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2. October Cutting Scores
3. It’s That Time Again

Question:

What is the deal with the gate guards not surrendering salutes to officer’s vehicles? I don’t think an admiral’s wife or your wife would appreciate that either. We’ve worked hard to get here and should be recognized. They learned to recognize your vehicles. On every base I’ve been on they have a sign WE RENDER SALUTES PROUDLY. Here they work on trying not to salute the vehicle if the active duty member is not present. Isn’t it by UCMJ code they are supposed to render a salute to an officer? The vehicle has a sticker so why do they not (salute) whether or not the active duty member is present or not? Fill me in!! DO THEY NOT TRAIN THESE PEOPLE ANY MORE?? If not, I see more and more laxness going on in this military. A CWO wife.

Answer By Capt. Brad Conners, (USN O-5) NBVC commanding officer

Answer:Wow. That’s quite a sense of entitlement you have. Are you sure a salute is sufficient? Perhaps a curtsy or a genuflect would be more appropriate? We could have one sentry prostrate himself before you while the other fetches some oats for that high horse you’re riding.

First, the irony of addressing what you perceive to be an issue of respect in such a disrespectful tone is not lost. Secondly, since you specifically brought her into the dialogue, my wife thinks your question indicates a regrettably narrow perspective.

Third, yes, we have training which encompasses many things for which a post sentry is responsible and accountable, primarily focused on force protection, anti-terrorism, law enforcement, defense of critical assets and infrastructure, and the use of lethal force. But thanks for asking. Fourth, if you consider standing a post 65-70 hours a week as “laxness,” then I invite you to put on your winter coat and go stand on the asphalt in front of your house for four hours holding your vacuum cleaner when the temperature reaches 85 degrees.

That will give you some very small sense of what it is like to man a post, without of course the lethal responsibility. Salutes are a custom between military members dating back as far as Roman times when soldiers approached each other in a manner to indicate they were not armed. The custom evolved over many centuries in many militaries, but it has always been a custom exclusively between military members. It is also important to understand that the salute is a custom of mutual respect, not subservience.

That is why both members salute. It is customary (and required under Navy regulations) for the junior to render (not “surrender”) the salute first, but the senior member must return the salute promptly and in the same manner. This tangibly expresses the reciprocal respect among military members. NBVC sentries will render salutes to properly identified officers, active or retired, immediately upon identification. The salute was never intended as recognition of, or as a reward for, your “hard work to get here.” While I certainly value that hard work and your support of your husband’s military career, along with the sacrifice it entails, you ma’am are compensated in other ways for those achievements and accomplishments.

You rate many things other than a salute as a dedicated Navy wife, our gratitude, appreciation, and respect among them. I sincerely hope, expect, and require that you are always treated courteously and professionally on our bases. I would ask that you give the sentriestheir due as well rather than leaping to the most cynical of all conclusions when our execution is imperfect.

Send your questions, issues and concerns to Capt. Brad Conners, NBVC commanding officer, c/o the Public Affairs staff at lighthouse@
navy.mil. You may also write to the following address; 311 Main Rd., Bldg. 116, Code N09V, Point Mugu, CA 93042-5003.
Your submissions will be answered as soon as possible in future editions of the Lighthouse.

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Back in October when the new plan was put into place Marines were given a 60 day notification that they were not within standards.  If still out of regulations after that 60 days they were assigned to a 60 day cautionary period.  If still fat after that 60 days they were officially put on weight control and carreers were damaged.

The new MARADMIN ends those two 60 day periods and now states that if a Marine is outside of the standards they will be placed on the program.  Placement on the weight control makes a Marine ineligible for promotion, reenlistment, or assignment for special duty assignments.

The reason for having the two 60 day periods before was because they standards were more strict than the standards they replaced.

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USE OF ANY REMOVABLE
FLASH MEDIA STORAGE DEVICE WHICH USES A UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB)
CONNECTION IS PROHIBITED ON THE MARINE CORPS ENTERPRISE NETWORK
(MCEN), BOTH NIPRNET AND SIPRNET, AS WELL AS THE MARINE CORPS
SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (SCI) NETWORKS (JWICS AND
NSANET).

Prohibited items include flash/thumb drives, camera cards, or any firmware based memory storage device.  This new restriction is based on “credible and substantial threats” to Marine Corps Networks.  External hard drives are not subject to this restriction.

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A.  IN THE EVENT OF FUTURE RECALL, MARINES RELEASED UNDER THIS
MARADMIN WILL BE CONSIDERED AS BEING IN THE SAME STATUS AS THOSE
WHO HAVE COMPLETED THEIR OBLIGATED PERIOD OF ACTIVE DUTY.
B.  ENLISTED MARINES SEPARATED UNDER AUTHORITY OF THIS MARADMIN
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE AS OF THEIR NORMAL EAS DATE MAY BE AWARDED THE
GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL.
C.  MARINES WHO ARE ENTITLED TO SEPARATION PAY UPON NORMAL EAS,
AND WHO ELECT EARLY RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY UNDER THIS MARADMIN,
WILL RETAIN THEIR ENTITLEMENT TO SEPARATION PAY PROVIDED THEY
HAVE COMPLETED 6 YEARS OF ACTIVE SERVICE PRIOR TO THE DAY OF
EARLY RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY.  MARINES ARE REMINDED THAT EARLY
RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY UNDER THIS MARADMIN COULD AFFECT THE
AMOUNT OF THEIR SEPARATION PAY.  REF A PRESCRIBES THE METHOD OF
COMPUTING SEPARATION PAY.  FURTHERMORE, IF EARLY RELEASE WOULD
DISQUALIFY MARINES FOR SEPARATION PAY DUE TO LENGTH OF SERVICE
CRITERIA UNDER THE LAW, MARINES WILL NOT BE RELEASED FROM ACTIVE
DUTY UNTIL THEIR SERVICE LENGTH CRITERIA HAS BEEN MET.
D.  MARINES ENTITLED TO SEPARATION BENEFITS ARE AUTHORIZED THOSE
BENEFITS IF RELEASED UNDER THIS MARADMIN.  AS A REMINDER, MARINES
AND THEIR ELIGIBLE FAMILY MEMBERS DESIRING TO RETAIN TRICARE PRIME
UPON SEPARATION ARE REQUIRED TO REENROLL IN TRICARE.
E.  ALIENS WHO WOULD BE RELEASED BEFORE COMPLETING 3 FULL YEARS
OF SERVICE, AS THE RESULT OF THIS PROGRAM, ARE REMINDED OF THE
CONSEQUENCES OF EARLY RELEASE AS SPECIFIED IN PAR 1104.5 OF REF B.
F.  MARINES ENTITLED TO THE MONTGOMERY GI BILL (MGIB) CHAPTER
1607 (REAP) BENEFITS ARE REMINDED OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT
COMPLETING THE QUALIFYING SERVICE REQUIRED FOR ELIGIBILITY.
THE SELECTED RESERVE MEMBER MUST REMAIN IN THE SELECTED RESERVE TO
MAINTAIN ELIGIBILITY FOR REAP BENEFITS.

Under this MarAdmin Marines may not be discharged pripor to 12 Dec 2008 and must have an EAS between 19 Dec and 5 Jan.  It is applicable to both enlisted Marines and officers.

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For those of you unfamiliar with MCI’s they are distance education courses for Marines.  They are a part of your Professional Military Education (PME).  Marines in the ranks of Sgt and above are required to complete certain MCI’s to be considered PME complete and be eligible for promotion to the next rank.  For Cpl’s and below completion of MCIs add additional points to their cutting scores (100 max).  The higher your score the better chance you have to get promoted.

Well now LCpls are going to be required to have completed the “Leading Marines” MCI to be eligible for promotion to Cpl.  The following is an exert from MarAdmin 330/07

THE NEW LEADING MARINES MCI HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO MEET THE OPERATING FORCES’ EXPECTATIONS FOR  THEIR MARINES’ PERFORMANCE IN CURRENT AND FUTURE OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS.

This new policy is intended to develop the leadership traits in young Marines and prepare them to be Cpls of Marines.  While this sounds like a great idea I think there is a more sinister underlying issue at large here.  When I was a young Cpl and Sergeant I did not have an MCI to teach me leadership.  I learned my leadership the old fashioned way.  I learned from my NCOs and SNCOs.  I learned what was a good leader (and a bad leader) by observing.  It was the job of the NCO to ensure that the Marines under his charge were ready for the next rank.

I am not saying that the new requirement is bad but I also dont think that it is fair across the board.  now Marines in the rank of LCpl, Sgt, SSgt, GySgt, MSgt, 1stSgt, are required to complete certain MCIs in order to be promoted.  Why is there not a requirement for Cpls to complete some type of MCI to get promoted to Sgt?  Why did the Commandant determine that LCpls needed more education to get promoted?  Does the Commandant feel that his Sgts and Cpls are not strong enough to make quality leaders?  Regardless of what the answers to these questions are it is our duty as leaders to ensure that our Marines complete the rquirements for promotion to Cpl and that those that do not complete the requirements are properly held back from promotion.

If you are a LCpl it is your duty to ensure that you get the MCIs on order and complete them in a timely manner.  If you do not get this MCI done you will not get promoted.  So get out there and get it done.

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What is Request Mast?

According to Marine Corps Order (MCO) 1700.F”request mast is the right of all Marines to directly seek assistance from, or communicate grievances to, their Commanding Officers.”  Marines have “the opportunity to communicate not only with his or her immediate commanding officer but, also with any superior officer in the chain of command up to and including the Marine’s Commanding General.”  Basically it is a formal request to air grievances or speak to superior officers in the Marine’s chain of command.

Can it be stopped?

Request Mast is a Marine’s right and “Any interference with a Marine’s right to request mast or any attempt of reprisal against a Marine who has requested mast is prohibited.  No Marine may suppress, or attempt another Marine’s ability to conduct request mast.” Will be punished “under article 92 of the UCMJ.”  Accroding to MCO 1700.23F

If you want to talk to your CO or any other officer in your chain of command you have to be afforded that opportunity and any repercussions on you by your superiors is punishable under article 92 of the UCMJ.

Why are there repercussions?

If it is a Marine’s right to request Mast and there are controls in place to keep someone from interfering with a Marine requesting mast why do people get screwed with when they request mast?  I’ll tell you why.  Most of the time when a Marine requests mast there are repercussions in the command.  First the CO is aware of problems within his command and more than likely will be forced to take some type of actions against a Marine in the command. 

This leads to tension in the ranks because whoever requested mast is now seen as a traitor, or rat.  Marines in his platoon, or company won’t trust him anymore as they feel that all their dirty laundry will be aired.  Also if the request mast results in punitive action against a member in the platoon, especially a well liked one, the Marines are going to have hard feelings against the requester.

Also junior Marines all to often feel that they need to request mast for little things that can be solved by the senior enlisted in the platoon.  If a LCpl has a problem with a Cpl or Sgt he needs to speak to the SSgt or the Gunny.  There is no reason for a LCpl to want or need to talk to the CO if he hasn’t used his senior leadership in the platoon to try and resolve the problem.

What can be done?

I think the only real way to keep repercussions from coming down on a Marine after requesting mast is to transfer that Marine when a complaint or grievance is substantiated.  Also Marine’s need to use their senior enlisted before they haphazardly request mast for a situation that could easily be solved by the senior enlisted members or the platoon or company.

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If you are married, again you are given an allowance for your housing based on your rank or you have the option to live in base housing.  If you live in base housing, your bills are similar to those that live in the barracks – your living expenses are paid for.  You also receive an allowance for food that will cover the majority of food costs for a family of four, especially if you shop on base at the commissary. 

As long as you are not buying more car than you can afford or not running up huge credit card bills you will be able to survive on the money that the Marine Corps gives you regardless of your rank.  There is no need for a LCpl to be driving a $50,000 BMW or Escalade, or for him to have every new electronic device that comes out.  No, that LCpl should buy a practical car. One that he can afford not only the payment on, but also the insurance and gas.

Why am I so passionate about this?  It is because I have lost too much of my personal time trying to get some Marines’ finances back in order.  I had to do paperwork on too many Marines because they bounced checks or did not paid the bills that they accrued.  Here are some examples of what I have seen:

LCpl #1

When I was a Sgt I had a LCpl that was severely in debt.  I only found out about his debt when the command received a letter from AAFES that he had bounced a check on base.  This resulted in a counseling, informing the Marine that further financial irresponsibility would result in punitive actions.  I hoped that this would be the last of it, but it wasn’t.

About a week later when I got the mail from the Company Office for distribution to my Marines. I saw that there was a notice from the Los Angeles County District Attorney Fraudulent Checks Dept addressed to the same Marine.  I had the Marine open the letter and give it to me to read.  He had written a check at a drug store for $4.91 that bounced.  After all the fees and charges from the store, county, and his bank were factored in, this check cost him $164.91.  YES the fees were $160!!!!!!

After I saw this and conferred with senior leadership, they had me take this LCpl to the bank and get copies of his last three months’ bank statements.  We walked over to the bank, got the statements, and I went to work analyzing them.  I looked through his statements and found 40 $20 fees for insufficient funds (bounced checks).  This guy had given the bank $800 dollars because he tried to buy things he did not have the money for.  I also noticed that every payday this Marine had multiple checks being cashed at payday advance establishments.  He was basically out of money by the 6th as and the 20th (paydays being the 1st and 15th) if not sooner.

Again talking with senior leadership we decided that this Marine was to receive NJP (where he got 14 days restriction to the barracks), we also relieved him of his ATM card, debit cards, and checks.  Then for the next 4 paydays I had to escort this Marine to the bank withdraw $20 dollars so that he could buy stuff for himself and then put the rest of his money in money orders so that he could pay his creditors.

LCpl #2

When I was a young SSgt, I had another Marine at different command that got himself into financial distress.  This Marine had multiple car loans on multiple cars. The thing is, he only had one car.  You see, he had a loan on a car that got totaled in a wreck. Instead of paying off the loan with his insurance settlement, he blew it. 

This Marine made many other bad financial choices. He did not pay rent or utilities on time and he caused us to have to escort him to Navy/Marine Relief Society to get money for his bills.  These factors, along with phone calls his creditors made to the shop, made me investigate his finances.

I again took my time to review his financial documents from the preceding few months.  Just as before, I found multiple charges from the bank for insufficient funds.  This Marine was over $300 dollars in the negative 6 days after pay day and it was a recurring situation.  My NCO’s took it from there and helped this young Marine out so that he could survive until the next payday.  They also monitored his spending and made sure that he was not spending more than he earned.

As you can see I have wasted not only my time by having to run Marines around to pay bills but also those of my junior Marines.  I have also wasted the tax-payers money because a lot of this stuff had to be taken care of during working hours when they should have been performing their jobs for Uncle Sam.  If Junior Marines would just learn to live within their means it would be so much easier. 

They also need to take it upon themselves to talk to their leadership and seek assistance because they will get the help that the need if they ask for it.  I, for one, have taken a young Private or PFC from dealership to dealership to find a good reliable used car (one that he could afford) so that he would have a vehicle to get from his house to work.  I have dug into my pocket to help a young married guy buy groceries if he did not have the money, so that he and his family could eat.  When I could not help out directly I got the Marine the help that he needed to hep the situation and to ensure that it would not happen again. I have seen these kinds of actions from many other Marines. The help is there if Marines are willing to seek it out.

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