Posted on Aug 25, 2016
COL Sam Russell
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Over two decades ago I was given and gave blood wings to new jumpmasters receiving their senior parachutist badges. I thought it was a rite of passage that all jumpmasters need experience, but in hindsight, it did not make any of us better Soldiers, paratroopers, or leaders.

As a battalion commander, I have initiated CID investigations and administered UCMJ for incidents similar to what SPC Jarrett Wright details in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RHS5RyMsoM
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 14
SSgt Carpenter
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While no sane person would defend the abuse this specialist describes, I believe the Army has thrown the baby out with the bath water. I have experienced and participated in birthday celebrations, etc. that I now know the Army considers hazing. Do not believe it was, though I'm not about to risk my career over it.
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1SG Dennis Hicks
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Sir, I received my first blood wings over 38 years ago and subsequently my Senior and Master blood wings over the years. Blood wings are a rite of passage and do not belong lumped in with the outright disgraceful and criminal acts that were done to this SPC. Blood wings were always voluntary and never forced in any unit I have ever served in. As a matter of fact I gave Senior blood wings to my BC a number of years ago in the same manner that has been done for decades. I guess I would have been charged with assault on a Field Grade Officer these days.
My personal opinion based upon my many years of service is that criminal actions like the ones that happened to this young man happen due to a command climate in which their piss poor leadership either knew about these activities or turned a blind eye. These attacks don’t happen in a vacuum. I grew up in the Infantry at 17 and I heard and saw some raw behavior but never to the point of assault. In my day practical jokes were employed more than this totally unacceptable behavior. My junior leadership would never allow this to go that far and anyone who attempted that behavior would have an accidental fall up a few flights of stairs and be removed from the ranks. My Introduction to my unit was thinking that I walked into the nut house between the fake wrestling matches and fist fights, the hand to hand demonstrations between sips of beer and assorted other acting that went on in the platoon area after 1700. My initiations was to be introduced to my roommate a soft spoken Mexican American from CA who offered me a beer and spent an hour helping me get my gear squared away for duty the next day. The very worst thing that was done to me was the Pysop campaign that lasted 48 hours until I earned my place by doing my job.
Anyone that would take part in this behavior should have been removed from the Service a long time ago and those imposters wearing Stripes should have been sent to Leavenworth. As a Squad Leader and a PSG I was very aware of what went on in my troop areas. If I had to hazard a few guesses I would say that eliminating CQ, absentee/ apathetic leadership and zero command involvement led us to what happened.
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Cpl Jeff N.
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I'm not sure what is going on in the Army these days. I had chevrons pinned on, platoon indoctrinations etc. and did so to others. Nothing even close to that ever happened nor would it have been contemplated or allowed. We were men that had to trust each other and know we could depend on each other in any situation. Anyone trying to do something like that would have never survived.

That is a homosexual rape he is describing not hazing. Trying to put an equal sign between pinning on wings or chevrons or a mild welcome aboard "ceremony" and homosexual gang rape is outrageous. That act does nothing to create unit cohesion or make anyone feel part of the team. It is a crime and those that did it should be punished. Actually they should have been taken somewhere and had the living hell beaten out of them first.

A couple of decade of social engineering in the armed forces has gotten us here.
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