Editorial: Down with blind loyalty

[unhappycamper]

Editorial: Down with blind loyalty

Always faithful.

The ethos is seared into the minds of Marine recruits from the moment they land on the yellow footprints. Marines take care of one another. Ooh-rah.

But all too often, that unwavering commitment is abused. Abused by leaders who fail to do the right thing. Abused by comrades expecting buddies to turn a blind eye. Abused by a system that demands nothing less than complete devotion, but often fails to reciprocate.

Two recent incidents highlight the dangers of misplaced loyalty in a culture that places no value on questioning authority.

Sgt. Henry Butts was loyal to the truth and appalled by a commander who wanted his men to lie. Butts secretly recorded his captain instructing the company to stick to the same story about an Iraqi firefight that might have left women and little girls dead.

~snip~

The case of Sgt. Jerrod Glass, sentenced to six months in the brig for the senseless abuse of two dozen San Diego recruits under his charge, poses the opposite question. Glass made his recruits sit in their own vomit and beat them with flashlights. It is hard to believe that Glass’ fellow DIs were wholly ignorant of the sergeant’s abusive rages. Yet no one spoke up either to protect the recruits from Glass, or even to protect Glass from himself. Why?


Rest of editorial at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/community/opinion/marine_editorial_blindloyalty_071126/