When I read the survey results, I found that a few Marines claimed that I didn't salute them when they saluted me, which is absolutely crazy in such a high traditions and customs and courtesies environment. I can't imagine a time when I would have not saluted someone back—it's automatic. It's not even something you think about after almost twenty years. You just do it.
And they said I rolled my eyes.
Yup. I admit it. Sew a red letter “R” to my uniform: I rolled my eyes.
When people offer me excuses, or when I know they're not telling the truth, I have a habit of rolling my eyes.
The survey showed nothing consistent, just general statements of “She's mean,” or “She hurts my feelings,” or “She's disrespectful to her officers”—but no specific examples.
Did it look bad?
Yes. And it was horrifying to read, because I knew from conversations with my Marines every day that the results did not reflect the positive things that were happening in the rest of the battalion.
But the survey results were not that far off from previous command-climate survey results for Fourth Battalion, including the one I had administered right after I took command in 2014. And the way the survey was executed was neither fair nor remotely scientific.
The Marines completed the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute command-climate survey on April 22, 2015. About 75 percent of the battalion took the survey, including forty-five noncommissioned officers, six staff noncommissioned officers, ten junior officers, and two senior officers, including me. However, the “75 percent” didn't take into account people taking it twice or people who were outside the unit but still took it.
The survey found that there were eight reported incidents of discrimination, two reported incidents of racial discrimination, and two incidents of gender discrimination.
Two Marines asserted that their claims of gender discrimination would not be taken seriously if reported (I was one of the Marines who said that), and three reported that they feared reprisal if they reported their complaints. (Marines could check more than one box, so the same people who believed their cases would not be taken seriously may have said that they feared reprisal.) There were no reported cases of sexual assault. No one filed formal complaints about sexual harassment.
We were near service averages for feeling safe and for feelings of having command support. We were above average for restricted reporting knowledge—so the Marines and recruits knew how to report a sexual assault or harassment anonymously. Recommendations for our unit were general, including this one: “Many interactions that lead to sexual assault begin in social settings and often involve alcohol. Such policies should promote responsible alcohol use, encourage all involved to be on the lookout for situations at risk for sexual assault, and outline how to safely address inappropriate behavior.”
This struck me as ironic, considering that later in the same report, I was also accused of “victim-blaming” when I told my Marines and recruits to be careful about putting themselves into situations—such as becoming intoxicated—that could make them more vulnerable to an attack.
The survey asked if we promoted a climate based on trust and respect; thirty-five said yes and twenty-nine said no. Fifty-two said they would feel comfortable reporting sexual assault, and twelve said they would not. Eight said we would not take a report seriously; thirteen said we wouldn't keep it confidential; eight said the report would be sent to people other than investigators; ten said we might not help the person making the report feel safe; and nine said we wouldn't support the person making the report. Twenty-four said we would label the person making the report a troublemaker, and twenty-five said there would be retaliation.
We were at the lower end of “near service average” for organizational commitment, trust in leadership, organizational performance, organizational cohesion, leadership cohesion, job satisfaction, organizational processes, diversity management, help-seeking behaviors, and exhaustion. We were on the high end of near service average for sexist behaviors, sexual harassment, sex discrimination, racist behaviors, disability discrimination, racial discrimination, age discrimination, and religious discrimination. We were low, but within the average range, again for demeaning behaviors and hazing behaviors.
Nineteen Marines said they felt unmotivated to do their best; twenty-six said they didn't feel as if they belonged; eighteen said they did not feel proud to say they belonged to our unit. Again, those could have been the same people expressing all three statements. Forty-six respondents said members of the battalion did not support each other. Eighteen said they did. Twenty-nine said leaders did not work well together; thirty-five said they did. Eighteen said they did not like their jobs; forty-six said they did. Twenty-four said they were not enthusiastic about their work most days; forty said they were. Twenty-seven said people weren't accountable for their behavior; thirty-seven said they were.
Fifty-four respondents said they were mentally worn out; forty-five said they were physically worn out; forty-two said they were emotionally worn out.
Seventeen said they felt that newcomers were harassed and humiliated—hazed—before being accepted. Twenty-two said people were excluded from social activities. Thirty-four said some were reminded often of their mistakes.
As previously mentioned, I found out later from the investigation that Colonel Haas had tailored the essay questions for the survey to each battalion. So, while Kissoon's people would not have been asked if their leaders worked well together, Fourth Battalion Marines were.
The other battalions didn't get questions like the following: How many times have you seen your commander openly display her negative feelings toward others? Is there a fear of reprisal in the unit? What do you feel Germano's position on sexual assault is? Does she act differently to those she does not like? Is it
