PLATFORM : Married Marines

The commandant was absolutely right. Throughout my experience as an infantry leader, I was forced to deal with absences among my men for various reasons. Some were unavoidable, due to training injuries and administrative commitments. But far too much training was lost because a young Marine needed to accompany his wife to family counseling or for medical care, or just to be with her through some emotional crisis or another. That absent man didn’t just miss out on training himself; the gap affected the training of the entire unit.

I had on more than one occasion to look the other way when a man missed training or performed below standards because he was trying to keep his marriage together. It is hard to keep a young man focused on the infantry mission when he is soaked, hungry and dog-tired. When that young man has a young wife or family home without him, it is even tougher.