Should the Marine corps end boot leave?
Every Marine remembers the day they stepped on to the yellow foot prints at Paris Island or San Diego. Moreover, every Marine remembers the day when they finally graduated from Marine Corps boot camp and went on to experience the glorious ten days that are boot leave. One would think that the typical ten days of boot leave would consist of parading around town in newly earned dress blues, enjoying the fruits of the local bar, and of course “spending time” with Susie. However, it seems that this is not always the case.
1st Lt Daniel Durbin writes in The Marine Corps Gazette that, “The School of Infantry East (SOI-E) administratively separated more than 150 new Marines in fiscal year 2011 for a myriad of disciplinary and medical reasons. Many of these medical and legal issues occurred over recruit leave. There is a travesty happening right now in the Marine Corps, but nothing is being done about it. Every year, the Marine Corps loses several hundreds of Marines to drugs, legal issues, and injuries during a single 10-day period—recruit leave.”
1st Lt Daniel Durbin’s argument is that many Marines join up to get away from their gloomy situations at home and begin a new life for themselves in the Marines. However, after only twelve weeks of being away from home at boot camp, the Marines send their newly graduated recruits home on ten days of boot leave. 1st Lt Daniel Durbin believes that the twelve weeks that it takes to get through boot camp is too short of a time period. He goes on to explain that, “It isn’t just misbehavior that is claiming Marines (on boot leave). Injuries are rampant during recruit leave. Car accidents have been proven to be more prevalent with young Marines, and recruit leave is no exception. It is easy to see why a Marine who has just been through 3 months of hell at boot camp and suddenly has every freedom possible is more likely to get injured or get into trouble.”
I do not necessarily disagree or agree with what 1st Lt Daniel Durbin is trying to portray here. However, I do want to play devil’s advocate in this argument. Theoretically speaking, if the Marine Corps were to do away with boot leave and send Marines straight from boot camp to infantry training and MOS school, wouldn’t Marines be just as likely to occur punishable offenses when they returned following this extended training? Who is to say that the Marine Corps would not see an increase in this separation number? Additionally, 1st Lt Daniel Durbin reported that more than 150 new Marines were separated in fiscal 2011 as a result of a myriad of disciplinary and medical issue occurring on boot leave. This number of 150 newly separated Marines seems small in the grand scheme of things. In fact, the Marines separated as a result of boot camp incidents accounted for only .013% of all separated Marines throughout the Marine Corps in 2011. Additionally, some may still consider 2011 to be a year in which troop increases were still present as a result of the Iraq surge. One would think this would result in somewhat inflated numbers. However, it was still only .013%.
Overall, it seems that this argument is simply blown out of proportion. 1st Lt Daniel Durbin believes that the separation numbers following boot leave are a travesty in the Marine Corps. However, it seems that this is more happenstance than anything else….Sir.
Joshua Reed
Military Student Services
10 iMagazine / April, 2013