11 Marine officers likely to be dismissed for cheating

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | Rowan Scarborough

[advocate10]

A Marine Corps general has recommended dismissing 11 officers for cheating on a communications test at a training base in Quantico, Va.

The decision by Brig. Gen. Leif Hendrickson comes at the end of an extensive investigation into cheating by second lieutenants in the 23-week Communications Information System Officer Course in late April at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

[advocate10]

The few, the brave, the cheats!

[17th Miss Regt]

Dismiss them. They are not worthy of leading Marines.

[mattdono]

I hope that you are not trying to convict the entire Marine Corp for the actions of 11 officers. As well, these "officers" sound like they were OCS pass throughs who really don't know about honor anyway.

I think that you should qualify your comments a little better.

[ofMagog]

Although retired Regular Army, I have nothing but high respect for Marines and am glad to see they will not tolerate a few cheats.

[wimpycat]

Get rid of them. These men aren't Marines.

[WellsFargo94]

Although retired Regular Army, I have nothing but high respect for Marines and am glad to see they will not tolerate a few cheats.

You are absolutely correct. Being in close proximity to some fine Marine Officers, they are truly honorable both on the job - and off. True professionals.

Amazing what a good house cleaning will do!

[AmericanInTokyo]

From the title, I thought they were talking about marital vows! :-)

[NC Conservative]

Are these guys related to Joe Biden?

[Orual]

"Our Marines will forgive us for many things, but they will not forgive us for a breach of honor or acts that place ourselves before them," he said. "These officers have forfeited their right to lead."

Hendrickson, a General for all seasons.

[Always A Marine]

...these "officers" sound like they were OCS pass throughs who really don't know about honor anyway.

They knew all about honor -- they just chose to engage in dishonorable behavior. These young second lieutenants were not recent OCS graduates, but were already in their specialty school (Communications Information Officer Course), which prepares them in their Military Occupation Specialty. So by this time, each had already completed the six-month, post-commissioning Basic Officer Course (The Basic School, which is unique to the Marine Corps and is the common foundational training for all Marine officers). Prior to that, they would have come from some commissioning source, such as USNA or OCS. These were young officers, but they knew plenty and chose wrong.

To me, this story shows that the system works. The Corps identifies bad eggs as soon as possible, weeds them out and makes examples of them, and hides nothing. Honor is everything, and has been restored. Semper Fidelis...

[Coop]

1) Your attempt to tarnish all Marines due to the actions of a few is weak.
2) Learn the Marines' advertising slogan.

[mattdono]

Good comments and I can't really disagree. But, I still stand fast on my comments, these guys are NOT honorable. Therefore, they really don't know what honor is about (which is what I said).

I suppose we might be splitting hairs here and the reason why I agree with you. If they engaged in dishonorable behavior, then they really didn't know what honor is, because knowing honor is being honorous.

[MudPuppy]

Gen. Hendrickson is one of the finest Marine Officer's I've met.

Semper Fi!

[Octavius]

But they won't dissmiss and officer for doing a bad job!

[arm958]

As well, these "officers" sound like they were OCS pass throughs who really don't know about honor anyway.

What are OCS "pass throughs", and why do you think they would be less honorable than those whose commissions came from the USNA or ROTC?

[Redleg Duke]

Before anyone starts jumping on the USMC, remember, the Armed Forces unfortunately reflects the nation in general. While the Armed Forces strived to maintain the highest ethical standards, it is hard to "make chicken salad out of chicken shit!"

I am an Army Vet and I have the highest regard for the USMC.

[genefromjersey]

Rifle range cheating is not exactly unheard of. I can recall-back in the 50's-hearing about Company Commanders who qualified with the aid of an M1 pencil :
The Enlisted Men working in the target butts ( raising, lowering, and scoring targets with visible markers )were known to use a sharp pencil to make holes "in the right places" on certain targets.

[ken5050]

Absolutely agree that they had to go. They could not command troops in the future. However, the one thing that I would do differently would be that instead of dismissing them, I'd allow them to resign, coupled with immediately enlisting and being put on a bus to Parris Island.

I'm not condoning what they did, but they all had the higher calling to serve their country, and chose the toughest branch of the military service. The stigma they will face for the rest of their lives, the blemish on their records for future employers, etc..will be forever.

If I'm correct, in the last two big cheating scandals at West Point and Annapolis, ( which were organized theft of exams, far worse than this) most of the accused cadets and middies , except for the ringleaders, were allowed to resign.

OTOH, it may well be that HQUSMC has had suspicions that "cheating" has been going on i other areas, and may be more widespread. Thus, these are being cashiered to get the message to the rest of the junior officers. In that case, it is necessary.

[S.O.S121.500]

In light of their oath, they need the wall and firing squad.

[mattdono]

I think that the USNA or ROTC officers have more discpline than some college student who has had the 4 years of indoctrination from a liberal university and now decides to go into the Marines.

That is not to say that someone from the USNA or ROTC ranks couldn't do something dishonorable, but they have had years of discpline that is likely to engrain integrity and honor into them.

So, I think there is also a maturity issue here. After 4 years of being told "everything is relative", "it depends on what your definition of 'is' is", and the like, there might be a tendency to have some moral equivalency on whether cheating is right or wrong.

Maybe I should have used a different description, but I think there is a difference. And while they are all Marines, it is obvious that there are levels of distinction among the ranks...hence, the ranks!