Commandant calls for new crackdown on barracks life, Marine behavior

[Chopstick]

General Amos has been Commandant for just shy of three years and he is instituting these policies just now? Interesting, coming from the General whose involvement in recent judicial cases resulted in charges being dropped.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/art...037?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The Marine Corps commandant wants tough new measures put in place in barracks across the service to “reawaken” it morally and crack down on bad behavior, Marine Corps Times has learned.

 

[RetPara]

To me this is a return of the Corps of the 70's when it was rebuilding after Viet Nam. I was rather surprised that a lot of that had to be mandated.

 

[Marine0311]

I am against everything proposed.

 

[Raksasa Kotor]

Many of those recommendations - at least as described in the article - were in place in the mid- to late-90's; I didn't realize they had gone away.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

WTF is going on in my beloved Corps these days? Consistent LEADERSHIP should have never permitted these habits/expectations to fade away in the first place. I'm beginning to believe that my window of service during the late 80' early 90's was THE time to be a Marine.

 

[AWP]

If the Commandant wanted to crack down on bad behavior he'd resign...

 

[Spartan25]

Sergeants and corporals will return to the barracks, as basic allowance for housing is no longer allowed for single NCOs

The only thing I don't really understand is that once barracks hit 95% occupancy, they have to start kicking NCO's out anyway. I feel like if you're an NCO, especially Sgt, you put your time in and had your fair share of the barracks life. But does that mean SNCO's and officers have to move back in the barracks too? Probably not.

Television and video games will not be allowed in the watchstander’s place of duty

Okay, so now not only do we have to wear service uniforms, we are expected to just sit there for 24 hours doing nothing. Like if your moral wasn't low enough already right? I feel like all these changes are just going to make everything worse

..put the Corps’ new, impressive bachelor enlisted quarters to full use

Really?

 

[RetPara]

I am against everything proposed.

I don't understand why you would be against ALL of this....


■ Sergeants and corporals will return to the barracks, as basic allowance for housing is no longer allowed for single NCOs. This policy change was made in 2011, with the commandant saying it was necessary to save money and put the Corps’ new, impressive bachelor enlisted quarters to full use. I remember when SSG's (unmarried) had their BAQ pulled in '76. Bunch of unhappy campers; then since a number had less than 10, they pulled plug.

■ Senior officers, staff NCOs and NCOs will be in and out of the barracks regularly, especially between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. BTDT when I had troops in the barracks. I wouldn't wake people up, but no one EVER knew when I would pop in to see your doing....

■ Company-grade officers will be assigned as officers on duty, and staff NCOs will be assigned as staff officers on duty. All Marines on duty will be required to wear service uniforms, either “Bravos” or “Charlies,” depending on which uniform is in season. Depending on the level of the command, not a bad idea, but could be overdone.

■ Two NCOs will be on duty per barracks, and a firewatch will be conducted on each floor of each building. In one of the LARGE barracks I could see that... but probably overkill along with a Fire Watch on each floor. Real easy to have so many people on duty, that the mission suffers.

■ Television and video games will not be allowed in the watchstander’s place of duty. They must be out and about, and not behind a desk. Good time to do professional reading, but should log patrols or walk throughs.

■ Commanders leading Marine expeditionary forces, major subordinate commands and installations must develop plans to “fight and win” in the barracks with their sergeants major. That does not make sense. Barracks should be NCO territory. If the SGTMAJ can't get the barracks under control... you need a new SgtMaj.

■ Every Marine above the rank of lance corporal must read “Leading Marines” and “Sustaining the Transformation” by Nov. 10, the Marine Corps’ 237th birthday. Both are official publications for the service, and focus on leadership. I thought the Corps had a reading list by rank. Mandatory reading is NOT a bad thing; but hell to try and manage/audit.

■ Marines will no longer be promoted to corporal or sergeant in groups. “Each promotion to these ranks will be personal and meaningful,” one of Amos’ briefing slides says. Nothing like being promoted with a gaggle of others.... As new NCO's are made, it does need to be something more than another promotion to PV-4.

■ The Corps will “refocus on the ‘basic daily routine’ business” of running a battalion or squadron. Officers and staff NCOs will be present in the morning as their Marines get ready for their day, conduct organized physical training and eat breakfast. In the Wing that could be a problem if your running 24/7 operations. But for most combat arms/CS/CSS units; it's doable. So just when did the officers and NCO's show up anyway?

 

[Marine0311]

If that is sarcasm I am missing it

If not I continue...

• I am against all of it because it's overkill. With no war the USMC is bored.
  
• I also find it somewhat hypocritical that our senior leaders did some if not all of the bad behavior when they were juniors, now they want to crackdown on such bad behavior?
• Some NCOs live in the barracks.
• Duty logs are done by the NCO on duty; his/her ADNCO, the SNCO on duty or the OOD. Shit is logged 1o ways from Sunday.
• There is already a reading list.
• Wearing uniforms on duty is overkill. Duty sucks enough. Cammies are just fine.
  
• I don't need you popping in and out of the barracks. NCOS that live there can take care of things, if not they call up their PLT SGT or the OOD (or the MPs). Barracks should have a level of comfort for those that live there.

 

[DA SWO]

Okay, so now not only do we have to wear service uniforms, we are expected to just sit there for 24 hours doing nothing. Like if your moral wasn't low enough already right? I feel like all these changes are just going to make everything worse

Read a book, I assume their is a Marine manual that has Professional Knowledge stuff in it, prep for your promotion exam.

The problem with videos is people concentrate on the game and not on their assigned duties. You are on watch (aka on duty).

 

[Ooh-Rah]

I had to go back and read that again...did I read that he wants to "ARM" all Marines on duty at all time? Is he fucking nuts!?!

It was chaos enough when the drunk Lance Corporal would come in from a rough night on the town and ask the newbee PFC on duty "What the fuck he thought he was going to do with that billy club?". Today we'll add a pistol to the equation and this time ask our wet behind the ears newbee on Duty to confront the drunk, buffed out, combat hardened Corporal who had way to many at the club...hmmm...if by arming, the good General means firearms? Well shucks, nothing bad can go wrong there.

 

[Ooh-Rah]

@Spartan25 Marine, being on duty means just that. Take some time and catch up on your reading, "write" a letter home, focus on your military future? Video games and TV's have their place, but duty is not it.

 

[Th3 Maelstr0m]

IIRC, when on duty we had to roam the barracks every 30 min or so & log it.

I don't ever remember TV or video games being allowed. Hell, my first time as duty NCO I remember getting my ass REAMED at 0300 because I was carrying "Gates of Fire" with me as I roamed the barracks.

 

[0699]

It appears to me this is just the pendulum swinging back the other way. I remember when I was a young Marine (up until about Sergeant) it was very much like the CMC wants. SNCOs and NCOs were in and out of the barracks all the time. I remember being a sergeant and being at the barracks (I was married and lived in quarters) to wake up the Marines, PTing with them, then hitting the chow hall as a group. Then it went to "stay out of the barracks/let the Marines have their privacy/no field days/etc". Now this is just the pendulum swinging back.

If the CMC is going to expect this out of the leadership, they have to make sure they have the tools and latitude to fix problems. Also, a lot of SNCOs & NCOs have to grow some balls and not be afraid to confront people that are fucking up.

 

[RetPara]

No sarcasm. I seen your point. Senior officers and NCO's have always been hypocrites.

Just because an NCO lives in the barracks, it's not an additional duty. If you have a Marine/Trooper/Sailor/Pink Flying Pony living in the barracks.... They are still yours at the Sqd/Section/Plt level. It's an individual balance thing for an NCO on how often they check on the folks in the barracks. I don't mean every day, unless you inspect the barracks. Also dropping by on the weekend is good way to snag some of your people to the house for burgers or something. If there is some kind of a utility issue, the Barracks Duty NCO might not be real effective getting it resolved. That's when more senior NCO's can step as fire support and start pushing the issue (BTDT with some of the old barracks I had folks in). I keep seeing in my mind the video of the Trooper from the '04 trying to clear a stopped drain at Bragg with backed up sewage a foot deep....

 

[goon175]

Some of the stuff he outlined makes sense, but much of it does not.

Fireguard? Really?

 

[AWP]

Also, a lot of SNCOs & NCOs have to grow some balls and not be afraid to confront people that are fucking up.

Wait, are you advocating that NCO's act like NCO's instead of technicians thrust into a so-called "leadership position?" What you're saying would bring back the NCO corps and it was last seen getting into a dirty van marked "free candy"...

 

[TLDR20]

A 24 hour shift is a long time to sit and read a textbook. I think bringing guys back to the barracks is a good thing.

 

[Totentanz]

The vast majority of that was happening at Drum when I left last December (with the exception of SSG and above living off post):

- BN had 1x LT and 1x SSG as staff duty NCOs
- Company barracks had 2x NCOs per building ( 1 per floor, four total)
- Each had mandatory checks and walkthroughs (eg, hourly CQ checks, BN conducted checks once every six hours, all of which had to be logged)
- the "no cell phones" policy came and went... for the most part, you had better not be caught with anything non-military at the desk (exceptions for ALC, online military courses, etc)
- Team and squad leaders were in the barracks ~1 hour before PT knocking on doors, checking rooms, making sure people were awake.
- "Leader presence in the barracks" was the name of the game from about 3 years back, increasing as time went on... although at the end of the day, it seemed that no matter how often PL/PSG/CDR/1SG were in the barracks, Joe got into shit because "leaders aren't in the barracks enough" (not that Joe could possibly be smart enough to leave the barracks before kicking off shenanigans)

For the most part, I usually swung by the barracks whenever I went to the gym on post - whether that was after work or on the weekends - and usually on Sunday afternoons/evenings ("I didn't get any phone calls, is there anything I need to know before tomorrow morning?"). No need to kick doors, just BS with the folks on CQ for a few minutes and get a feel for how the weekend went and if there was anything that needed to be addressed.

 

[Marauder06]

I had to go back and read that again...did I read that he wants to "ARM" all Marines on duty at all time? Is he fucking nuts!?!

It was chaos enough when the drunk Lance Corporal would come in from a rough night on the town and ask the newbee PFC on duty "What the fuck he thought he was going to do with that billy club?". Today we'll add a pistol to the equation and this time ask our wet behind the ears newbee on Duty to confront the drunk, buffed out, combat hardened Corporal who had way to many at the club...hmmm...if by arming, the good General means firearms? Well shucks, nothing bad can go wrong there.

Yeah, I read that too, I kept waiting for it to be addressed in the body of the story but it never was.

and the arming of all Marines on duty at all times, according to briefing slides from the commandant’s address.

:-/ "all armed, all the time?" What is his definition of "armed?" I remember when I was a young LT, my troops were pulling guard duty of the ammo bunkers "armed" with axe handles...