The Marines Defend Their Women

Fellow Soldiers are our Brothers and Sisters and should be treated as such. Anyone that breaks that tradition shall be punished accordingly (and unofficially). another There is no place for harassment in our line of work. It degrades moral and cohesion.

I was a little surprised when I read the title "Marines defend their women", like this was something new. I'm a little over 30 years removed from active duty in the Corps and even back "then" there were 3 things that you never messed with or criticized when dealing with Marines...

1) Family, this includes the people you are related to and also any other Marine on the planet, they are family, PERIOD!
2) The Marine Corps. It's our Corps... Only we get to call it "the suck". Go ahead and tell me that cool story about how you "almost" joined the Marine Corps.
3) Money. We don't make much but if you need some, ask. Don't try to screw us out of it and by no means try to take it... it won't end well.

I'm happy see that this sense of family and brotherhood is still very much alive in today's Marine Corps, but I'm not surprised.

Anyone who has been harrassed and has not been protected by command is being violated again. And when you get out, to prove MST, you relive that again.

That is illegal and unacceptable. If you are having issues please contact me offline and I will initiate actions with your permission. I do not answer to command, I have had lousy officers (as well as great ones), and I am a professional and very well-trained and well-positioned advocate. Plus - I am a Dad with a teen-age daughter, and have airborne and SF background.

I do not think their response was because the person in trouble was a Female, I think it was because there was a Marine in trouble!! I would hesitate to think that if any service member heard another service member scream for help they would hesitate to help their Shipmate out.

This is very sad subject because I thought by now women would be more excepted because they do just as good a job if not better in some cases then their male counterparts, I served as the Equal Opportunity Officer for two (2) of the commands that served at and I only had one case of non-qualified because one sailor thought she should be allowed to attend combat camera school but was denied because at that time (1984) women where not permitted to fill combat positions, but today that is not the case women are now on submarines.

I've been scolded for holding open a door as a chauvinist. Ironically, I hold the door open for everyone even Privates.

I think some hesitation in non-criminal EO/SHARP type situations on how to respond comes from its very subjective nature. When it comes down to something like Sexual Harassment it is really entirely on the receiver as to if it is harassment or not. Some are far more sensitive to it than others. I started my career in a rifle company (all male) and there was what you might perceive sexual harassment there.. it just wasn't seen as sexual harassment. It was seen as humor, camaraderie, and strange male bonding. In line units one of the best ways to show affection for someone is to tell them how much you hope they burst into flames the next time they use the latrine.

I am not condoning sexual harassment by any measure. I just haven't, in nearly a decade of wearing green, seen real, honest, inappropriate, meant as stated sexual harassment. I've only known one peer called on it (and that case was comically egregious). I'm not saying it isn't rampant or a problem, it just isn't where I've been assigned. I do dislike the way you indict the entire Army of half a million Soldiers based on your experience with your small corner of it.

Marines take care of their own and the Army use too, but now everyone is jus about themselves. Let get back to One Team One Fight !!

As an old timer whose days in the Army have past (18 yrs), its refreshing ino read all the "on the mark" comments I've read so far. To me, this is a problem that the Army as an institution has not yet learned to handle. There is (not always) retribution toward the Female Soldier who reports an assault because it brings negative attention to each level of command from the higher headquarters leadership. As the Sh&% rolls down hill, each level puts blame on the leadership at each lower level. Once it gets down to the lowest level, it at times goes one more... down to the victim. It's looked upon as a command and leadership failure when it happens. The Soldier who commits the offense is delt with, and the victim remains in the unit as a reminder of the incident and therefore part of the blame.

This is unfortunate. Seems that in today's Army, Soldiers are not treated as adults or as individuals when they commit an offense. The Battle Buddy, Squad Leader, Section Chief, PSG, 1SG, Cdr all get reamed for their failure to prevent an incident from happening. At least I've seen it go that way several times here at Ft. Stewart with other offenses as well, especially DUI.

DA mandated "Annual Training" is NOT the solution. We need to take a lesson from the USMC and go back to instilling CORE Values, Respect, Integrity as the USMC does beginning in it's Recruit Training. Unfortunately the old remark, that the "Army is a cross section of our society" is a very true statement. It's time that we stop being a cross section of our society and be "THE Army". We may never see that happen as we have become to much of a liberal society and it takes a special kind of Leader to buck Society and Civilian Leadership. The old values that many of us recall and got our asses tore up when were growing up don't apply in many cases today. THE USMC has held steadfast in its core traditions and values and should be saluted for it.

I recently spent some time at USMC Recrut Depot at Parris Island, SC. I was there TDY during their annual Hurriicane Exercise and assisting their EOC in some of its SOP issues. I was amazed at the way those Recruits in Boot Camp carried themselves when the DI was NOT around. The way the marched, talked, military courtesy no matter where you saw them. Not just the Recruits, but at every level of NCO/officer rank. It really was very humbling to see it and was proud to pass along to several retired USMC CSMs and 1SG friends.

Now will the Army do this...I don't see it unfortunately. However, it can still happen. Every NCO and Officer (stilll on active duty) who has posted to this comment controls his/her own piece of the organizational Pie (I will call it), your section, your Platoon, Your Company. This slice you control, you train, you teach. Start it there. Do what it takes to get it ingrained. If it still happen , try to hang the assailant from the highest tree you can influence, Make that example out of them. Then you may also have to do what we as leaders are supposed to do, and that's put ourselves "in the middle" and between the victim and those who want to also blame the victim with some fault. You and your Soldiers have to protect them as well, from those off the wall comments from other Soldiers, fellow peer leaders, and possible the chain of command.

In the mean time,You teach, train, kick, cuss, scream, - what ever it takes to get your slice of the Pie (your soldiers) to think like that group of Marines that came to "their fellow Marine's aid". Once it has been "institutionalized" by You, they will move on and as they get promoted hopefully that attitude will go with them as they take control of their "Slice of the Pie". It would take a generation (10 yrs) before it would impact a portion of the Amryto where it is noticed or recognized. But it would be recognized and hopefully for what impact it was having.

But remember Reality Check- There will always be that "one" (or more) you will not be able to get thru too. No matter what, unfortunately it's gonna happen again somewhere! Do all you can to let it not be on your Watch!

Am I dreaming....Yeah I think so.....but its my dream....and a good one.
Remember the Army can make all the policy at the top it wants too, but until it works from the bottom ---up. It doesn't work!

The Marines are a very close knitted group of Soldiers that do take care of one another. The Army used to be that way but now it is no longer that way, everyone is just about themselves.

I applaud the Marines for that WM, however, VA has a long list of other WM's and other branches as well, who were not so lucky. So, let's not diminish the "real" trauma many women in uniform suffer or have suffered.

Wisdom comes with age and would I have treated people, women, differently if I had known what I know today, most definitely. As our society evolves, so does our thinking about what is right and what is wrong.