MUST THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS BE A MARINE?

MUST THE COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS BE A MARINE?

By Andy Weddington

Tuesday, 15 February 2022  

Never hesitate to ask a lesser person. - Confucius 

Small teams of life savers positioned every so many miles along the Outer Banks of North Carolina responded to ships in distress. 

Their mission simple: Save lives.

Those courageous men worked miracles. 

That is provided teams were staffed with men who knew what they were doing - knew the sea and had the bravery, skills, strength, and endurance to carry out the act of rescue.

But such was not always the case. Corruption. Political corruption. Team leaders and members, for whom they were or knew, enjoyed appointment. 

The consequences thereof predictable. Unnecessary death. That happened.

The other day sent to me was an article about the renaming of a Marine Corps unit. The 3rd Marines (a Marine Corps infantry regiment) will be designated 3d Marine Littoral Regiment.

There was a few comments from Marines on the email. None supportive.

What struck me ...

The 3rd Marines is a unit. 

Littoral is a mission.

Why rename a unit for a specific mission? Why not simply assign the mission while preserving (history) unit identity? Littoral will one day go away. Is it back to 3d Marines? Or remain 3d Littoral Regiment though there is not littoral mission?

The Marines Hymn line 'every clime and place' comes to mind.

This morning arrived an email about 'lateral entry' Marines. That is, bringing aboard technically skilled people as Marines - enlisted and officer - at higher pay grades. Will these people enjoy exemption from entry-level training - recruit training and Officer Candidate School - is the question Marines, and others, are now asking.

If exempt, or even partially, would they ever be accepted by Marines? 

Pulling that string of logic, is it necessary the Commandant of the Marine Corps be a Marine?

Seriously.

What if a President believes someone not a veteran but a proven leader would be a better commandant? "Jim, that you're not a Marine nor veteran is irrelevant. I'd like you to wear four stars and lead the Marine Corps." [I don't know if there's laws prohibiting or not. So what. Anymore, law seems to be not much more than suggestion - if that - with the self-anointed elite or declared privileged enjoying exemption.]

Back to the Outer Banks ...

Upon inspection there was teams of life savers deemed incapable of carrying out their mission - preserving life - because unqualified incompetents (including team leaders) made for gaggle not team.

Any doubt the way a lateral "Marines" program?

Nearly thirty years ago the late Art Corbett, then major (retired colonel) wrote and had published a masterpiece: Disband the Marine Corps. Today, a timeless classic.

Distraught the path of the Marine Corps, he argued, gentlemanly, to case the color; better to be remembered and respected for once being.

Major Corbett, under immense pressure for his politically incorrect opinion, received a one-word congratulatory note from a retired commandant: "Bravo!"

You might say Major Corbett held a trump card to fend off unhappy seniors. 

Art was a peer I never met nor served alongside. We spoke once about a dozen years ago - a too brief phone call about his article and that note penned by General Robert H. Barrow, USMC, 27th Commandant.

Courage.

There's an awful lot of Marines (active and not) upset about the direction - from culture to uniforms to structure to operations - of today's Corps steered by the commandant General David Berger. 

From foul language logical analysis to first-rate thinking and prose (see 'A retired Marine 3-star general explains 'critical military theory' by Lieutenant General Greg Newbold - in my opinion, his nine 'Facts' merit permanent company with the customary fourteen Traits and eleven Principles embraced by Marines) range the opinions.

There's much I do not understand about today's direction nor recognize; askew from experience and common sense. 

Too bad every now serving Marine general is not polygraphed on these matters.  

So ...

Where's the "Major Corbett?"

Where's the "General Barrow?"

With all the change, is not disband the Marine Corps underway?

I read the other day about a young Marine in combat (Afghanistan, I believe) who, under a sea of fire, without pause ran to the aid of his wounded team leader (190+ pounds), loaded him on his shoulders and ran some 300 yards, still under a sea of fire, to safety. Life saver. 

The rescuer qualified. He saved that life. And for his courage today wears a Silver Star.

The general who presented the decoration wondered where we get such men. 

Not being pompous, I believe I know the answer to that question. 

But nobody has asked me - a lesser person. 

Nor has anyone asked my distraught, angry friends - by no means lesser people - who also know where those type of men come from.

Just like crews of floundering and stranded ships swallowed by the sea because of ineptness blessed rescuer, so will the next war sort things out.

Nature and truth and fact and reality play not favorites. 

We'll see; if the world's premier sea soldiers endure politics.