An American in Saudi Arabia : Marine Corps commandant declares low morale to be off-base

You have to get a kick out of the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. Alfred Gray. When this whole Iraqi mess is over, one hopes he’ll commit his management ideas to a book. If it doesn’t quite revolutionize American management practice, it should at least entertain a lot of managers. Gen. Gray believes that the way to solve problems is simply to deny their existence.

He told complaining troops in Saudi Arabia that they really don’t have a morale problem. “There will be no morale problems in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force because I say there will be morale.” Added Gray: “There also will be no boredom. Suck in that gut.”

Nice try, but even among disciplined Marines it’s not going to work. The troops are still going to wake up every morning in a hot, dry, Arabian desert country that has deeply ingrained cultural traditions regarding women, alcohol, entertainment and dress that are very much at odds with American values. The U.S. high command needs to be a little more understanding of the morale problem. At the same time, the troops need to be a little more understanding about the Saudi Arabian problem. After all, it’s their country, their customs, their prohibitions. We’re just visiting.

The general needs to search for some common ground and climb down from the high- morale line for a moment. Think about better recreational facilities--build some basketball courts, put up several more volleyball nets (a game that goes well in sand).

But stop lecturing the troops. They’re already bored.