Ouster of Marine officer overseeing female boot camp training sparks controversy

FoxNews.com ^ | 7-13-2015 | FoxNews.com

[servo1969]

The Marine officer who made female recruits better shots at boot camp has been relieved of her command, igniting controversy.

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 got bounced June 30 after a command investigation accused her of “toxic leadership” by berating and showing contempt for subordinates in public. The 300-page report found her to be “hostile, unprofessional and abusive “ and told recruits that sexual assault was preventable, and that those who drank put themselves in a position to be assaulted.

She also told recruits male Marines would never take orders from them and would see them as inferior if they couldn't meet men's physical standards.

But, according to the Times, her supporters say she was a blunt reformer only trying to make the unit better by holding women to tougher standards.

“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,” a female Marine officer stationed at the recruit depot told the paper.

Parris Island officials admitted rifle range qualification scores improved dramatically among female recruits under Germano’s tenure.

[servo1969]

AR15.com
Comment by TJGreg [Member]
7/8/2015 9:26:07 AM EDT
I was a company commander, series commander and OIC of the water survival program on PI up until last August so I know the climate there very well. Col Haas was my RO as well so I had plenty of interaction with him. With that said, MCRD breeds a 'yes man' attitude from all leadership, especially officers. Senior leadership there does not like anyone making waves, challenging standards or otherwise going against the grain. New ideas or improvements are shunned. The SOP there is restrictive and many of the BN COs simply want a quiet, successful command without making a lot of noise so they want SOP followed to the letter. Previous CO's at 4th BN were lauded for their leadership despite horrible command climate because they maintained the status quo. While I didn't have any interaction with her, it sounds like Germano was doing the right thing. She didn't make excuses and told people how it was. That's exactly what that battalion needed as they were often the laughing stock of the depot on many occasions. There was always MASSIVE amounts of drama, infighting and backstabbing within 4thBn and it sounds like this got the best of her. A real shame.

https://www.ar15.com/mobile/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=1766108


My comment-
How dare she try to motivate those women! How dare she try to teach them to take care of themselves! How dare she try to keep them from being raped or killed one day! This is the new Marines. The kinder gentler Marines. The 'have a nice day' Marines. Teach her female recruits to be Marines and not sniveling whiney cry-babies who happen to wear uniforms? Preposterous!

[trebb]

Sounds like they removed a real leader for being a real leader - how dare she speak truth and use strong words as motivators - how dare she get positive results with such un-PC methodology?

We are doomed when such as her are taken out of the picture.

[Vaquero]

Sell explanatory . Foul language and violence

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5TNhS81w4bM

[rjsimmon]

I have known Col Germano for years and although she is not the most pleasant person, she was always professional and an excellent Marine officer. This sounds like a case of ‘gators’ removing someone that they did not like. I hope she is vindicated.

[Resolute Conservative]

It is the new Corps, no grading with red ink you know, everyone has to have their feeling intact.

[Dirt for sale]

Was just leafing through a special forces book and, according to its author, morale and effectiveness of the whole unit suffer when one team member does not pull weight. It also had a section on communist indoc in enemy pow camps and how to resist.

I would imagine that both sections are now obsolete.

[SampleMan]

told recruits that sexual assault was preventable, and that those who drank put themselves in a position to be assaulted.
She also told recruits male Marines would never take orders from them and would see them as inferior if they couldn't meet men's physical standards.

Truth. Its the new hate speech.

[Turbo Pig]

I am a 10 year Marine vet. This post is not a bashing of women Marines. I knew female Marines that were better at being Marines than I was, and I knew a lot that weren't; just like the males I knew. With that said, WMs were held to a different (lower) standard in general. While I liked most of them I served with, I dreaded having to work with them most of the time. Of the several WM officers I was subordinate to, only one of them was what I considered to be on par with her male counter parts; even if it did us NCOs a year to get her that way. Like I said, I am not bashing WMs, rather I am bashing the system that created the reality that made me , and fellow marines, feel the way we did about them.

I am certain that this Lt. Col. was very unpleasant to be around when she was in training/command mode. I never met an officer who wasn't unpleasant when they were kicking people in the a$$es (especially mine) making them better Marines. If, as the article alludes to, she was removed because of political (correct?) reasons because she was destroying the status quo, it's a damn shame. In today's world these young Marines face a threat matrix that Marines haven't seen in a long time; maybe never when looked at a certain way. They need leaders who are willing to stand in the door for them, tell them the truth, and make them better Marines than their predecessors. The Marine Corps has had its fair share of political drama, it is the nature of the beast. It's always been able to minimize it, though, especially when compared tot eh other services. If the Marines fall as far down the PC rabbit hole as the other services have, then the country is truly screwed, because the last wide based warrior culture (as opposed to the narrow based SF/SOC community) in the military will have been compromised.

[Robert A Cook PE]

What? Some homosexual complained?

[IYAS9YAS]

I would imagine that both sections are now obsolete.

No, they're not obsolete, they're needed more than ever. They've probably just been removed for political correctness.

[Bigg Red]

...told recruits that sexual assault was preventable, and that those who drank put themselves in a position to be assaulted.

&&&
How dare she tell the truth!

[Bigg Red]

Well said!

And thank you for your service.

[Bratch]

I'm leaning toward "not guilty".

[Jack Deth]

Question for higher Marine Corps Staff:

Do you want Marines? Or cannon fodder?

You’re welcome.

[onedoug]

Very likely.

I recently watched a video of modern Marine training at Paris Island. It seemed rather tame to the Army BCT I took at Ft Gordon GA back in 1967.

[JimRed]

She probably failed the Obama vetting...she would not order her female Marines to fire upon fellow Americans.

[Dirt for sale]

You’re right, “verboten” would be more accurate.

[rjsimmon]

I'm leaning toward "not guilty".

I would reconsider. As mentioned previously, I have known Kate for some time and would have to say, she is not anywhere close to 'easy on the eyes'.

[jonno]

“She probably failed the Obama vetting”

I think your answer might be close to the truth.

Perhaps too, the “subordinates” referred to in the article may have simply been “girly” WMs - who were more focused on being treated as a ‘W’ than an ‘M’.

[jonno]

It’s a shame. This LADY looks like one for the history books (if they’d simply clear out the PC bed-wetters from her command).