Abstract
This chapter examines the challenges of developing cultural skills, not from the military student’s or instructor’s perspective but rather from the perspective of the military organization required to implement the new cultural policies and programs. Using data from a 6 year ethnographic research project, I provide a focused case study of the Marine Corps’ efforts to institute a radical new culture policy into a military organization that has been structured and trained to fight conventional wars. Using the specific case of Marine Corps recruiting and recruit training, I examine how Marine Corps leadership at the Parris Island Recruit Depot and Recruiting Command has been able to incorporate two seemingly incompatible identities—fearless warrior and culturally savvy peacekeeper—into recruit training. By reshaping the external policy directives to fit within Marine Corps values and ideals, culture becomes “Marinized”—transformed into something that looks, smells and tastes Marine. Thus, the external policy directive becomes redefined so that the new policy is no longer a threat to Marine Corps ideals, but simply a modern version of the long and honorable past identity of the Corps.
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Notes
- 1.
Marine Corps Infantry Squad leader mission statement
- 2.
Portions of this chapter have been adapted from the author’s book Culture in Conflict (Holmes-Eber 2014)
- 3.
Support for this project was provided by TECOM under the guidance of Jeffry Bearor, SES as well by the Marine Corps University under Vice President Dr. Jerre Wilson and George Dallas, Director of CAOCL is gratefully acknowledged.
- 4.
Then the Commander of Training and Education Command in the Marine Corps
- 5.
In 2012, DLO was merged with NSEO to form the Defense Language and National Security Education Office
- 6.
Although entry into the Marine Corps is voluntary, a meaningful percentage of Marines come from Marine or military families—sometimes a hereditary pattern that can be continued for generations. It could be argued in this case, that socialization into Marine Corps culture begins at birth.
- 7.
To protect the identity of all participants in this study, all names are pseudonyms. These pseudonyms are based on Marine Corps history and language in order to ensure that readers do not accidentally equate a particular name with a specific Marine. Where rank and billet (position) could identify the speaker, Marines’ titles and ranks may also be altered, along with gender, age, or any other identifying demographic information.
- 8.
For a complete description of the Crucible events, see Woulfe 1998.
- 9.
At the time, he was the Commanding Officer of TECOM (Training and Education Command)
- 10.
24 unarmed Iraqi civilians were killed by a group of Marines. All of the Marines were later acquitted.
- 11.
An Iraqi girl was raped and murdered and her family killed by five U.S. Army soldiers—all of whom were found guilty.
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Holmes-Eber, P. (2020). Redefining the Past to Become the Present: Culture Policy and U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training. In: Enstad, K., Holmes-Eber, P. (eds) Warriors or Peacekeepers?. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36766-4_12
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