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Abuse in basic training
Response to the article
"Are Drill Sergeants Allowed to Hit Me?"
I went through Marine Basic in 1975 and Army basic 1978/79 and, I tell you if the Army had half as much of the discipline measures that the Corps had, there would be more men in the army instead of just boys -- and that goes for the females too. No one should be struck or hit if you please, but a swift kick in the a-- would not kill them. I have never regretted the measures taken to make me a soldier and a better person. The lack of discipline is what gets the most of the soldiers killed in battle -- needless to say, the hard training should be applied from day one. The Army used to be able to train soldiers for combat, and now they are trained to have someone else dry their eyes when dust gets in them.
-- Darrel Bowles
My son was hit while in recruit training. I talked to his recruiter about this, who made a call to Parris Island. I was contacted but I did not want to discuss this with any of the DIs. If I wanted to pursue it, I would have contacted an attorney. Anyway, the Senior DI called my son a liar and backstabber, and told him he would graduate with bad marks. The DI told the entire squad. My son did NOT lie. My son told me this in confidence. I have talked to many other Marine moms and they all say their sons have told them about abuse. It does go on today! One company at Camp Lejeune had 17 counts of hazing against them just last month.
-- Anonymous
The VA's failure
Response to the news headline "Cancer linked to Nerve Agent"
I was in the area of Kuwait-Iraq when the disposal of Sarin gas exposed troops to low levels of contamination. I have been sick for 14 years since my return, and finally got a diagnosis of multiple Myeloma. The VA would not even comment on the on their failure to try to discover the cause of the problem. Simple urine/blood tests and x-rays found the problem. When the VA was put on the correct path by a civilian physician, they could find none of the problems -- even when I was undergoing Chemo. This caused me great stress, to know what was wrong and have the VA refuse to acknowledge the results of their own tests.
-- Robert Whitten
Get on the campaign
Response to the article "Attorney Hopes to be First War on Terror Veteran Elected to Congress"
All you active and former jarheads (and that includes myself): get on Major Hackett's campaign to be the only Iraq veteran to be in congress. He is running for Congress in the southern district of Ohio, and his campaign can be contacted at:
Hackett for Congress
2nd Congressional District
27 N. 2nd St.
Batavia, Ohio
Phone: 513-735-4310
I am a veteran of Korea, and my late father-in-law was one of the 18 Marines pictured around the flag on Mr. Suribachi. I come from a family of four in WWII, four in Korea, and two that have been on two tours in Vietnam. We need veterans in Congress, especially a Marine veteran of Iraq. Get on it, and support him.
-- Al Kaufman
Realignment or closure?
I am in the Air Guard and was talking to other members of my unit recently, and we all came to the same conclusion. The proposed “realignment” of our base would actually be a closure, and the reason given for this change is the supposed savings of two million dollars over twenty years. My unit is a sense of pride for all the local residents, and we are surrounded by large corporations that routinely give tens of millions of dollars to local charities with little thought. My question is would is be possible or legal for a large corporation to give the government the two million dollars in exchange for keeping the base open?
-- Matthew Gibbs
Balls, not bullets
I just read an article by the USGA (United States Golf Association) where soldiers would like golf clubs and balls as a part of relaxation when not on duty. The USGA sent 20 clubs and 40 dozen balls. I feel that is not enough for all the men there. I am planning on a mass collection -- so how do I go about getting an ok to send more golf stuff? How do I secure an address to ship to the soldiers?
-- Carol Carter
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