3.5 million yen ($32,000) be paid to the parents of the petty officer third class, a court spokesman said, declining to give further details.

Kyodo news agency said the court recognized that the sailor's suicide had been caused by depression, a result of stress accumulated from insults such as: "You are not qualified as a petty officer third class" and "Are you dumb?"

The sailor had been 21 when he committed suicide aboard a destroyer in 1999, it said.
A lower court had ruled in the government's favor, saying the remarks from the sailor's superior had fallen within the scope of training, Kyodo added.

"It is disappointing that the court did not understand the state's claim," an official at the defense ministry quoted Vice Defence Minister Kohei Masuda as telling a news conference.
"We will closely study the decision and deal with it appropriately."

Japan's defense ministry has been hit by a string of scandals in recent years, including cases of bribery and security leaks.

Cases of bullying in companies and in schools have also made headlines in recent years.

Geez Louise, for a good part of my military career I thought my name had been changed to "stupid". If I had a nickel for every insult I took I'd be able to take the War Department out for dinner at least once a week for the next several years. I just thought it came with the territory, since my old man was retired from the military it wasn't completely unexpected. As a matter of fact, once I had some time in I often was able to give as good as I got.

I guess things are different in Japan.