On March 15th, the Marine Corps held a service-wide barracks inspection for lower-enlisted single Marines. Looking for deficiencies in the units themselves, senior leaders were appalled at the findings. Even the worst-case scenario leaders had envisioned for the inspections paled in comparison to the results.
Covering 60,000 rooms at 25 installations across the globe, many were found to be living in filthy, cramped, and uninhabitable quarters that often lacked basic privacy. With inspections turning out as a previous watchdog report had indicated they would, and the problems went far deeper than leaders thought was the case. Marine Corps Installations Command spokesperson MAJ John Parry told the Daily Caller that this was an opportunity for senior leadership to inventory and address the major issues.
With barracks managers being given a checklist for general habitability, safety, and cleanliness, they left room for comments and follow-up on concerns. Specific areas of each room like the kitchen/kitchenette, bathrooms, living areas, bedrooms, and appliances were all to be inspected on their own. Telling commanders to relocate Marines with severe mold, water, or general safety issues, it quickly becomes evident just how out of touch leadership and barracks managers have become.
One Marine stationed in Washington D.C., who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Daily Caller that this shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. “It’s been a problem for decades. It’s been a problem for as long as I’ve been in. I think that this current thing is somewhat of a stunt — acting like we didn’t know. It’s silly to think that it’s just now being a problem. Now the current commandant, the sergeant major addressing it — which I don’t think is a bad thing. I think it’s a good thing. They mean it. Why did it take 20 years, 30 years?”
Nobody should be surprised by any of this. It wasn’t news following Vietnam, Desert Storm, or the end of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Troops are being criminally underpaid and given housing that would fail inspection for housing illegals or those on Section eight across the nation. While the Navy and Air Force certainly buck that trend with their incredibly high living accommodations, the USMC and Army consistently fail to make the standard.
