The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps issued a video message with some straight talk for Marines on the issue of sexual assault prevention. [HTML1] Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett told Marines in the passionate message posted Tuesday to “step in and do something.” When the Corps has a problem within its own ranks, they have to own it and fix it, he said. “There’s never a wrong time to do the right thing,” Barrett said. “Remember who you are. … Remember who we are.” The message introduces the Defense Department’s theme for the 2013 Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is…
Browsing: Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett
The Marine Corps’ top general wants an end to the monkey business that, since the start of 2012, has cast a steady, unflattering light on an institution defined in no small part by the pride it exhibits in being a disciplined, moral fighting force. “We are allowing our standards to erode,” Gen. Jim Amos, the service’s 35th commandant, laments in an internal memo distributed to all of his generals, commanding officers and sergeants major. Known as a White Letter, the sharply worded missive comes in response to “a number of recent widely publicized incidents” involving Marines misbehaving abroad. Complacent leadership…
Throughout the Corps, anxiety is high as Marines and their families wait to learn how the commandant intends to execute massive force cuts ordered in January by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. And their uneasiness certainly is justified. The reality is that over the next five years, the service will purge some 20,000 from the active-duty force — about as many as it added during the latter part of the last decade to sustain operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This week’s cover story, which was co-reported by Marines Corps Times’ senior staff writers Gina Cavallaro and Dan Lamothe, examines how the…
[HTML1] The Marine Corps hosted the inaugural Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Jan. 3 in Phoenix. The competition pitted the East against the West in a game featuring 100 of the best high school football athletes from across the country. On Jan. 4, official B-roll surfaced from the East’s locker room, revealing the pep talk given to players by Maj. Gen. Ronald Bailey, commander of 1st Marine Division, and Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett, the Corps’ top enlisted Marine. While the West would go on to beat the East, 17-14, Barrett had some strong words to pump the players up. At…
For nearly a year, the Marine Corps’ top officials have stayed on message with two main points regarding manpower: A drawdown wouldn’t begin until after the war in Afghanistan, and it would reduce the service to 186,800 Marines. Those points were reinforced early this year with the release of the Corps’ force-structure review recommendations. It called for a 13 percent reduction in ground combat forces, but stuck with that 186,800 end-strength figure. It’s time for a reality check. In light of the nation’s financial trouble, that plan may not be feasible. In this week’s Marine Corps Times cover story, we…
Say this about the Marine Corps’ new top enlisted adviser: He certainly doesn’t mind calling things as he sees them. That has become abundantly obvious since Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett became the 17th sergeant major of the Marine Corps on June 9, taking over for retiring Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent. Barrett, a scout sniper, already has raised eyebrows in some corners, particularly with his blunt comments on the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy were published last month. This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story includes more of that frank talk. In his first interview with our newspaper,…
