Most problems in the military are a result of the individual service's failure to instill discipline in its members from the beginning. Turning a young person into a professional soldier is no easy task; it is made more difficult if the applicant isn't properly motivated from the very beginning. The process of cultivating the "warrior" spirit requires dedication on the part of the service.
Discipline and professionalism must be exemplified by the recruiter first and foremost, then taught and continually reinforced to the recruit in "basic" training in order to prepare him/her for the rigors of military life. I believe the Marine Corps does this quite well, while the Army does not.
There are fundamental differences between the Marine Corps and the Army that must be addressed even prior to discussing differences in recruit training methodology. First, the United States Marine Corps attracts its applicants by advertising the fact that the USMC is an elite fighting force. One advertisement I remember shows a young Marine officer standing proudly with his dress blue uniform and sword, challenging the prospective applicant to have "the mettle to be a Marine." Older ads tell applicants the USMC "didn't promise a rose garden" letting them know they are signing up for a challenge. When a young man signs up to be a Marine, regardless of the job he signs for, he knows it's going to be tough and he must earn the chance to be a "Marine"; a team player and warrior.
The Army on the other hand, attempts to lure applicants with slick enticements like money for college or jobs. Phrases like "Be All that You Can Be" and "Army of One" are the most memorable. What exactly does "Army of One" mean? I can be an individual? I am one person who just happens to be with other people but has an individual goal? Ambiguous slogans and appeals to individual desires may set the tone for future disappointment (and discipline problems) when the soldier finds the Army isn't only about money for college.
Once the applicant has been recruited he is on his way to recruit training. Young men and women from all walks of life are thrown together in one place to receive training. Most of them are immature and undisciplined. Most have been indoctrinated by a moral-relativist pop culture that promotes the selfish, easy "wrong" over the difficult but necessary "right". To them drugs are okay, abortion is a "right", rap stars can call women "bitches" and "hoes", and 2 + 2 equals 5 if it feels good. They were taught to be "global" and that "sovereignty" and "patriotism" are nasty words. They have few principles and little national pride. These young men and women have to be taught to defend our nation and our national interests because they didn't learn it growing up.
I suppose the Army knew this when they came up with their recruiting campaign. They figured they had to "sucker" in as many applicants as they could. The advertising is not "false" per se, but doesn't tell the whole truth. The whole truth is that the Army is an organization that goes to war. They should tell soldiers, "You can earn money for college" when you aren't training to be a warrior and doing your assigned job first, so don't complain to your congressman when you have to deploy because you signed the damn contract…oh and by the way, don't even try to say you are a Conscientious Objector when we give you the orders to deploy because you can't be stupid enough to think you can reap the benefits without doing your job in the process. The job is to "support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic."
That includes the Army Reserve too. The recruiting pitch for Reserves should be: "One weekend a month and two weeks in the summer" is fine when there isn't a war going on, but when there is a conflict, be prepared to spend a year away from home fighting suicide bombers and other assorted whackos.
War is our business. Violence is a component of war. New applicants must understand that when they sign up, and be properly prepared to handle warfighting tasks when deployed. I think the Marines are more successful at this because their applicants go in knowing they are going to be warriors. Maybe the Army can put aside its pride and borrow some ideas from the USMC. A person is not necessarily born a warrior; he is grown.
Part II will discuss the differences between Army "basic training" and USMC "bootcamp". Please send your comments so I can have some material to reference in my next post.
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8 comments:
I could not have said it better myself. The Marine Corps, for the most part, attracts a different Man.
WOW! Boy do I have some interesting stories to support your writings!
I dated a guy (we'll call him psycho-ex) on and off, for 4 years. During this time, he decided his life-long dream was to be in the Army. So he signed up for the NG, and 2 months later, set out for boot camp. At the time, I wasn't yet in the military. And though I come from a family with a strong military background (my mother is still in the Navy Reserve, dad retired, aunts and uncles retired, cousins all in, etc...), I guess I was ignorant. Psycho ex called me all the time from boot camp. I wondered how he got the privilege to use the phone so much, as I'd hear stories of men not calling their girlfriends and such for weeks at a time. Then, about 5 weeks into training, he got to come home for the Christmas holiday (yes, they do that now). I was so happy to see him. Yet, when the day came for him to leave, he told me that he'd gone to the doctor for his "injured shoulder" and would not be going back. He would be medically discharged instead. I, unknowing, was suspicious, but decided that since I was not in the military, I could just be ignorant. So I allowed him to stay with me, in my apartment, under my lease, with my name solely on it. I worked. He stayed at home.
It was a few months later when I realized that he'd not been medically discharged. In fact, he'd gone AWOL because it was "too tough". Later, he blamed this on me, saying that he knew I was struggling on my own, and didn't want to leave me again. That would have been a great excuse had he actually WORKED once he got home. Anyways, that's not my point. When he told me he was AWOL, I began to realize that I was harboring a criminal. And appropriately turned him in. A few days later, he was arrested, and sent down to Kentucky for court martial. He was not arrested, but was told he could never enter the military again. A few years later, he tried to get back in. Even getting a congressman to write a letter of recommendation, but to no avail. His RE code was 4...no re-entry allowed.
My point with sharing just one of my many woes with psycho-ex is to show that those who are in the Army, are certainly of a different breed than those who take part in the USMC.
Another case in point, one of my great old friends from high school, decided to become a Marine about 2 years after he graduated. This was a kid who was overweight, who had done several "bad" things that I won't discuss, and someone who knew their life was going in no particular direction at all. When he went into the Marines, he wrote me from boot camp. I saw the change in him immediately. He was a completely different person...one filled with patriotism, pride, and self-esteem. All things he'd lacked before. I visited him several times at his base in North Carolina. I remember the first time I saw him again. I went into his barracks, to find everything neatly in its place. When I took my things to the hotel, Ben took everything out of my suitcase, and placed it neatly in the drawers. Who the hell was this guy??? Certainly not the kid I'd gone to high school with!
My point with that is that some might say Marines are "brainwashed". I'm inclined to say that I don't agree with everything that's done to them. However, if given a choice who I'd rather have beside me in a war-zone, I'd choose a Marine anyday.
I have respect for all services, and their individual capabilities. However, that does not mean I do not realize that some are just inferior to others. In my opinion, the Marines are first, followed by the Air Force (known for their intelligence), the Navy (known for great pilots), and lastly, the Army. That's only because I've seen the caliber that comes from the Army. My psycho-ex had to take his ASVAB 3 times just to qualify to get into the Army...and I think the score had to be above a 33. I took it my first time and scored in the upper 80's...qualifying for anything. So, was I going to choose the Army? Uh, no. I think I'd rather sit in my nice air-conditioned tents the AF provides.
Again, these are just my opinions...not that they count for much. ;-)
Army Infantry basic was such a slap in the face at first. I went in thinking it was going to be all 'humane' and 'fair.' That's not the case at all. One of my platoon mates started crying on day one. All the drill seargeants got in his face and called him a little girl and a sissy and a pussy. I had all I could do to keep from laughing. One of the drill sergeants sensed this, (he was Puerto Rican, talked just like Tony Montana and mean as hell) he got up in my face and told me that only pussies cry and that he is proud to make me a fighting man. At that point I knew I was in the right place.
The problem I saw with the Army's approach to training is that they keep people who don't even want to be there. There were several trainees in my platoon that the drill sergeants all wanted to wash-out, but higher command wouldn't allow. The Army would be better off without individuals who don't want to be there.
Remember when we were talking about false allegations of rape? I thought you might find this article interesting, and possibly helping out your point even more.
http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/226217-1468-102.html
Well, I have been to both army basic and marine corps boot camp. I would honestly have to say that army basic was closer to a boy scout camp than it was to marine boot camp. The difference in who I was post-army and who I am post-marine corps is so different... I don't guess I know exactly how to explain it. People say the corps brainwashes you in boot camp. I don't think so, unless by brainwash you mean, it teaches you to think less of yourself than others and so act accordingly. I don't know exactly what made the difference, but it's worlds apart. I will never resort to being one of these idiot marines who rags on the army all the time, but I can also say that I know the difference, and I know why America has such a love affair with their Corps.
I was just surfing the net and couldn’t help but comment. I have numerous friends that are Army and Marine vets who poke fun at eachother in good spirits.
I find this competition between the Army and Marines very humorous. It is surprising to me that this ongoing battle generated by testosterone induced self-proclaimed elitism never seems to end.
In my 8 years of service as an infantry paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and as a ranger with the 75th Ranger Regiment, I have had the privilege to participate in many joint service operations.
It never ceased to amaze me that the USAF and USN service members would just sit back and laugh at the Soldiers and Marines squabble and boast back and forth. The Flyboys and Sailors, with their more technical “educated” members would seem to look down on them as if they were school yard bullies playing king of the hill.
Humbling the ego needs to be done from time to time. This applies to both Soldiers and Marines. I have seen veterans from both branches run their mouths until they both begin swinging at eachother. Even now as a police officer I receive antagonistic comments from other officers who were Marines. I humbly thank them for their service and engage them in the greatest pastime veterans take part in; story telling. The gloating is usually pretty thick until they ask what I did in the Army. I tell them and pause to watch their expression. Then I ask them what they did, and enjoy the anguish come across their face as they usually mumble some support job.
Don’t get me wrong, support jobs are critical to sustaining military in combat and peace time operations. I appreciated every service I received, and even thanked the cooks when I couldn’t stomach the mess they called food. It was the best they could do in the situation.
Each branch is unique and has been sculpted to fit their mission. I do however agree that the services need to seriously address the fact that service members are warriors first. As a trained infantryman it was scary to watch other non-combat units in the field. The Marines have the right idea and come close with MCT, but it still pails in comparison to SOI. This shortfall in warrior training is costing lives in all braches and needs to be addressed.
Competition is valuable when directed to an area in which it can improve combat performance and leadership, but it useless when it is only self-serving to the individual’s ego. In combat having a big head will only make it easier for the enemy to shoot it.
Thank you for your service, it was valuable and appreciated. For those deployed and still serving in any capacity, stay safe and come home, the next round of drinks is on me.
Dear Sharing,
Thanks for your post. I also was in the 82nd and have worked with the Regiment on many occasions. My comments were not intended to put down all members of the Army (I am one now) but merely to point out the differences in attitude between the USMC and the Army.
Having spent time in both services I am willing to make a subjective judgment. Folks from Ranger Rgt (actually the Battalions) are as hard as nails, no doubt some of the best warriors on the planet for what they are intended to do (raids and ambushes!!) Special Forces (white and black) are the best (SEALs are good too, just a little immature sometimes) The 82nd is filled with some good guys (also a bunch of dipshits...yeah 11B's can be some stupid Joes)...I have even worked with dudes from the 10th MTN who were stellar. But as a whole...the Army is filled with some non-hackers (not just "support" guys either).
Oh well, THANK YOU for your service my friend...you still serve us don't you? I guess we are gonna have to have two beers, eh?
After we paid for our kids summer camp 2005 we found it tough to recover! I totally agree with you!
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