Library - Reading Room
Supporting Materials for Sir! No Sir!
Distribution Denied
With the publication of Aerospaced III the editors sent a letter to Col. Miles, Base Commander, requesting on base distribution of our newspaper. The answer we received simply stated "request denied."
This was the second request sent to the commander; our first request wasn't even answered. Furthermore we weren't even given one reason for this denial. Why?
Aerospaced has not uttered any statements that would be a violation of a Federal Law or AF regs. Our right to publish is grudgingly given to us by DoD directive 1825.6. This directive even states that "... the fact that a publication is critical of government policies or officials is not, in itself, grounds upon which distribution may be prohibited."
The fact that there is nothing illegal about Aerospaced probably never enters the brass's mind when they make these determinations. How does the brass operate during “dissent crisis”?
At Barksdale AFB, La., one of the EMs working on GAF (the 2 AF antiwar paper) was sent to K. I. Sawyer AFB for snow removal duty. The brass was so smart they forgot to check if AIC Rines had a government drivers license. Of course he didn’t, which proved how desperately he was needed for snow removal.
How long are the workers (first-termers and NCO’s) going to bend to the brass’s will? Do the current channels really give you a concrete method... for a redress of grievances. Maybe free speech will benefit career men too. Just to prove this point where can lifers publish their view that Aerospaced should be thrown off base and its editors jailed?
Only in Aerospaced can you exercise your right of free speech including denouncing Aerospaced! If you don’t believe us, submit a letter to the of the base newspaper, and see if they print it.
All this brings us to the fact that the only paper which could conceivably represent or serve Grissom GIs has been denied access to the base except through the mail room. It is too bad because AEROSPACED IS THE BASE newspaper.
Aerospaced, vol. 2, no. 1