USMC
Discipline Problems of the 1970s
Many returning American
veterans of the war be-lived that they were not honored as they had been in
previous wars. Some felt they had risked their lives in vain, and were embittered
by the memory of the approximately 55,000 of their buddies who had been killed.
They were angry over an amnesty for draft-dodgers who had fled to Canada,
Sweden, and other countries to avoid the war.
As antiwar sentiment developed
in the country, drug usage also was making progress in all classes of society
and in various age groups. There was a growing drug problem among the troops
both at home and abroad. As it grew, morale and discipline declined. As troops
were rotated from abroad, they brought the problem with them. Other factors
strongly influencing military affairs in the early 1970s were the ending of
the draft and the advent of the all-volunteer force in 1973.
The Armed Forces were
experiencing many difficulties. Pressure was strong to keep up the level of
manpower. Yet during the last phases of the American presence in Vietnam,
the antiwar movement had gained great influence. There were numerous racial
incidents. Some troops refused to carry out their orders if there was danger
involved. Fragging (directing a fragmentation grenade at an unpopular officer
or NCO) resulted in some deaths. It also took other forms such as booby trapping
a jeep and even shooting some men in the back. Through fear of retaliation
and the dislike of informing against another man, it often was extremely difficult
to locate the culprit.
Back in the United States,
racial incidents grew at the various camps. Gangs of black Marines would roam
Camp Lejeune or other posts and stations, and beat up white Marines found
to be alone. Soon there was a backlash, continuing the violence.
Traditionally high morale
was sadly shaken. A true crisis was threatening the 200-year-old Corps. Many
of the problems could be traced to the end of the draft and the pressure of
keeping up the size of the Marine Corps. In the process, a number of society’s
misfits had been recruited.
A commanding officer of
the 6th Marines from those challenging days, Colonel Paul B. Haigwood, recalls
that the regiment spent approximately 50 percent of its time in the field
with every regimental unit available participating. Although the training
was extreme and repetitive, it was necessary because of the high personnel
turnover, and the requirement to meet the many commitments referred to earlier.
Further, it served to lessen the racial tensions as the Category IV (less
intelligent) Marines seemed to forget their problems and concentrated on being
Marines. Maybe they were too tired to do anything else. In any event, over
time the regimental incident rate, desertions, and other indicators of discipline
improved to the point where the 6th Marines could truthfully be called the
most combat-ready unit in the division. The regiment won almost every divisional
contest such as football, basketball, boxing, and marksmanship.
Nevertheless, there still
were unfortunate incidents. Following a movie at the Camp Lejeune post theatre,
there was a gang fight among some 25 to 30 black and white Marines from the
1st Battalion, 6th Marines. It ended with one Marine being killed. This, of
course, was labeled a riot by the press, and caused unfavorable publicity
for the Corps.
It was not easy being
a commanding officer in those days, but as usual in Marine Corps life, there
were many responsibilities to be met, and there was always a belief in a better
future.
Further, amusing incidents
occurred to lighten the load. During a Headquarters Marine Corps Inspector
General’s inspection, Colonel Haigwood was showing the Inspector General around
his area. When they visited the 2d Battalion armory, they found everything
to be outstanding—weapons, records, cleanliness—everything. The Inspector
General announced to everyone present that this was “the best” armory he had
seen in a long time, and that he would personally like to shake the hand of
the NCO in charge. A young Marine stepped forward immediately, and said, “General
sir, I am Corporal _______, MFICC of the Armory.” The general congratulated
the corporal, praised him for what he had accomplished, and the inspection
party moved on. Approximately two blocks down the street the Inspector General
stopped, turned to Haigwood and said, ‘What in the hell does MFICC mean?”
Taking a deep breath, the regimental commander answered, “It stands for Mother
F___er In Complete Charge.” The general laughed
until he almost popped a button from his blouse..
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In spite of the many problems encountered, training continued during the 1970s. Not only were deployments made to the Caribbean and Mediterranean, but training was also held with the 82d Airborne Division, both at Fort Bragg and in the Camp Lejeune area. In 1973, during DesEx Alkali Canyon, USMCR units from the 4th Marine Division were successfully integrated into a major exercise. This was valuable to all the participants. Also, planning was started for Alpine Warrior 74, to be held at Camp Drum, New York. In 1974, training with U.S. Army units at Camp Pickett, Virginia, took place during Exercise Solid Punch, involving Army armor and armored infantry units. Cold-weather training at Camp Drum took place, as did other types of routine training.
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Wilson immediately started
to clean out the true misfits from the Marine Corps. The 6th Marines themselves
offered a typical example. An article by Walter V. Robinson of the Boston
Globe staff, dated 6 June 1976, set
Last
year the same could not be said, Although 2,500 men of the 3,000-man
6th Regiment were slated to participate, only 1200 them waded ashore
in Operation Solid Shield 1975. Of the remaining 1,300 men, 800 were
back in their barracks awaiting undesirable discharges. More than 200
others were over the hill—AWOL. Still others
were on the regimental rolls; they had been classified as deserters.
And 267 of the 6th Regiment’s Marines had been administratively reassigned
to the brig where they were imprisoned for a variety of offenses. |
The career officers and
NCOs previously had been disgusted. The reforms instituted by General Wilson,
however, got rid of more than 6,000 problem Marines out of a total strength
of 196,000. Enlistment standards were raised. Physical training and discipline
were improved. The percentage of high school graduates in the 2d Division
had dropped to 38 percent. Their commanding general had estimated perhaps
80 percent of the Marines had tried marijuana. One rifle company commander
recalled he had only 17 of 189 men available for training because of personnel
problems. The 2d Division discharged as undesirable 2,400 men in 1975. Of
those, 1,027 belonged to the 3,000-man 6th Marines. Since December of 1975
another 600 2d Division Marines had left early under an “expeditious discharge
program” initiated by the Commandant.
When Colonel (later Major
General) Harold G. Glasgow took command of the 6th Marines in May 1975, he
found 294 of his Marines were carried in an unauthorized leave status and
231 more were either confined or under restraint. He told a reporter later
that at the time he was lucky if one in every five Marines saluted him. Between
10 percent and 15 percent were intentionally trying to fail their physical
fitness tests.
The problems encountered
by the commanders in training and administering their units were complex and
challenging. Their strength of character was tested many times in a variety
of ways. In fact, company commanders were so involved in Office Hours, Request
Masts, and writing up administrative discharges it was difficult to maintain
a semblance of a training program.
Nevertheless, operational
and training exercises were held, including a Mediterranean deployment of
the 1st Battalion; Solid Shield 75 locally; two battalion-size exercises at
Fort Pickett; two special exercises (reinforced rifle companies) to Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba; a combined-arms exercise at Twenty-nine Palms, California; a cold-weather
exercise at Fort Drum; and a Division CPX. A full schedule indeed, and one
to cut down on the time the Marines had to be drawn into unwanted incidents.
During August 1976, the
36th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) was formed around the 6th Marines. The 2d
Battalion became the ground element, a composite squadron from MAGs 26 and
29 became the aviation combat element, while the MAU Service Support Group
(MSSG) was formed from the 2d Force Service Support Group (FSSG). After the
very detailed planning required and appropriate training, the 36th MAU deployed
to Europe for participation in Operation Straffe Zugel and Operation Triple
Jubilee.
Operation Straffe Zugel
was part of Reforger Exercise 75 and was conducted in the central plains of
West Germany near the city of Hanover. The 36th MAU’s participation represented
the first Marine Corps maneuver elements in Germany since World War I. This
exercise further paved the way for subsequent Marine participation in larger
training exercises in Germany —Teamwork / Bonded Item and Northern Wedding/Bold
Guard. The Marine Corps was again becoming involved in the defense of western
Europe, as it was in World War I.
Operation Triple Jubilee
was conducted in three separate locations in the United Kingdom. According
to the account of then Colonel Glasgow, the first phase was near Plymouth.
This exercise concentrated on small-unit training with the Royal Marines.
A memorable occurrence was the celebration of the 200th Marine Corps Birthday
at the Royal Marines’ Stonehouse Barracks. The Royal Marines were hosts, then-Assistant
Commandant of the Marine Corps General Samuel Jaskilka was the guest of honor,
and the other guests included both General Peter Whitely, Commandant General
of the Royal Marines, and General A. C. Lammers, Commandant of the Royal Netherlands
Marine Corps.
The second phase of Triple
Jubilee was conducted on Salisbury Plain near Portsmouth and Southhampton.
The 3d Brigade of the Royal Marines both controlled the exercise and acted
as aggressors. It was a rewarding, excellent exercise.
The third phase of Triple
Jubilee consisted of an amphibious landing across the beach at Barry Buddon,
Scotland, near Arbroath. The North Sea was rough, and the weather cold, but
the 6th Marines looked like real professionals. After liberty at Dundee, the
regiment returned to Camp Lejeune exhilarated by the many interesting and
satisfying times it experienced.
Between the two main operations,
36th MAU made port visits to Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands and
Brest and Le Havre, in France.
The stiffer enlistment
standards paid off. The 2d Division’s high-school-completion rate jumped to
60 percent within a year. The greater emphasis on physical fitness soon made
a leaner, stronger, and more confident Marine Corps.
Already a marked change could be seen. The quality of the Marines had improved, morale was high, the disciplinary rate was falling—the Marine Corps had won its fight. As the Boston Globe article of 6 June 1976 had labeled it—"The Marines’ Toughest Fight: Long Battle for Respectability."
[This article has been excerpted from “A Brief History of the 6th
Marines,” written by Lieutenant General William K. Jones USMC-Retired and
published in 1987 by the History and Museum Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine
Corps Washington, D.C., a copy of which was obtained by our former G-2-6 member,
Retired Staff Sergeant John Hart, USMC.]
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