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Letters

There is help

In the past few months, we have heard that suicides, attempted suicides, drunk driving and off-duty incidents are on the rise in the Marine Corps. That alarms me and should alarm each one of you.

Those Marines who took their lives, drove their vehicle while under the influence or chose to do something off duty that they knew was wrong, may have thought there was no other way. There is help they can seek to resolve whatever issue they may have. To be exact, there are 83 programs that are all free to service members and their families to get the help they need — whether it is financial, alcohol/drug cessation, suicide prevention or new-parent counseling.

I think the reason some Marines don’t use these programs is because they think it is a waste of time or a possible career-ender. But the real career-ender is not seeking the help that you need to correct the situation, thus allowing you to continue down the wrong path. I think it is an act of courage to seek help because you have identified a problem and want to resolve it.

A master gunnery sergeant once said we are all precious cargo. We are all special, unique and a valuable part of this Marine Corps family. The Marine Corps needs each and every one of us, and, more important, your family needs you, too.

The Corps has recognized this and totally revamped the Family Readiness Program to provide a better service to all Marines. Picture a pyramid with the unit command team at one corner, the Marine Corps Community Services team at another, and individual Marines, their spouses, children and parents at the top. Both teams are there to help you successfully navigate through the events that occur in life. As the commandant stated recently, “This is the enduring commitment we make to every Marine because ‘Marines take care of our own.’”

I am asking each of you to give the Marine Corps a chance to help you no matter the problem because we can’t afford to lose another valued family member — you. If you need help, contact your unit’s Family Readiness Officer, your chain of command, a fellow Marine, senior noncommissioned officer, officer or a friend. We are all here to help.

Master Sgt. Ken Meredith,

Family Readiness Officer

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.

THE PIRATE PROBLEM

Somali pirates continue to wreak havoc on commercial shipping off the coast of Africa. Action has to be taken [“Pirate duty?” Frontlines, April 27].

Shipping companies should place heavily armed professional guards on ships with shoot-to-kill orders. All countries with commercial ships traversing the African shipping lanes should provide naval warships to protect shipping and provide convoy escort duty, just as they did during World War II. We need slow-moving, strafing aircraft located at sea or on land available to quickly search out and destroy the pirates in their boats.

If those steps do not work, the impacted countries should sink the pirate’s mother ships and consider hitting the pirate havens along the coast of Somalia with aircraft and naval attacks.

Although diplomacy is preferable to military action, the Somali government is too weak to rein in the pirates, and therefore military activities will probably be needed to solve the problem.

Former Navy Lt. Donald A. Moskowitz

Londonderry, N.H.

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Thank God we didn’t turn the rescue of merchant Capt. Richard Phillips over to the United Nations. We turned it over to an organization that we knew would get the job done: the U.S. military. These people deserve our thanks everyday, no matter if there is a war or not. Their willingness to serve and die for their country is the reason we have the freedoms that we do. We should never forget that.

Army Sgt. Maj. Robert Winstead (ret.)

Alexandria, Va.

GATES CAN CUT MORE

Congress should praise Defense Secretary Robert Gates, not criticize him, for cutting wasteful defense spending. America is suffering through what might be the second Great Depression, and the priority now should be helping families who are struggling to get by.

Unfortunately, the Gates budget didn’t go far enough. He could have saved even more money if he had cut, rather than added to, funding for other wasteful programs — such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This “state-of-the-art” fighter jet has been delayed for years because of engineering and safety problems, and it took years to get a prototype jet in the air (it was subsequently grounded). Yet Gates decided not only to keep the F-35 program going, but to increase funding for it.

All told, the F-35 will cost taxpayers an amazing $1 trillion. Yet military experts say we don’t need high-tech fighter jets for insurgency wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if we did, is this the right one? The media reported a few months ago on a simulated flight test in which F-35s were “clubbed like baby seals” by existing fighter planes.

Our military spending exceeds that of the next 25 countries combined. We need to keep our nation safe, but we can’t afford out-of-control projects like the F-35. Congress should reduce or eliminate it, and focus instead on American families.

Brent A. Wilkes

National Executive Director, League of United Latin American Citizens

Washington, D.C.

SAFETY COMES FIRST

With regard to the issue of religious proscriptions interfering with the proper wear of the uniform [“Sikh officers told to change appearance,” From Military Times, May 4], the problem is not one of religious intolerance but rather the safety of the soldier.

A soldier who cannot properly wear the Army’s Advanced Combat Helmet is a danger to himself and a liability to his unit. A soldier whose gas mask cannot form a proper seal on his bearded face is likewise a casualty waiting to happen.

Accommodating religious differences is a wonderful thing until it compromises safety and readiness. The wonderful thing about America is that we have the right to choose whether we will serve, we have the right to choose our religion and we have the right to choose how to cut our hair.

Unfortunately, the reality of the battlefield dictates which of those choices are mutually compatible.

Army Staff Sgt. Justin Boyle

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii