Topic: Human Rights

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, overlook a range before squad rehearsals during Exercise Sea Breeze 21 in Ukraine in July. Exercise Sea Breeze is an annual event that brings together military units from several countries to enhance war-fighting capabilities and build strong relationships. Photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

I Don’t Want to Banter or Intellectualize About Ukraine’s Future. I Want to Help.

Part of me wonders about scenarios being crafted now for future military students, how Russian tactics are being updated based on the invasion of Ukraine.

“The Rabbit Hole Goes Deep”—Marines React to “Black Book” Investigation

In the absence of Marine leadership, active-duty Marines and veterans speak up against a broken justice system, from infantry and attorneys to generals.

Second Suicide Battalion: Where Military Justice Weaponizes Mental Health

Rampant disregard for the rights of the accused is not just commonplace, it is deeply entrenched in the military justice system.
Briana Céspedes, blue dress, center, and other service members rally at a U.S. military base in Korea in support of Cuban protesters in July. Photo courtesy of the author.

“We Were So Hungry We Ate Our Fear”–Those Without Freedom Risk Their Lives For Change

What could we do as our brothers and sisters risked their lives back home? Nothing except yell from across the ocean and tell them we stand with them. 
Joe Simboli holds a picture of himself in a tank. Photo courtesy of Michele DeMarco.

We Trudged Through an Unknown, Unexperienced Evil—Unaware How That Evil Took Hold in Us

Joseph Simboli Jr., of the 89th Infantry Division, helped liberate Ohrdruf, the first Nazi concentration camp discovered by American forces in April 1945.
Two Afghan boys play outside a local shura meeting in Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of the author.

An Afghan Boy Saved Lives Helping American Soldiers. It Could Have Cost Him His.

We began to hope that Bashir was the first of many young Afghans to see the benefits of supporting the coalition and the Afghan government by extension.

Sharky’s and “The Golden Boy”—Military Justice Abandons the Vulnerable to Protect the Powerful

The Marine Corps has hidden the track records of attorneys whose misconduct and disregard for the rule of law has jeopardized the welfare of Marines.
Marines perform during a sunset parade on July 10, 2018. Photo by Lance Cpl. James Bourgeois, courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps.

How “Sugar Daddy Deals” and a “Black Book” Deny Service Members Justice

“At some level, the knowledge that your system is unjust can lead units to fracture. It can directly harm readiness.”

“It’s All Bullshit”: Broken Military Justice System Jeopardizes Trust and Puts Service Members at Risk

Rather than push reform, the Marine Corps closes ranks, girds up to protect a culture that is, itself, its legal system’s worst enemy.