[MeganC]

The first Marine to have his pay cut is this guy.

[null and void]

Huh?

[PGR88]

His point being - we don’t do it for the money.

I always saw the Marines as rather like a monastic order. Most aren’t going into it for the money - and in some ways increased poverty focuses one on the other reasons for service.

[null and void]

Welcome to FR...

[Secret Agent Man]

Yeah, look what denying leave did for one of them.

[AU72]

What does he care, he’s on his last billet before retirement.

[BuffaloJack]

Agree and not agree.
The marine will be OK, but his family is already struggling to survive. If his wife and children are having problems making ends meet it will affect his morale and his effectiveness at doing his job.

[2banana]

America’s military families on food stamps is a great summation of the Obama regime

[Mariner]

The Sgt. Major of the Marines is APPOINTED by the Commandant.

[lepton]

Im not going to say I agree with it, but this is hardly a new theory.

Higher pay allows them to take care of their families better, if they have them; it allows them more luxuries..some good, some bad; and allows them more opportunity to get into trouble.

For people who do things out of duty, or as volunteers, frequent monetary rewards can lead to *less* volunteerism, and *less* devotion to duty. A significant part of military performance is the sense of community, a sense of pride, a fulfillment of responsibility. Money used to replace those things may or may not be an improvement. expectations matter as well.

In short, it’s a more complicated question than implied.

[armydawg505]

If I was the Commandant of the Marine Corps, I would fire him on the spot. I could have no trust or confidence in his leadership ability after a comment like that.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

The SGM is a douche. Watch the good Marines leave the service.

[BBell]

Well the Commandant is not thought very highly of but you would be hard pressed to find a Marine who would admit that in public.

[Chainmail]

Lessee: we have been forced to accept married individuals as first-term enlistees and we have allowed those already in to get married - including those young Marines who marry previously married women with kids. Then we deploy those Marines for six months or more at a time while leaving the families to fend for themselves.

So does the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps understand what this would do to these Marines' families? His comments indicate his unfitness for service.

No doubt "dimwit" Hagel approved of his comments, but they were made at the expense of the men and women he was supposed to support.

If we had a real Commandant - not a Rahm Emanuel appointee - he'd fire this dimwit.

[ansel12]

He supports a military that I have supported all my life, I even preferred the old wooden barracks and didn’t approve of the concrete, two man rooms and luxurious living.

I think the military should be like the Legion, barebones and low pay, like it used to be when a first term GI could barely afford to buy smokes and drink at the EM club, and live in the barracks.

Once a man reenlists, or attains Corporal rank, THEN the money and the treats and the rewards starts kicking in, THEN they can start appealing for permission to marry, etc.

[JSDude1]

He’s a YES Man, remember the former guy didn’t want to implement gays into the marines so Obama got rid of him.

I will always honor the marines (and their history), but the leadership of this military under Obama boarders on treacherous.

[Gaffer]

Says the 30 year lifer E-9 that has a hefty life-long pension wrapped up.

[JimRed]

If they have less money, they’ll drink less beer, stay more sober and get meaner?

[freerepublicchat]

Can someone tell me how much shelter, food, cloths, benefits etc are worth?

It's hard to understand how the pay relates to civilian jobs where housing, etc are out of pocket.

[The Sons of Liberty]

Who is he representing, the president of the troops he is supposed to stand up for?

For far too long guys in these type of positions are appointed because of their political prowess and ability to be professional boot lickers and yes men.