MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- For the short two years I have been in the Marine Corps, I have seen it go through many changes. I remember when Marines would go through the crucible in the middle of recruit training and I remember when the Marine Corps was only 180,000 strong.
As a combat correspondent, I have had the opportunity to learn about these changes more in depth than the average Ma¬rine and one common factor I have seen with each one is they all mean to change the Corps for the better. However, what I would like to know, is if the Marine Corps is changing the right things?
During his visits around the world to Marine Corps instal¬lations, Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, said leathernecks can look forward to the construc¬tion of brand new barracks around the Corps. While it is great to see Marines getting newer living conditions, what is the point if the majority of problems with living in the bar¬racks are still there?
Marines have a problem with field days, being the first to be picked for extra or last-minute duty, supervisors breathing down their necks while they are on liberty and with only being able to have guests at certain times during the day.
I understand it is important to have a nice place to live, but if Marines had all, or at least most, of the freedoms of living off base, they could tolerate a less than perfect living envi¬ronment.
One of the biggest issues with field day is the amount of time Marines are forced to clean.
How long does it take to clean a 600-square foot (at the most) area?
For an organization that prides itself in getting the mis¬sion accomplished quickly, we sure are taking a long time to handle a mission of that mag¬nitude.
I understand as Marines that attention to detail is crucial, but should it take two Marines three hours to clean a small bedroom?
The 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, said times are changing and Marines should be treated like the grown men and women they are when it comes to cleaning up after themselves.
Estrada realized Marines are looking for a place they can feel at home, not just some¬where where they can sleep.
Another growing concern among Marines deals with the issue of guests.
Marines here can only have guests in the barracks between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to midnight on holi¬days and weekends.
Two of the biggest problems with this time schedule is it does not factor in visiting fam¬ily members and shift workers.
As far as shift workers go, not every one of them works the standard 0730 to 1630 time schedule.
According to Sgt. Maj. Christopher Hamel, Headquar¬ters and Headquarters Squad¬ron sergeant major, 60 percent of all H&HS personnel are shift workers.
This translates to more than half of all H&HS Marines who most likely use the visiting hours for work recovery.
So what does that mean for shift worker Marines? Oh well? Suck it up?
It seems like Marines are always asked to suck things up at work and in combat, but why do they have to suck it up in their own home?
I understand the need for security on base, but people in base housing are consistently bringing guests on base who are not checked in.
Maybe getting rid of the check-in logbook is not the most practical ideal, but ex¬tending visiting hours is.
These types of changes are things we can solve at the unit and even the section level.
I realize there are many Marines who disagree and are probably saying things like, “well, in combat they won’t have theses things,” “the Ma¬rines need to show me they can handle this privilege first,” or “Are you kidding? They would live like pigs.” These are great points, but why should our Marines live with the stresses of combat while at home? How much more do they need to prove themselves than putting their lives on the line for their country?
These Marines decided to join the Marine Corps dur¬ing a time of war and defend their country with everything they’ve got.
They proved they can be trusted with multi-million dol¬lar equipment and the lives of their fellow service members and I believe that proves they can be trusted with a bedroom.
I do not want to be miscon¬strued in this argument; I do agree if a Marine is abusing his or her privileges, they should have those privileges revoked.
However, if we continuously punish the majority of Marines for the mistakes of the minor¬ity, and it is a minority, we leave no incentive for the devil dogs who do the right thing.
Putting Marines in positions of trust first will raise them up. Marines have risen to the occa¬sion for the last 232 years and they will continue to do so for many more to come.
My goal is not to cause a huge uproar among Marines, I am only pointing out the things we can do we can do now to prepare our Corps for the future.
As I said earlier, the Marine Corps is doing what it can to resolve the issues Marines have, but if we don’t take a proactive approach to changing the Marine Corps, we will al¬ways be chasing our problems instead of heading them off at the start.