I have never let common sense, fear, logic, or many other things stop me from making statements and taking sides in a fight. So, why should I stop now? So, I won't stop.
My friend and mentor, Dr. Stephen Saideman. blogs about what he calls "Perspective Sauce" at Saideman's Semi-Spew. You'll have to root around in his older posts to find the specific ones I am referencing in this statement. But, I think perspective is called for in dealing with the issue of "hazing" in reference to the trial of a few U.S. Marines for the death of a fellow marine--who, incidentally fatally shot himself.
Now, I make no attempt to justify hazing. But I call into question what most people consider hazing when considering behaviors in the military. What is missing is the particular perspective of situational awareness. So, here is the situation: A marine repeatedly falls asleep while on watch in a combat zone. Said marine is reported up the chain of command. Said marine's squad leader says peers should correct peers. Other marines then make the marine who regularly falls asleep work harder during his watch time (dig a deep hole and you will not fall asleep because you are digging) or subject the individual to physical exercise (anyone here ever fall asleep doing push-ups?) or subject the marine discomfort (sand in your face, crotch, armpits is down right uncomfortable).
Now while it would be hazing of me to subject normal civilians who want to be part of a group, in which I am a member, to physical and mental discomfort as a condition of membership in my group, we are not talking about joining a social club, a school organization, etc. What we are talking about is that a marine posted on watch keeps falling asleep and in falling asleep endangers the lives of other marines and local civilians. If my life is endangered by a guy who keeps falling asleep on duty, I am going to do every possible thing short of beating the individual to get the guy to stay awake and stay on duty. If you cannot handle your job, you need to find a new job. And while it may be a black mark on your record to get reassigned, demoted, discharged less than honorably from the military, if it saves lives because your replacement is not falling asleep--great. But, if you will not do the right thing and either stay awake or remove yourself from the duty, then in order to stay alive, I will do what it takes to make you stay awake. This is not hazing, this is life or death. Of course, this is just my two cents. What say my readers--is my two cents that of a neanderthal in this instance or do a lot of people need a better perspective?
read about the cases I am talking about here.
My friend and mentor, Dr. Stephen Saideman. blogs about what he calls "Perspective Sauce" at Saideman's Semi-Spew. You'll have to root around in his older posts to find the specific ones I am referencing in this statement. But, I think perspective is called for in dealing with the issue of "hazing" in reference to the trial of a few U.S. Marines for the death of a fellow marine--who, incidentally fatally shot himself.
Now, I make no attempt to justify hazing. But I call into question what most people consider hazing when considering behaviors in the military. What is missing is the particular perspective of situational awareness. So, here is the situation: A marine repeatedly falls asleep while on watch in a combat zone. Said marine is reported up the chain of command. Said marine's squad leader says peers should correct peers. Other marines then make the marine who regularly falls asleep work harder during his watch time (dig a deep hole and you will not fall asleep because you are digging) or subject the individual to physical exercise (anyone here ever fall asleep doing push-ups?) or subject the marine discomfort (sand in your face, crotch, armpits is down right uncomfortable).
Now while it would be hazing of me to subject normal civilians who want to be part of a group, in which I am a member, to physical and mental discomfort as a condition of membership in my group, we are not talking about joining a social club, a school organization, etc. What we are talking about is that a marine posted on watch keeps falling asleep and in falling asleep endangers the lives of other marines and local civilians. If my life is endangered by a guy who keeps falling asleep on duty, I am going to do every possible thing short of beating the individual to get the guy to stay awake and stay on duty. If you cannot handle your job, you need to find a new job. And while it may be a black mark on your record to get reassigned, demoted, discharged less than honorably from the military, if it saves lives because your replacement is not falling asleep--great. But, if you will not do the right thing and either stay awake or remove yourself from the duty, then in order to stay alive, I will do what it takes to make you stay awake. This is not hazing, this is life or death. Of course, this is just my two cents. What say my readers--is my two cents that of a neanderthal in this instance or do a lot of people need a better perspective?
read about the cases I am talking about here.
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