JUNE 2009 - THIS MONTH'S WEB EXCLUSIVE

Putting the "I" back in Marines

Marines are not mindless automatons

By Cpl Stephan R. Trone

>Cpl Trone is the Unit Diary Chief, Personnel Classification and Assignments Office, Camp Lejeune.

“Left! Right!” The drill instructors yell can be heard from blocks away. “Left! Right!” The aged recruits hold their bodies stiff, stomping down with every order. “Left! Right!” Their heads are no longer cleanly shaven, and their uniforms are stiff and clean. “Left! Right!” These are third phase recruits, soon to be released from their 3 months of bondage and remolding. Their instantaneous obedience to orders is a testament of the Marine Corps teaching method. “Left! Right!” They move with rhythm and act as a whole, forgetting about themselves and focusing on the unit. The individuals have been stripped away, with the pride of belonging left to take its place. They are no longer 50 recruits, but are 1 platoon. When one recruit missteps, the whole platoon is charged with the deficiency. “Left! Right!” The individual has become despised, the words “I” and “we” blasphemous, speaking only in third person to forget about oneself. All that is left is the sense of responsibility to the whole, with no comprehension of their individual actions. Then comes the moment they have been waiting for, the sweet idea of freedom. “Platoon, halt!” Their minds begin to sprint through images of liberty, and the drill instructor’s voice seems to be fading. However, the months of training have not been undone. These recruits could follow their drill instructor’s orders if they were deaf and blind. But without this close guidance, and their sense of individual responsibility, these recruits would be lost. “Fall out!”

This is when “I” returns. A sort of “out of body” experience has occurred that forced their egos out, replaced by a mindless drone acquiescing to all orders. When recruits become Marines and are released from the care of their drill instructors, they keep the ideals that were shoved down their throats. The price, however, is often the loss of their abilities to reason for themselves, and with that, their own sense of individual responsibility. And yet many are surprised to find Marines acting recklessly, without care or sense. Problems abound not only on their own free time, liberty, and leave, but at work and at the barracks as well. In order to be a responsible member of society, or in our case the Corps, one must be aware of his individual actions and find it is in his best interest to act according to rules and regulations that govern. Young Marines will begin to embrace individual responsibility if there is a focus on individualism and personal accountability during the early stages of their careers.

As Marines hit the Operating Forces, the Corps gives back personal freedoms that were known only before boot camp. Weekend liberty, the ability to acquire more personal property than can fit in a duffel bag, and freedom to interact with the opposite sex are just a few. For instance, when I am released I have the ability to choose what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. I understand that my unit may allow me more freedoms than other Marines, so I can only list vague references in order to appease all. However, it has been made clear to me that most Marines are incapable of understanding true individual responsibility, especially when punishment is served to all, including the innocent. So, when given these freedoms, most end up abusing them. A testament to this statement is the grounds of the barracks, which at any given time are hidden under enormous amounts of cigarette butts and pizza boxes. Who is forced to clean up after the irresponsible Marines? Everyone. I will never know how many cigarette butts I have picked up. Probably hundreds, possibly thousands, and yet I have never smoked in my life. When punishment is given to the whole, and not the individual, the sense of personal accountability is lost. If I smoked, I would have no incentive to stop what I am doing and walk 100 feet to the trash can to throw away my cigarette. Why would I? I know that everyone will be forced to pick it up, me included, and so wouldn’t it be easier on me to do it all at once, with the help of both smokers and nonsmokers. How can the Marine Corps attempt to hold men and women accountable for their personal actions when they have been taught so early on that their personal actions will be the responsibility of everyone? This pattern of irresponsibility is found not only on the Marine’s own time but during his time of duty as well.

Every day at work something goes wrong. It may be a small, understandable mistake or a large one that could have easily been avoided. Either way, there is a person responsible for each one made. I understand it is common practice to shirk responsibilities off to others in order to maintain that plastic image that people love so much. However, no person is perfect, no matter how much he claims to be. By focusing on the individual, and understanding his worth, we allow ourselves the ability to embrace our mistakes and grow from them. Mistakes give us all the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals. In recruit training, I made mistakes. I sneezed when I shouldn’t have, I performed inspection arms when the order was present arms, and I let my eyes wander in the chow hall. And trust me, each mistake that I was personally held accountable for brought much misery and woe. But I learned! If the group was punished as a whole, the lesson was never as concrete. When we are held accountable for our individual actions, whether they are good or bad, we are personally connected to them. This presents a greater opportunity for learning and growth.

There are countless examples of Marines acting irresponsibly. One simply has to read a newspaper in order to hear of some accident caused by improper judgment. In order to fix this shortfall the Marine Corps has instituted greater emphasis on safety briefs and operational risk management. These tools are useful and have the ability to make a difference when they have the necessary connection to those who use them. However, more often then not, Marines are forced to use these tools when they do not apply. For the last three holiday weekends I have filled out an operational risk management assessment, detailing where I was going, the distance I was traveling, and when I was coming back. The problem with this is that I didn’t go anywhere. Whether you stay or go, you will fill out the same paperwork. The result for the Marines is death by a thousand paper cuts. This set standard for everyone undermines the individual accountability it sets out to create. For those Marines who are accountable for their own actions, it is just another reminder that they will not be treated as if they were accountable.

The safety briefs are similar in this aspect. Weeks ago, for an extended weekend safety brief, hundreds of Marines gathered to listen to different classes detailing safety procedures, many of which were important and helpful. However, much of the information given was only useful for a handful of individuals. For instance, they gave two classes on motorcycle safety and all terrain vehicle (ATV) safety. Before each class, they asked, by raise of hands, who rode either a motorcycle or an ATV. Perhaps a dozen hands were raised for motorcycles and even less for ATVs, but there were hundreds of men and women in the room who were forced to listen to the corresponding classes. I understand the importance of each class to the riders, but I fervently detest forcing everyone to take part. Treating people on an individual basis is not only more efficient but connects them with their personal actions. Personal accountability would hold Marines responsible for their own actions. It would alleviate many of the irresponsible acts through holding the individual responsible. However, even more can be done.

In boot camp we are taught that our actions affect everyone, as it should be. However, importance should also be placed on how our individual actions affect ourselves. The individual is a concept that helped drive the United States of America forward into its current status as the world’s leading nation. These days, it seems a forgotten concept, looked past for the well-being of all. By allowing ourselves to forget the individual we lose the ability to reason and judge for ourselves. The Marine Corps abolishes the concept of oneself early, during the initial phases of recruit training, and fails to fully bring it back. For 3 months straight the individual is cursed upon, demonized, and literally destroyed, creating wave upon wave of robotic drones incapable of rational thought. This situation is self-evident, and here is an example. I have often been told that Marines are safer in the field of combat, thousands of miles away in the face of enemy combatants, then at home under their own supervision. This is where they make the irresponsible decisions that our Corps is so desperate to eliminate. The reason for this is the young Marines’ inept ability to think for themselves that was inspired and cultivated at boot camp. Then, after boot camp, they are born again and sent back to the real world. It takes humans years to comprehend their actions, the cause and effect relationship, and the importance of acting responsibly. Marines are simply expected to return to this line of thinking after having it so violently ripped away from them. It often takes a great amount of time to reverse these effects or to simply be able to turn them on and off.

There are times and places to act on orders without thinking of oneself, to forget the individual and fight for God, country, and Corps! But equal emphasis should be placed on the importance of the individual during recruit training. If the first 6 weeks of boot camp are dedicated to stripping the Marines of their individual egos, then the last 6 weeks should reaffirm the importance of them. Being aware of oneself is a necessity for reason and logic, and if the Corps wishes for Marines to be aware of themselves on their own time, they must stress the importance of it early.

Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “When will the world learn that a million men are of no importance compared with one man?” This clear understanding on the notion of oneself is necessary if we are to expect Marines to have individual responsibility. One can’t ethically demand individual responsibility without first recognizing the individual. After recognition, accountability can be expected and lives will be preserved. Neither the Marine Corps nor our country can afford to lose these precious individuals.