Posted on Jul 7, 2017
How the Death of a Muslim Recruit Revealed a Culture of Brutality in the Marines
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Boot Camp
Hazing
Death
Posted >1 y ago
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What do you expect a bunch of non-smoking, drinking, cussing, skirt chasing killers. Like it or not Marines are badasses trained to kill. Nobody likes to fight but somebody has to know how. What if he had made it through boot camp and ordered to a combat unit things would have been a lot worse and many more lives lost.
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Marine Corps boot camp is far easier today than in the past. This article is much ado about nothing. Parris Island is a harsh place designed to weed out the non hackers, weak and unmotivated. If you want warriors you have to weed out the non warriors. Not everyone is cut out to be a Marine. The Marines have had recruits dying (and killing themselves) on Parris Island and San Diego for a long time. That can happen when people meet high stress they cannot deal with. That is not the goal but it is an outcome.
Nothing you face on Parris Island is going to do you more harm that may be done on a foreign battlefield somewhere in the world. The non stop whining of some about how the culture of the Marine Corps is too harsh seem not to understand our countries enemies fear us. They fear us because our culture breeds competency, harshness, deprivation and an eagerness to separate our enemy from their life.
The Marine Corps exists to win battles and vanquish the enemy not to provide college educations or great healthcare benefits or a career path for all etc. Some of that may happen but it is not the mission. With Trump in the White House and Mattis as the Secdef perhaps we can turn away from those concerned about a culture they simply do not understand but should be happy it exists.
Nothing you face on Parris Island is going to do you more harm that may be done on a foreign battlefield somewhere in the world. The non stop whining of some about how the culture of the Marine Corps is too harsh seem not to understand our countries enemies fear us. They fear us because our culture breeds competency, harshness, deprivation and an eagerness to separate our enemy from their life.
The Marine Corps exists to win battles and vanquish the enemy not to provide college educations or great healthcare benefits or a career path for all etc. Some of that may happen but it is not the mission. With Trump in the White House and Mattis as the Secdef perhaps we can turn away from those concerned about a culture they simply do not understand but should be happy it exists.
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PO3 Steven Sherrill
Cpl Jeff N. I agree with most of what you say. The issue comes when individuals are singled out because of DI prejudices. A recruit dying because of rigorous training, or suicide from the rigors of the training is horrible, but it comes with the territory when turning civilians into Marines. This was not the rigors of training. This was a sociopath physically abusing subordinates who could not fight back simply because he didn't like their religious beliefs. That is not a part of the Marine culture. That has nothing to do with fighting the enemy or winning battles.
I don't know the background of the times author. I agree with you fully that most media types don't have a clue about the military that they report on. They something that shocks or offends, and it is the end of the world. They often don't understand what they are seeing. Even in this article there was much that I thought was as you said "much ado about nothing" a lot of filler that was not necessary. The heart of the article though made a valid point. No service member should be abused by their superiors because of religious beliefs.
The team is only as strong as its ability to work together as a single unit. When members of the team are kept as outsiders, the team as a whole is weakened.
I personally feel that the DI failed to live up to his oath. His fellow DIs should not have gone along with it, and the recruits who witnessed it had an immediate obligation to the Marine Corps to report it. So while the prejudice may have come from one single person, the blame goes to all. As for the kid who witnessed it and said nothing, I don't think he deserves to have his discharge changed. If what he saw bothered him so much, he should have spoken up at the time.
I don't know the background of the times author. I agree with you fully that most media types don't have a clue about the military that they report on. They something that shocks or offends, and it is the end of the world. They often don't understand what they are seeing. Even in this article there was much that I thought was as you said "much ado about nothing" a lot of filler that was not necessary. The heart of the article though made a valid point. No service member should be abused by their superiors because of religious beliefs.
The team is only as strong as its ability to work together as a single unit. When members of the team are kept as outsiders, the team as a whole is weakened.
I personally feel that the DI failed to live up to his oath. His fellow DIs should not have gone along with it, and the recruits who witnessed it had an immediate obligation to the Marine Corps to report it. So while the prejudice may have come from one single person, the blame goes to all. As for the kid who witnessed it and said nothing, I don't think he deserves to have his discharge changed. If what he saw bothered him so much, he should have spoken up at the time.
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Cpl Jeff N.
Recruits on Parris Island are singled out for a host of reasons. The DI's look for ways to get under their skin and see what they can take etc. There is no evidence he was abused solely because of his religion. I saw Jewish recruits and atheists and even deep southern Christians get tweaked by the DI's. It goes with the territory. They go after everyone for more common and sometimes particular reasons. This recruit killed himself because he overreacted/panicked etc. That is a more regular occurrence than many know.
Your mission on Parris Island is to be able to take whatever is thrown at you. It will pale in comparison to the deprivation of combat or capture. I saw and experienced physical, verbal and emotional "abuse" in addition to a boatload of physical training, combat readiness training general knowledge about the Corps etc etc etc. To an outsider the DI's would seem to by psychopathic but they are not. Who doesn't watch some of the youtube videos and say wow, those guys are nuts. But they have a purpose in all they do.
The "team" on Parris Island are men that want to become Marines. They are not on the team yet and it is the DI's job to make sure no weak (physically or mentally) make it through to the fleet. If and when they march across the parade deck with their EGA on their uniform then and only then are they on the team. I trust the Marine Corps to know what Marines need to be like and how they need to hold up under pressure.
The DI's did their job. The outcome is not desired or sought but it can and does happen. There are people that are mentally unfit that make it their and struggle. We had more than one in my platoon. One made a suicide attempt but lived. A few others broke under the stress and strain and disappeared.
You choose to put the focus on one recruit that took his life versus the need we have to have a combat ready physically and mentally tough Marine Corps.
Your mission on Parris Island is to be able to take whatever is thrown at you. It will pale in comparison to the deprivation of combat or capture. I saw and experienced physical, verbal and emotional "abuse" in addition to a boatload of physical training, combat readiness training general knowledge about the Corps etc etc etc. To an outsider the DI's would seem to by psychopathic but they are not. Who doesn't watch some of the youtube videos and say wow, those guys are nuts. But they have a purpose in all they do.
The "team" on Parris Island are men that want to become Marines. They are not on the team yet and it is the DI's job to make sure no weak (physically or mentally) make it through to the fleet. If and when they march across the parade deck with their EGA on their uniform then and only then are they on the team. I trust the Marine Corps to know what Marines need to be like and how they need to hold up under pressure.
The DI's did their job. The outcome is not desired or sought but it can and does happen. There are people that are mentally unfit that make it their and struggle. We had more than one in my platoon. One made a suicide attempt but lived. A few others broke under the stress and strain and disappeared.
You choose to put the focus on one recruit that took his life versus the need we have to have a combat ready physically and mentally tough Marine Corps.
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