Title: The Sergeant Major Of The Marine Corps Is Dead Wrong About Cutting Troop Pay - Task & Purpose
Headings: The Sergeant Major Of The Marine Corps Is Dead Wrong About Cutting Troop Pay
The Sergeant Major Of The Marine Corps Is Dead Wrong About Cutting Troop Pay
Content: We have all of those, what do we talk about? We talk about our Marines.” Barrett’s remarks, and the proposed legislation, could potentially adversely impact the Marine Corps and, by extension, America’s national security. Beyond decreasing the morale of the current rank and file Marines, it also threatens the Corps’ ability to retain its top Marines, and the military’s ability to recruit talented people into its ranks. Making active-duty members of the military the latest victims of political dysfunction in Washington shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it is particularly hard to bear. “They want to know about what new equipment are we getting, are we continuing to modernize,” Barrett said. “ Just because the budget sucks, does that mean we’re not going to get our new gear?” In advocating military technological advancement at the expense of the financial welfare of lower ranking enlisted Marines, Barrett is robbing those Marines of his support as their senior enlisted leader, and that's tragic. Barrett is the Corps' top enlisted Marine, and in that role, is supposed to represent the interests of the enlisted Marines to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and leadership in Washington. No one joins the Marine Corps for the money, and Barrett is right that “Marines don't run around asking about compensation, retirement modernization,” but with all that they are asked to do, Marines need to be compensated fairly for their service.