4th Bn CO relieved for cause

[meltoine]

I'm still reading, but why is there an all-female recruit battalion to begin with?

[meltoine]

Her comments about sexual assault are gross.

I'm not sure what to think overall. Her story is plausible, I guess, that she was trying to prove that females can perform as well as males. There's a definite undertone of "work twice as hard for half as much" going on here which sucks but is reality in the current climate. I could see her subordinates being angered by that (as they should be) and her being all "well, that's how it is, so suck it up and prove them wrong".

On the other hand, it's equally or more likely that she is a terrible leader, especially given the sexual assault comments. And the comments from subordinates in support of her seemed very canned.

[meltoine]

Jul 8, 2015 6:30:24 GMT -5 Stan said:

Jul 7, 2015 22:08:23 GMT -5 meltoine said:

I'm still reading, but why is there an all-female recruit battalion to begin with?

Marines train enlisted females separately from males. At PI, so the same training, but separately.

What is the stated purpose of this? I imagine it probably lowers the rates of SA in the short term, but perpetuating the idea that females are separate (and usually therefore lesser) seems at odds with the long term goal. 

[audette]

I'm kinda with meltoine - you can't really know what the truth of the matter is behind the news article. I think it does highlight some of the issues with the current gendered climate situation, which is worth noting is still a big problem. It sounds like the relieved cmdr was trying to close the performance gap, which is an awesome goal to set, as far as I'm concerned (and I bet it's a goal you'd support, too, Stan).

[amaristella]

Jul 8, 2015 6:30:24 GMT -5 Stan said:

Jul 7, 2015 22:08:23 GMT -5 meltoine said:

I'm still reading, but why is there an all-female recruit battalion to begin with?

Marines train enlisted females separately from males. At PI, so the same training, but separately.

I just learned something new. I had no idea that anywhere in any of the services had separate training programs for men and women. Now I will go read the article you posted.

[amaristella]

I'd say the evidence is piled up against her. And I suspected as much from the beginning of the article. Because it's not all that often that COs get fired simply for "demanding excellence".

IMHO this alone is a good enough reason

"The command investigation, completed June 25 and obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, states that Germano displayed "toxic leadership" by publicly berating and showing contempt for subordinates, bullying Marines and singling them out for under-performance."

Also,

"The survey found that nearly half of respondents thought the unit did not promote a climate based on respect and trust"

They're talking about half of 64 people which is hardly, as her supporters claim, a minority.

This story actually reminded me of an incident in the Navy a few years back. I remember discussing it with DH and asking how someone like that could make it so far up the chain of command acting that way and he told me it's more common than one would imagine. I'm talking about Holly Graf.

Time Article on Holly Graf

[amaristella]

Jul 8, 2015 7:33:31 GMT -5 audette said:

I'm kinda with meltoine - you can't really know what the truth of the matter is behind the news article. I think it does highlight some of the issues with the current gendered climate situation, which is worth noting is still a big problem. It sounds like the relieved cmdr was trying to close the performance gap, which is an awesome goal to set, as far as I'm concerned (and I bet it's a goal you'd support, too, Stan).

Sorry if this is too far unrelated but you reminded me of an episode of Parks and Recreation I watched (rewatched?) recently. Season 5, episode 11, Women in Garbage The one where Leslie and April join the sanitation department for a day in order to prove that women can do just as well as men, and possibly even better. And, spoiler, through teamwork they prevailed.

But it's not always what you do, but how you do it. Her intentions may have been honorable but it sounds like her methods were simply not honorable.