Sadly, I must report that this same trend proceeds apace in the Army as well. I would say though, that some of the blame must attach to those who carry out these traditions in such a way as to portray them in the worst possible light (e.g. the SFC who decided to punch the rank of a female SPC being promoted to SGT in front of her family, hard enough to knock her to the ground)
Tierce, thanks for the comment. I guess the trend is probably happening throughout the military.
I would hope that when individuals abuse the traditions, as in your example, their peers would emphatically apply corrective action. I would also hope that the SGT would immediately stand up and fight back. If she won't stand up for herself, will she stand up for her fellows in combat? Instead, we're seeing wholesale loss of traditions in an attempt to compensate for individual actions.
I must also confess that I don't understand how the various traditions, properly executed, can cause significant trauma and humiliation to the participants as claimed by military leaders in their justification for eliminating the traditions. The participants are supposed to be the best America has, trained and toughened for combat. If they can't handle the hazing that is part of a tradition they shouldn't be in the military. If hazing is too much for them, combat will certainly be an unpleasant surprise.
Sadly, I must report that this same trend proceeds apace in the Army as well. I would say though, that some of the blame must attach to those who carry out these traditions in such a way as to portray them in the worst possible light (e.g. the SFC who decided to punch the rank of a female SPC being promoted to SGT in front of her family, hard enough to knock her to the ground)
ReplyDeleteTierce, thanks for the comment. I guess the trend is probably happening throughout the military.
DeleteI would hope that when individuals abuse the traditions, as in your example, their peers would emphatically apply corrective action. I would also hope that the SGT would immediately stand up and fight back. If she won't stand up for herself, will she stand up for her fellows in combat? Instead, we're seeing wholesale loss of traditions in an attempt to compensate for individual actions.
I must also confess that I don't understand how the various traditions, properly executed, can cause significant trauma and humiliation to the participants as claimed by military leaders in their justification for eliminating the traditions. The participants are supposed to be the best America has, trained and toughened for combat. If they can't handle the hazing that is part of a tradition they shouldn't be in the military. If hazing is too much for them, combat will certainly be an unpleasant surprise.