Ouster of Marine officer overseeing female boot camp training sparks controversy:

I would hate to think that the United States Marine Corps, that ever since it’s inception in 1775  has been the symbol of always faithful, discipline, courage, respect, second to none combat training and honor has falling into the pathetic web of the PC-ers in this country.

Military Times reports that Lt. Col. Kate Germano served only a year as the head of the 4th Recruit Training Battalion on Parris Island, S.C., before her dismissal.

She was relieved of her duty on June 30 after a internal witch-hunt accused her of “toxic leadership” by berating and showing contempt for subordinates in public.

If a person does not want to be berated, they shouldn’t  have joined the Marine Corps. That has always been one of the biggest factors of Marine Corps training, dealing with the mental anguish. The physical training to tough but the mental is brutal.

I went through Parris Island in 1958 when ass kicking was the name off the game.  Ass kicking was not legal then as it is not now but it was tolerated in those days. Everyone knew it was going on but turned a blind eye to it.

I can state that unequivocally, being that I was the DI’s punching bag for 16 weeks.

Personally speaking, I would rather have gone through what I did in 58 than going through the modern corps methods of training as they have today.  Was the training brutal and sometime inhumane? Absolutely yes but so is war and that is how we were trained to enable us to deal with any situation that came down the pike, in war as well as peacetime.

A 300-page report found Germano to be “hostile, unprofessional and abusive “ and told her female recruits that sexual assault was preventable, and that those who drank put themselves in a position to be assaulted. Well? This lady was telling it like it is. I have always maintained; don’t go where you don’t belong. If you don’t want to get burned, don’t stick your finger in the flame.

If a person wants to be trained properly and not pampered, Marine Corps boot camp was the best place for an education on the military and life in general or at least it used to be.

Anyone that has been through Marine Corps boot camp should be-able to look beyond the temporary suffering of the recruits and acknowledge that the end result of the training is what is important.

According to reports, Germano’s supporters say she was a blunt reformer only trying to make the unit better by holding women to tougher standards. This what made the USMC one of the best fighting forces on this planet; tough training and discipline.

In an interview with another female officer at PI she said; what she did when she came is she changed the mentality of the Marines in the battalion and the recruits to not expect a historically lower performance than the male recruits at the battalion.

One of Germano’s pet peeves for the female recruits, she expected excellence  at the rifle range.  Parris Island officials admitted rifle range qualification scores improved dramatically among female recruits under Germano’s tenure.

We all know a woman is not historically as strong as her male counterpart. If she is an expert shot, that puts her on an even platform with any man in combat.

Following her dismissal, Germano sent a letter to her battalion, saying the unit excelled in the face of strong opposition.

Despite considerable active and passive resistance throughout all echelons of the Recruit Depot and the Marine Corps, we each worked incredibly hard to improve the performance of our recruits to make them stronger, faster, smarter and better shots — all to better the institution.

I have no doubt in my mind that some female recruit who felt she was being treated unjustly, told her parents about her alleged abusive training and in turn the parents contacted some PC congressman looking for sympathy.

History has proven that the tougher and more difficult the training (without killing the person) produces a far superior fighting machine.

If the Corps lets the PC-ers and the flowerchildren of this country dictate to them, the Marine Corps will eventually become just another run of the mill military unit going through the motions.

The people at Parris Island seem to have forgotten what the words Semper Fi mean when they turned their back on the colonel.

Lt. Col. Germano has appealed to congress to have her reinstated at her post at PI. I think this excellent Marine is talking to deaf ears. The Lilly livered people we have running this country would turn on their Ma Ma in a New York minute if enough pressure is applied. I hope she wins her case but I doubt it.

It is like anything else in this world. If you want a bargain and the easy way out; after it is all said and done all you have is a skeleton of a body wearing a uniform that has no concept of what reality is all about.

I will compare this situation to some black belts in the martial arts. From my experience, many people have been promoted without being qualified for their rank.  Essentially we can say they bought their belts from some rum-dumb instructor instead of earning it. I don’t blame the students, they don’t know any better. I blame the instructor.

Their instructor did them more harm than good and gave them a false sense of security. He lead them to believe they are ready for combat but really are a danger to themselves.

Marine Corps boot camp, in a very broad sense can be compared to the martial arts. In both institutions; if taught properly by a well trained instructor, not only will the students learn how to deal with military or martial ways of life, they also teach a person how to deal with day to day conditions when they are no longer in the military or not in uniform. Proper training in both endeavors can improve a person’s life immeasurable. I will take the hard road any day.

If this is what the Marine Corps has evolved into just another run of the mill PC camp; I say shame on them!! I hate to think so.

What is it that has become so hypnotic and contagious about this PC mentality in the USA?

It seems to me that there are vast number of people in this country that were born without any individuality, a spine, backbone or self-respect.

I say Semper Fi to Lt. Col. Germano and compliment her for the fine job she did. The people she trained properly will appreciate her.