Behind the cover: Commandant calls out complacent leaders, tells Marines to quit embarrassing the Corps
April 30th, 2012 | Behind the Cover Leadership The CMC | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
This week's cover story examines the commandant's new efforts to address misconduct in the ranks and restore the notion of engaged leadership.
The Marine Corps’ top general wants an end to the monkey business that, since the start of 2012, has cast a steady, unflattering light on an institution defined in no small part by the pride it exhibits in being a disciplined, moral fighting force.
“We are allowing our standards to erode,” Gen. Jim Amos, the service’s 35th commandant, laments in an internal memo distributed to all of his generals, commanding officers and sergeants major. Known as a White Letter, the sharply worded missive comes in response to “a number of recent widely publicized incidents” involving Marines misbehaving abroad.
Complacent leadership bears some of the blame, he says.
To recap: In January, a video surfaced showing grunts in Afghanistan appearing to urinate on dead Taliban foot soldiers. A month later, Amos apologized on behalf of the entire Marine Corps for photos of deployed scout snipers posing with a flag bearing the Nazi-era SS logo. At the same time, three Hawaii-based Marines were court-martialed in connection with the war-zone hazing and subsequent suicide of Lance Cpl. Harry Lew.
Since the White Letter was circulated, five Marines were implicated in separate prostitution scandals. One in Colombia and one in Brazil.
Amos is worried the fallout from these embarrassing incidents will eclipse the progress Marines have made in securing Afghanistan’s Helmand province, though he is quick to note that, overall, Marines have fought the war “in a way that meets the high, almost lofty expectations of the American people.” He has directed leaders across the fleet to get smart on specific regional directives governing conduct abroad, and get tough in ensuring the rules are crystal clear to rank-and-file personnel. The Marine Corps’ reputation is at stake, Amos says.
Additionally, the service will hold a daylong “ethics standdown” for all Marines in the coming weeks, and the commandant has launched a tour of bases and air stations to address his frustrations — and his expectations — and to point the way forward.
To learn what Amos has in store for Marines, pick up the current issue of Marine Corps Times. It’s on newsstands now. To read it immediately, click here and subscribe.
Behind the cover: Marine lieutenant’s firing causes uproar over rules of engagement
April 16th, 2012 | Afghanistan Behind the Cover Capitol Hill Infantry Sangin | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
This week's cover story, written by Marine Corps Times' Pentagon bureau chief, Andrew Tilghman, examines the case of 1st Lt. Josh Waddell, who was fired after his commander accused him of violating the rules of engagement in Afghanistan.
First Lt. Josh Waddell ordered his men to take out an insurgent last fall in Afghanistan, and that decision has come back to bite him pretty badly. Now, the 25-year-old finds himself at the center of a contentious debate over the rules of engagement and the potentially disastrous career implications for those deemed to have violated them.
When the incident occurred, Waddell was the executive officer for his company with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, which oversaw security in the Sangin district of Helmand province. He was subsequently fired from that job, given a lousy fitness report and told he would not be recommended for promotion. His father, a retired Navy SEAL commander, has gotten involved — and made enough noise to capture the attention of some in Congress, who are pushing for creation of ROE “review boards” that would afford troops an independent review of any administrative action stemming from alleged violations. But some worry that would serve to undermine the chain of command.
Also this week, staff writer James K. Sanborn has an exclusive first look at the Corps’ plan to develop new functional fitness tests, part of the service’s evaluation of opening additional ground combat jobs to women. The goal is to establish gender-neutral standards for physically rigorous tasks required of Marines whose primary mission is to close with and destroy. As we reported in February, the Corps is opening to women about 400 jobs in six types of battalions. Officials said then that this was a precursor to implementing broader changes. These new strength tests are a key piece to doing so.
This issue is on newsstands now. To read it immediately, click here and subscribe.
Behind the Cover: The Drawdown Plan
April 9th, 2012 | Afghanistan Battle Rattle Behind the Cover budget Camp Lejeune Drawdown Manpower Marines | Posted by James Sanborn
By now it’s no news that the military is facing serious cuts. The Marine Corps alone will drop 20,000 over the next five years. But just how leaders will make those cuts has been a mystery — until now.
To get the lowdown on how the Marine Corps will drawdown by 2016, and what the plan means for you, check out this week’s edition of Marine Corps Times.
For our cover story, we traveled to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to sit in on a briefing by the drawdown’s architects who are now on an eight-week tour of the fleet. In it, we learned what cash incentives are up for grabs, how it will effect re-up and promotion opportunities, and what MOSs and ranks are most at risk.
Also in this week’s issue is a pair of great faker stories by staff writer Gina Cavallaro. The first is about a Pennsylvania man who claims to be a Marine first sergeant. Even his brother has called him out, but he was still able to dupe a Canadian soldier who started a foundation for Afghanistan veterans grappling with PTSD. The second revisits the case of Skyler Whalen. He once claimed to be a gunny, but has now moved on to impersonating a police officer.
Pick up Marine Corps Times on newsstands now or click here to subscribe.
Behind the Cover: Anti-Obama Marines
March 19th, 2012 | Behind the Cover | Posted by Gina Harkins
Sgt. Gary Stein might be saying things about President Obama that a lot of Marines think, but some are saying he took it too far.
Stein has come under fire for stating on Facebook that he wouldn’t follow certain orders given by his commander in chief. And Marines say Stein’s not alone in his disapproval. More anti-Obama talk is being heard in the workplace and new Military Times poll data shows declining approval among military service members for the president’s job as commander in chief.
The Marine Corps depends its chain of command structure, especially in a time of war. Some Marines say Stein and other vocal Marines like him are undermining that system.
See this week’s issue for a breakdown on what is happening, what it means for the chain of command and what Marines are saying about it.
Click here to subscribe.
Behind the Cover: The new face (and body) of Marine PT
March 12th, 2012 | Battle Rattle Behind the Cover Pop culture | Posted by Tony Lombardo
Meet Pauline Nordin. She’s 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 117 pounds and has a body-fat percentage between 7 and 10 percent. She also sports biceps that measure “12 and a half inches, cold.”
She’s not a Marine, nor does she have military experience. So why is she featured on the cover of this week’s Marine Corps Times?
Her fitness and nutrition lessons have caught the eye of officials at Headquarters Marine Corps, who want to enlist her help in training Marines.
Nordin first hit their radar when a mock recruiting poster went viral bearing her image. The poster read “U.S. Marines. We turn girls into women and women into leathernecks.” It was created by an apparent super fan of Nordin, of which there are many.
Despite her lack of military training, Marine officials say there is clear potential in her teachings.
See this week’s issue for all the details about Nordin’s career, plus diet tips (she eats 7 pounds of veggies a day!), and finally, a workout Nordin says is guaranteed to kick a Marine’s ass.
Behind the Cover: 9 ways Marines face manpower cuts
February 20th, 2012 | Behind the Cover Drawdown Manpower | Posted by Dan Lamothe
It’s no secret that the Marine Corps will trim 20,000 Marines from its end strength by fall 2016, but Commandant Gen. Jim Amos has offered few details so far about how that will occur.
Amos and other top Marine officials have been clear about how it won’t be done, of course. The Corps will not “break faith” with its Marines, they’ve said repeatedly, a catchphrase that represents their promise to not authorize reductions in force, which would result in existing contracts being broken.
What about how it will be done, though? This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story addresses that, laying out the programs the Corps has at its disposal to trim the ranks. The squeeze will affect Marines of nearly all ranks, whether they’re first-term personnel seeking a new contract or a senior officers nearing the end of their career.
As the cover image above suggests, the drawdown will likely be painful for some. The options available include paid early outs, forced retirements for officers and enlisted personnel and boatspace caps for Marines coming up on the end of their second enlistments. That’s life in the fast lane during a drawdown, even if its phased and deliberate.
This week’s Marine Corps Times also includes an interview with Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett, the Corps’ top enlisted Marine; a look at new dirtbike training at Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command and a feature on the service’s earch for an amphibious tractor that won’t make Marines lose their lunch.
Behind the Cover: Female Marines in combat arms battalions
February 13th, 2012 | Behind the Cover Marines women | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
With an exception to a long-standing Pentagon policy, female Marines in the ranks of captain, gunnery sergeant and staff sergeant will be permitted to serve in combat arms units below the division level.
But don’t expect to see women in infantry battalions yet. The Corps is only cracking the door open for women at this point and will place them in units through the normal assignment process in staff positions for select military occupational specialties newly opened up for female officers and enlisted women.
Marines assigned to combat arms battalions will begin seeing women occupying these staff positions sometime in May and after an unspecified period of evaluation, more positions could open up.
Also in this week’s issue, find out more about the possibility of extra Korea deployments, the cuts in bonus money for pilots and read the story of one grunt’s six hours of hell and the award he earned for going through it.
Behind the cover: Cutting 20,000 Marines
February 7th, 2012 | Behind the Cover budget Force Structure Review Manpower | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
Throughout the Corps, anxiety is high as Marines and their families wait to learn how the commandant intends to execute massive force cuts ordered in January by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. And their uneasiness certainly is justified. The reality is that over the next five years, the service will purge some 20,000 from the active-duty force — about as many as it added during the latter part of the last decade to sustain operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
This week’s cover story, which was co-reported by Marines Corps Times’ senior staff writers Gina Cavallaro and Dan Lamothe, examines how the drawdown is expected to take shape and what means the service will employ in reducing overall end strength by 3,500-5,000 personnel a year, as the top Marine, Gen. Jim Amos, has forecast. It analyzes future force structure also, and how budget cuts will drive the elimination of units and diminish certain capabilities. As Marine Corps Times first reported last week, officials now are looking beyond last year’s force structure review, which accounts for about 15,000 personnel cuts, with thoughts of axing some light armored reconnaissance assets and an additional infantry battalion while dialing back planned expansion of the Corps’ special operations command.
A companion piece, reported by staff writer James K. Sanborn, looks at the future of the Marine Corps Reserve. Although it’s not targeted for personnel cuts, smaller budgets could influence training deployments in the coming years, according to the Reserve’s three-star commander.
All in all, it’s vital career news for Marines everywhere. The issue is on newsstands now. To read it immediately, subscribe to our digital edition.
Behind the Cover: Every Marine’s 2013 pay chart
January 30th, 2012 | Behind the Cover | Posted by Dan Lamothe
This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story hits Marines right where it counts: the wallet.
The piece, written by Pentagon correspondent Andrew Tilghman, highlights the ups and downs for U.S. service members across all branches of service. Pay will continue to increase in 2013, and Marine Corps Times breaks down the boost by rank for officers and enlisted personnel.
This week’s newspaper also offers a variety of analytical piece following last week’s big budget announcements at the Pentagon. We outline how the Corps shrinking to 182,100 Marines may occur and how the service may end up deploying to new locations in the Pacific on a rotational basis, including the Philippines.
The issue is out on newsstands this week. Or, you can subscribe here online and read it now.
Behind the Cover: Did Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter cover a grenade to shield his buddy?
January 16th, 2012 | Afghanistan Awards Behind the Cover Marjah | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
UPDATE: An updated version of this story has now been posted online here.
You may recognize this face. That’s Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, who was severely wounded in Afghanistan in 2010 when insurgents chucked a hand grenade onto the roof where he and another Marine, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio, were posting security.
In the months since the attack, as Carpenter has undergone numerous surgeries to address his injuries, he has become an ambassador, of sorts, for the Marine Corps and its wounded warriors, inspiring family, friends and fellow Marines with his undying optimism in the face of a difficult recovery. He has dined with Vice President Joe Biden, attended events hosted by the commandant — and even mugged for photos alongside college cheerleaders and UFC star Brian Stann.
Eufrazio, by contrast, weighs 100 pounds and is unable to speak. He resides in a Florida veterans hospital that specializes in caring for patients who’ve sustained traumatic brain injuries. These men’s stories, writes Marine Corps Times senior writer Dan Lamothe, is “a classic example of the cruelty of war.”
Carpenter came to our attention last year, when we received word that the state legislature in his native South Carolina honored him with a resolution claiming he “took the full blast from an enemy hand grenade in seeking to save a fellow Marine.” He and Eufrazio are the only two eyewitnesses to what happened that day on the outskirts of Marjah. Carpenter says he can’t remember what happened in the moments right before the attack. Eufrazio can’t communicate. The Corps continues to investigate the incident, officials say, and it’s unclear whether all of their questions ever will be answered.
But if Carpenter did try to protect his buddy from the blast …
… that would put him in some exclusive company.
This story is not to be missed. It hit newsstands Monday. You also can subscribe online to read it right now.