Is there a culture of abuse in the military?

[Nlighten1]

One of my earliest memories of military life was a beating that I got when I was promoted to my first stripe of Private-hood. I was in the motor pool that hot day and I was called into my Platoon Sargent's office. He told me I had been promoted and said congratulations...I walked out of his office and found my squad standing in a half circle blocking my path.

They commenced to beating the crap out of me. Most of the beating was confined to one leg as they took turns holding me down and holding my leg out for others to punch. This happened once more when I got my PFC but when I got my SP4 I fought back and kicked the shit out of a couple of them.


Since the abuse scandal broke I have been looking back at my photos from my Army career. I was looking for a particular set of pictures given to me when I was stationed in Germany. Where I was stationed in Germany they took the beatings to a whole new level. I think a lot of us have seen "A Few Good Men" where they kid gets his ass kicked and dies. Well, in reality this sort of behavior is far worse than how they picture it in Hollywood.

There were different levels of abuse for different occasions. The promotions weren't much but if you were a buck private who had a discipline problem that was the worst. For these kids was reserved the worst punishment possible...a "Newbie Rodeo".
It was named this because they would use a rope to tie your hands and feet together like a calf that has been roped at a rodeo. Once you were tied up, typically the beatings would begin, followed by being thrown into a shower and hosed down for a while, followed by more beatings.
This usually was the end of the rodeo...if they liked you and just wanted to give you the message that you need to straighten up. If they didn't like you phase two proceeded. This part was "anything goes".
I saw people taped to doors and people throwing knives at the victim. Victims suspended in air with another rope looped in between the one binding their hands and legs and spun around until they vomited.

This sort of behavior was tolerated and even bragged about. There were even the picture trading folks just like the guys and gals in Iraq today.

This is just my experience with the subject but in my five + years of service I saw a pretty good bit of this...that doesn't mean it was every where but...

[Spinzonner]

1. Let's see ...

... an organization dedicated to (barely) controlled violence.

... teaches the use of violence to control and (sometimes) destroy people.

... (sometimes) condones and tolerates violence even outside of prescribed application.

Attracts (some) people prone to violence and other applications of force and fails constrain it to 'proper' use. Gee do ya think ?

[havocmom]

2. There are a lot of civilians who have seen abuse

I think it is more a human nature thing with a certain part of a population rather than a military sub culture. Probably a lot of abusers are drawn to the power structure thing, but not just military.

[Nlighten1]

3. Some pictures.

[wtmusic]

4. breakdown of ethics in American culture

(and I'm not talking about the biblethumping hypocrites)

[atreides1]

5. Yes

When I was in the Army I received a punch in the right shoulder when I was promoted to E-5, and only the other NCO's in my section did it.

Is there a culture of abuse in the military, yes there is. It's mainly because the chain of command tend to look the other way especially in cases of spouse abuse. When it involves children, it can be 50/50. It all depends on the chain of command and whether or not they want to deal with the negative aspects of the abuse.

Even in the military academies, things like assault and rape, have been common place at one time or another. But then the chain of command goes into cover up mode, and it's all swept under the carpet.

It wasn't that long ago that the USAF Academy was having problems like this, and instead of punishing the ones who committed the crimes, it was the victims who were intimidated and in several case they dropped out. What makes this so pathetic is that at least one of the cadets who committed the crime was allowed to remain and even get his 2Lt bars upon graduatiion.

[DrWeird]

6. Clearly.

nt