Is requesting mast career suicide?

[CommunityEditor]

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — For the better part of a year, then-Master Sgt. Isaac Ford traveled to local and regional recruiting stations, meeting with officer procurement recruiters and potential candidates, training recruiters and analyzing data on recruiting efforts and trends in the Western Recruiting Region.

Along the way, he shared this information with his boss, an officer who ran a four-person recruiting shop in California. What had been a normal working relationship, Ford said, began to change two years ago when he began to clash with that commander, often about his role and contributions and what he saw as her marginalizing and demeaning him.

Talks with her went nowhere, he said, and he got no relief from their immediate superiors. After he filed the first of two separate applications for requesting mast, his hopes of getting support from the commanding general fell flat, and he said the situation soon spiraled out of control.

Promoted to master gunnery sergeant, Ford was reassigned to a gunnery sergeant billet at the recruiting station level. The new position had little responsibility or training opportunities. His government credit card was cancelled.

A year went by with two missed fitness reports. His most recent eval — a backdated one — was adverse, his first in his 24 years on active-duty and in the reserves, most of it spent as a career recruiter.

What began as an attempt to get some relief via the Corps’ official request mast process turned into a nightmare of retaliation, whispers and fear that the command was “out to get him,” Ford said.

He’s not alone. Last year more than one in three enlisted Marines said they suffered “negative consequences” or retaliation from their command after using the request mast process, according to the latest Marine Corps Climate Assessment Survey. And even though few Marines overall sought this type of assistance, the amount of fallout warrants a renewed commitment to training, officials said.

But some Marines say the Corps needs to do more to convince them that requesting mast won’t come back to haunt them.

Ford says he was blackballed. He’d expected to get a quick resolution and get back to work, said one senior enlisted Marine familiar with the situation, “but he got the opposite. He got shot with both barrels.”

These days, the 43-year-old master guns is gunning to save his reputation, his career and his family’s health.

“I requested mast for the first time in my career,” Ford said. “Once I did that, it was the end of my career.”

The past 14 months “is like a bad dream,” he added. “It’s been one big hostile environment.”

A bad rap
Among active-duty enlisted Marines, 42 percent of men and 49 percent of women said they were retaliated against after they requested mast, the survey found. Among enlisted reservists, 33 percent of men and 70 percent of women said the same thing.

Ten percent of active-duty male officers and 80 percent of active-duty female officers said they, too, experienced some form of retaliation. Among reserve officers, the numbers were 35 percent for men and 100 percent for women.

The survey does not detail the type or level of retaliation those Marines reported.

The request mast policy is supposed to prevent retaliation, and the Navy directive that spells out its nuances promises punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for “anyone who attempts to deprive a Marine of the right to Request Mast.”

The policy allows a Marine to seek help from, or air grievances to, any superior officer in the chain of command, up to the commanding general.

But the Climate Assessment Survey, which included responses from 6,800 participants, found that commands often viewed request mast unfavorably. Nearly 25 percent of active-duty enlisted Marines reported their “leadership gets upset when Marines at this command use request mast.” That rate was lower in the Reserve, where 17 percent of enlisted males and 11 percent of enlisted females said their leaders don’t support Marines who use the process.

More than 90 percent of the survey participants said they understood the request mast process, but only a small number — about 1 percent or 2 percent — reported using it in the previous year. While more Marines reported using informal ways to resolve their problems or complaints, negative sentiments about requesting mast remain a concern among Marine officials.

An executive summary of the survey noted Marines’ continuing negativity about request mast as one of the “areas to watch.”

“It’s promising that Marines use the Informal Resolution System to handle issues at the lowest levels, decreasing the need for request mast,” said Capt. Amy Malugani, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps headquarters in Washington. But “commands have to continue to be proactive in their training.”

Request mast policy and procedures are included in Marines’ annual training, but that’s not enough, Malugani said.

“Request mast procedures ... have to be posted at the command,” she added.

Tensions in the office
Once they’ve requested mast, Marines are not guaranteed that complaints will be settled in their favor. But what if the command that’s supposed to hear the complaint is the one that’s causing the problem? What if the chain of command fails to resolve the issue or dismisses a complaint by denying there’s a problem?

What if they turn the table on you for complaining?

That’s where Ford says he found himself after his first run-in with his officer-in-charge.

“It started out as just a little friction ... and I think it became personal, for her,” said the senior staff NCO, a colleague of Ford’s, who witnessed many interactions and incidents between Ford and his OIC. “After he voiced his opinions ... I think it was kind of the genesis of all of it.”

The situation created tension in the office, said another employee in the section.

“It was a stressful situation,” the observer noted. “Sometimes, it reflected in the atmosphere.”

Ford and the OIC were “a clash of personalities,” a situation sometimes made worse by the stresses of the recruiting mission.

The officer didn’t interact well with many enlisted Marines, said the senior staff NCO, who said he could see “the perfect storm” brewing and tried to help Ford navigate the process.

“The whole time I was watching this, at each step in the process, I could tell him what would happen.”

Ford fought through two mast requests, filed a complaint against his commanding officer under Article 138 of the UCMJ, petitioned several elected officials and complained to the Marine Corps Inspector General’s office.

But by then, the staff NCO said, the core issues became somehow lost in the discussions.

“When the command feels threatened, they start telling your story,” he said. “And that’s what happened to him.”

The tight-knit community of recruiters isn’t large, and there are few billets at the senior enlisted ranks. Ford was reassigned to a new job at the San Diego Recruiting Station, where he found himself in another tense work section under a different officer.

“Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” said the senior staff NCO. “Before he gets there, there’s whispers. ... It spirals out of control.”

But he believes Ford is doing the right thing.

“He’s a principled guy. It might sound a bit hokey, to be honest,” the staff NCO said. “But if he’s a master gunnery sergeant and he’s catching all this hell, there’s some lance corporal or corporal out there who doesn’t have a chance.”

Semper hopeful
For Ford, the adverse fitness report he recently received is the first blemish on what he describes as a good career and a clean record.

Ford was meritoriously promoted to sergeant while in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War and again to staff sergeant while recruiting in Columbia, S.C.

While he waits for any resolution from the IG’s office, he wants to get his career back on track from his current job as a “special assistant” at a more supportive command.

“I’ve been stopped from doing my job,” Ford said. “I have not worked in an E-8 billet or an E-9 billet since I requested mast.”

But he believes he can still contribute. The latest push by top officials, including Commandant Gen. James Conway, to improve the Corps’ minority officer recruiting is something that’s very familiar to Ford, who spent his 17 years in recruiting mostly working with officer procurement teams.

He wants to get back to training Marines and visiting contact teams, and finding new approaches to reach highly sought minority candidates. Still, the stress of it all has taken a toll on Ford and his family. He wonders about the impact on his sons.

One is in the military and will deploy to Iraq this fall, while the other soon will report to boot camp.

“I need to know that my sons … will have an expectation of the fairness and the equity which is denied me,” he said. “The system of redress in the Marine Corps is broken.”

———

How it works
A beginner’s guide to request mast:

Q. What is request mast?

A. According to Marine Corps Order 1700.23F, it is “the right of all Marines to directly seek assistance from, or communicate grievances to, their commanding officers.” A Marine has “the opportunity to communicate not only with his or her immediate commanding officer, but also with any superior officer in the chain of command up to and including the Marine’s commanding general.”


Q. How do I request mast?

A. Fill out NAVMC Form 11296, detailing your problem or complaint along with the help or resolution you hope to get, and submit it to your immediate chain of command. You also can submit it directly to the Marine Corps Inspector General’s representative during an IG visit. The rep could resolve the problem or refer the request mast to your local command or Marine Corps Headquarters.


Q. Do I have to find some other solution first?

A. No. However, the Informal Resolution System might get you some immediate relief and prove sufficient.


Q. When can’t I request mast?

A. If you’re being involuntary separated, facing punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or if you have already filed a complaint under Article 138 of the UCMJ or Article 1150 of U.S. Navy Regulations.


Q. Can I send my request directly to the commandant?

A. No. In some cases, a Marine may be “granted the privilege” only if his commanding general supports and forwards the request mast application through the command chain up to the commandant or the Navy secretary. But that’s rare.


Q. How much do I have to tell my supervisors about my complaint?

A. According to NAVMC 1700.23F, “a Marine does not have to disclose the subject … to anyone in the chain of command except to the commander with whom the Marine is requesting mast.” However, the submission of an application often means others’ eyes are seeing your request, so brace yourself for scrutiny.

Q. What if my supervisors don’t support my request and don’t think I should request mast?

A. NAVMC 1700.23F is clear: “Any interference with a Marine’s right to request mast or any attempt of reprisal against a Marine who has requested mast is prohibited. No Marine may suppress, or attempt to suppress another Marine’s ability to conduct request mast. Any attempted violation or solicitation of another to violate this directive … subjects involved members to disciplinary action under Article 92 of the UCMJ.”


Article: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/09/marine_requestmast_092108w/

[Unregistered]

Of course requesting mast kills your career. The only question is how can one climb to the rank of MGYSGT and not know that?

[MACK0811]

Always two sides to every story. I'd like to know what kind of agenda this guy was pushing. His boss probably gave him a polite "no" the first time he wanted to do what ever it was, but because he couldn't let it go, he kept pushing until his command got fed up with it.

Even MGySgts work for someone with something shiny on their collar.

If a request mast is legit (and not whiney or dime dropping) then 99% of the time it doesn't hurt your career..well, maybe more like 90%.

[Unregistered]

I commend the MGySgt for having the fortitude to step up and put this subject on the table and out in the open. When I saw the cover of the latest MarineTimes, I just knew it was some story pertaining to Recruiting Duty. I myself recently went through a very similiar situation, at certain points my Commanding Officer completely ignored the Request Mast procedures. As Marines, we are given the right to send greivances through the informal complaint system and the Request Mast system, and have the same rights to not suffer retaliatory attacks for such complaints or greivances. Obviously the MGySgt did not commit any greivous offense that required NJP or Court Martial Proceedings. Something shiny on one's collar does not prohibit them from having spirited debate with senior enlisted who have been there and done that in the trenches. In my experience, and it certainly seems it from the article seen here, when Officers feel threatened they resort to the smear campaigns that we see illustrated here, and in my case and in this, don't have the nerve to face the Marine they set about to smear. Why did it take so long for the RS to complete the MGySgt's adverse fitrep? The same reason it took my Commanding Officer almost three months to complete mine. Lack of courage. The MGySgt is only the tip of the iceberg, and if someone chose to dig, I'm sure we would see that his is not a isolated incident.

[Sgt of Marines]

Finally a story like this is shedding some light on the abuse of power in the Corps. It's time these "few" officers that like to put themselves high on a pedestal take a gut shot back down to reality. Not only are they hurting the Corps but their ruining lives too.

[Goldy]

Of course it can hurt your career.
Think about it.... requesting mast is like going to your CO, and telling him that everyone in your chain of command is unable or unwilling to do their jobs and fix issues. Do you really think the entire chain of command would pat a Marine on the back and say "good job" for pointing out their flaws?

...**** no, they'll try to ruin him for making them look bad.

[Unregistered]

I requested mast as a junior Marine... Bad decision career wise... Getting out for certain... The issues at hand WERE RESOLVED... But I got mine when it came time for PRO/CONS --- Below average on everything... Lower than some of the biggest pieces of crap I have worked with...

[ninebreaker]

I would say it depends on the command and how it plays out
if the command gets back doored , then yeah they are going to be looking to play you back with interest
if the problem is with the command , still the out come, nobody llikes their dirty laundry being aired out
but me personally would say if pushed , push back and push hard

[CSBurns]

Here is one of the big problems I have seen: Too many SNCO's are more concerned with getting shit on their chest and making sure they aren't getting bad fitreps. They should instead be more concerned with the welfare of their junior Marines and make sure that they themselves are doing their job to best of their abilities.

I saw so many dicked up SNCO's when I was a Sgt that I had to bite my tongue on numerous occasions. Now that I have that rocker I could give two sh*ts if I ever get another pretty little ribbon to go on my chest, instead I am focused on taking care of my Marines and abusing the hell out of that rocker to make sure they get taken care of, god help the jacked up officers when I pick up Gunny. Career suicide? Hell I am active reserve come try it I have already been to the worst duty station we have, what are they going to put on my fitrep? Cared too much about his Marines?


As long as I have the loyalty of my junior Marines, the respect of my fellow SNCOs and the ire of all the officers, I feel I am doing my job. Put what you want on my fitrep, at the end of the day I am still a SSgt.

[Unregistered]

We haven't got the complete story!!! As always the Marine Corps/Army Times not to tell the whole story unless it is a bad story to degrade the military.

However, I have been in 17 years, and in my expierence there are some Officers who have a "them vs us mentality". I went to OCS and found out that it works both ways when it comes to the treatment stated above. I have been told that I have an abrasive personality, but I only ask things to get accomplished. The ulitimate reason, I left the NCO Corps was due to the lack of responsibility afforded to Staff/Senior NCOs. I was still treated poorly and decided to change over.

The second reason I changed was the overall laziness in the NCO Corps, before you rant and rave, you know what I am talking about nine times out of ten you have one NCO doing 90% of the work while the rest of them don't measure up. You have some CSM telling you how to write NCOER or Fitness reports even though you have a turd in your platoon. If it were up to me I would get rid of the CSM rank, and make the company level a SGM position. What do they do other than make up BS and make up stupid rules and check the motorpool. I have become a little bitter since changing but NCOs tend to get defensive when you question them or ask them to do something. My fav is when I am told "Sir you are doing my job". I wouldn't have to do your job if you executed with violent action and gave me a heads up. This has nothing to do with the article, but it seems that all this site does is bash officers.

You had your choice you can change or get a direct commission or shut up and move out and execute orders when told to do so when they are morally right.

signed
disgruntled with the NCO corps

[Goldy]

We haven't got the complete story!!! As always the Marine Corps/Army Times not to tell the whole story unless it is a bad story to degrade the military.

However, I have been in 17 years, and in my expierence there are some Officers who have a "them vs us mentality". I went to OCS and found out that it works both ways when it comes to the treatment stated above. I have been told that I have an abrasive personality, but I only ask things to get accomplished. The ulitimate reason, I left the NCO Corps was due to the lack of responsibility afforded to Staff/Senior NCOs. I was still treated poorly and decided to change over.

The second reason I changed was the overall laziness in the NCO Corps, before you rant and rave, you know what I am talking about nine times out of ten you have one NCO doing 90% of the work while the rest of them don't measure up. You have some CSM telling you how to write NCOER or Fitness reports even though you have a turd in your platoon. If it were up to me I would get rid of the CSM rank, and make the company level a SGM position. What do they do other than make up BS and make up stupid rules and check the motorpool. I have become a little bitter since changing but NCOs tend to get defensive when you question them or ask them to do something. My fav is when I am told "Sir you are doing my job". I wouldn't have to do your job if you executed with violent action and gave me a heads up. This has nothing to do with the article, but it seems that all this site does is bash officers.

You had your choice you can change or get a direct commission or shut up and move out and execute orders when told to do so when they are morally right.

signed
disgruntled with the NCO corps

A few things, sir-

1. You are Army. Not all of what you have stated applies to the Marine Corps. For example... we don't have the rank of CSM.

2. This topic is about requesting mast. Usually, if a SNCO or Officer is doing the right thing in the first place, and taking care of their Marines, then requesting mast is never neccessary. This situation, however, is when something with the higher-ups is effed-up, and can't get fixed any other way.

3. NCO's not doing their job and questioning authority is often a leadership failure.... Sir.

4. Requesting Mast is about fixing problems.... not complaining about them... and even that is supposed to go up the chain of command, not down... sir.

[Unregistered]

I requested mast less than one month prior to that article appearing in the MC Times. Funny how that kind of stuff works out some times, huh?

As to the main question, "Is it career suicide?"... I don't know yet, ask me in a few months or a year. :)

I can say that, in my case, the issue was resolved in a way that I am completely satisfied with. I, personally, am unconcerned if it *is* career suicide: as I intend to finish up this enlistment and go be a normal American for a while. That gave me a little more flexibility than someone who has another decade to go; and my blood stripes gave me a bit of credibility.

Regardless of the exact circumstances, it will be viewed by some as though you are telling the Officer across from you that one of his subordinates failed in some way and that he, as commander, shares blame for that. That may or may not be true, but that will be the perception. Thus, It is essential that you come across to all as a loyal and dutiful Marine.

When you request mast you are a Marine on a mission. That is your focus, and that is the mindset you need to have. Emotions such as frustration and anger have no place in your formal request mast. Mission Accomplishment is your priority.

And that means you need to be humble, coherent, honest, and respectful.

[Unregistered]

We haven't got the complete story!!! As always the Marine Corps/Army Times not to tell the whole story unless it is a bad story to degrade the military.

However, I have been in 17 years, and in my expierence there are some Officers who have a "them vs us mentality". I went to OCS and found out that it works both ways when it comes to the treatment stated above. I have been told that I have an abrasive personality, but I only ask things to get accomplished. The ulitimate reason, I left the NCO Corps was due to the lack of responsibility afforded to Staff/Senior NCOs. I was still treated poorly and decided to change over.

The second reason I changed was the overall laziness in the NCO Corps, before you rant and rave, you know what I am talking about nine times out of ten you have one NCO doing 90% of the work while the rest of them don't measure up. You have some CSM telling you how to write NCOER or Fitness reports even though you have a turd in your platoon. If it were up to me I would get rid of the CSM rank, and make the company level a SGM position. What do they do other than make up BS and make up stupid rules and check the motorpool. I have become a little bitter since changing but NCOs tend to get defensive when you question them or ask them to do something. My fav is when I am told "Sir you are doing my job". I wouldn't have to do your job if you executed with violent action and gave me a heads up. This has nothing to do with the article, but it seems that all this site does is bash officers.

You had your choice you can change or get a direct commission or shut up and move out and execute orders when told to do so when they are morally right.

signed
disgruntled with the NCO corps

Sir,

It must be absolutely horrible to be in such an organization. If it is as you describe, I don't know how you stand it.

Fortunately for me, I am not in the Army.

Please do not lump me in with some other random NCO Corps. I have nothing to do with the US Army. You may as well compare me to the ARVN NCO corps, the comparison is so utterly meaningless.

[ArmyRN]

A few things, sir-

1. You are Army. Not all of what you have stated applies to the Marine Corps. For example... we don't have the rank of CSM.

2. This topic is about requesting mast. Usually, if a SNCO or Officer is doing the right thing in the first place, and taking care of their Marines, then requesting mast is never neccessary. This situation, however, is when something with the higher-ups is effed-up, and can't get fixed any other way.

3. NCO's not doing their job and questioning authority is often a leadership failure.... Sir.

4. Requesting Mast is about fixing problems.... not complaining about them... and even that is supposed to go up the chain of command, not down... sir.


Let me start by saying that before "switching sides", I worked my ass off to be promoted to the rank of SFC.

And I whole heartily agree with #3 above.

This "Officer" with 17 years service needs to keep his pie-whole shut and keep his opinion to Army related topics.

Don't embarass "my" ARMY by commenting on a subject that is out of your lane.(funny how often have you seen an officer do that).

and If you seem to have a beef with the NCO CORP, Sir, it seems to me, Where there's smoke there's fire.

You are probably the Problem, not the NCO CORP.

Thank You

A Very Proud Soldier.

[Flip]

Wow....I am not even going to say anything more than this....... "Leadership....It comes from the front".

[parsley]

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — For the better part of a year, then-Master Sgt. Isaac Ford traveled to local and regional recruiting stations, meeting with officer procurement recruiters and potential candidates, training recruiters and analyzing data on recruiting efforts and trends in the Western Recruiting Region.

Along the way, he shared this information with his boss, an officer who ran a four-person recruiting shop in California. What had been a normal working relationship, Ford said, began to change two years ago when he began to clash with that commander, often about his role and contributions and what he saw as her marginalizing and demeaning him.

Talks with her went nowhere, he said, and he got no relief from their immediate superiors. After he filed the first of two separate applications for requesting mast, his hopes of getting support from the commanding general fell flat, and he said the situation soon spiraled out of control.

Promoted to master gunnery sergeant, Ford was reassigned to a gunnery sergeant billet at the recruiting station level. The new position had little responsibility or training opportunities. His government credit card was cancelled.

A year went by with two missed fitness reports. His most recent eval — a backdated one — was adverse, his first in his 24 years on active-duty and in the reserves, most of it spent as a career recruiter.

What began as an attempt to get some relief via the Corps’ official request mast process turned into a nightmare of retaliation, whispers and fear that the command was “out to get him,” Ford said.

He’s not alone. Last year more than one in three enlisted Marines said they suffered “negative consequences” or retaliation from their command after using the request mast process, according to the latest Marine Corps Climate Assessment Survey. And even though few Marines overall sought this type of assistance, the amount of fallout warrants a renewed commitment to training, officials said.

But some Marines say the Corps needs to do more to convince them that requesting mast won’t come back to haunt them.

Ford says he was blackballed. He’d expected to get a quick resolution and get back to work, said one senior enlisted Marine familiar with the situation, “but he got the opposite. He got shot with both barrels.”

These days, the 43-year-old master guns is gunning to save his reputation, his career and his family’s health.

“I requested mast for the first time in my career,” Ford said. “Once I did that, it was the end of my career.”

The past 14 months “is like a bad dream,” he added. “It’s been one big hostile environment.”

A bad rap
Among active-duty enlisted Marines, 42 percent of men and 49 percent of women said they were retaliated against after they requested mast, the survey found. Among enlisted reservists, 33 percent of men and 70 percent of women said the same thing.

Ten percent of active-duty male officers and 80 percent of active-duty female officers said they, too, experienced some form of retaliation. Among reserve officers, the numbers were 35 percent for men and 100 percent for women.

The survey does not detail the type or level of retaliation those Marines reported.

The request mast policy is supposed to prevent retaliation, and the Navy directive that spells out its nuances promises punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for “anyone who attempts to deprive a Marine of the right to Request Mast.”

The policy allows a Marine to seek help from, or air grievances to, any superior officer in the chain of command, up to the commanding general.

But the Climate Assessment Survey, which included responses from 6,800 participants, found that commands often viewed request mast unfavorably. Nearly 25 percent of active-duty enlisted Marines reported their “leadership gets upset when Marines at this command use request mast.” That rate was lower in the Reserve, where 17 percent of enlisted males and 11 percent of enlisted females said their leaders don’t support Marines who use the process.

More than 90 percent of the survey participants said they understood the request mast process, but only a small number — about 1 percent or 2 percent — reported using it in the previous year. While more Marines reported using informal ways to resolve their problems or complaints, negative sentiments about requesting mast remain a concern among Marine officials.

An executive summary of the survey noted Marines’ continuing negativity about request mast as one of the “areas to watch.”

“It’s promising that Marines use the Informal Resolution System to handle issues at the lowest levels, decreasing the need for request mast,” said Capt. Amy Malugani, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps headquarters in Washington. But “commands have to continue to be proactive in their training.”

Request mast policy and procedures are included in Marines’ annual training, but that’s not enough, Malugani said.

“Request mast procedures ... have to be posted at the command,” she added.

Tensions in the office
Once they’ve requested mast, Marines are not guaranteed that complaints will be settled in their favor. But what if the command that’s supposed to hear the complaint is the one that’s causing the problem? What if the chain of command fails to resolve the issue or dismisses a complaint by denying there’s a problem?

What if they turn the table on you for complaining?

That’s where Ford says he found himself after his first run-in with his officer-in-charge.

“It started out as just a little friction ... and I think it became personal, for her,” said the senior staff NCO, a colleague of Ford’s, who witnessed many interactions and incidents between Ford and his OIC. “After he voiced his opinions ... I think it was kind of the genesis of all of it.”

The situation created tension in the office, said another employee in the section.

“It was a stressful situation,” the observer noted. “Sometimes, it reflected in the atmosphere.”

Ford and the OIC were “a clash of personalities,” a situation sometimes made worse by the stresses of the recruiting mission.

The officer didn’t interact well with many enlisted Marines, said the senior staff NCO, who said he could see “the perfect storm” brewing and tried to help Ford navigate the process.

“The whole time I was watching this, at each step in the process, I could tell him what would happen.”

Ford fought through two mast requests, filed a complaint against his commanding officer under Article 138 of the UCMJ, petitioned several elected officials and complained to the Marine Corps Inspector General’s office.

But by then, the staff NCO said, the core issues became somehow lost in the discussions.

“When the command feels threatened, they start telling your story,” he said. “And that’s what happened to him.”

The tight-knit community of recruiters isn’t large, and there are few billets at the senior enlisted ranks. Ford was reassigned to a new job at the San Diego Recruiting Station, where he found himself in another tense work section under a different officer.

“Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” said the senior staff NCO. “Before he gets there, there’s whispers. ... It spirals out of control.”

But he believes Ford is doing the right thing.

“He’s a principled guy. It might sound a bit hokey, to be honest,” the staff NCO said. “But if he’s a master gunnery sergeant and he’s catching all this hell, there’s some lance corporal or corporal out there who doesn’t have a chance.”

Semper hopeful
For Ford, the adverse fitness report he recently received is the first blemish on what he describes as a good career and a clean record.

Ford was meritoriously promoted to sergeant while in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War and again to staff sergeant while recruiting in Columbia, S.C.

While he waits for any resolution from the IG’s office, he wants to get his career back on track from his current job as a “special assistant” at a more supportive command.

“I’ve been stopped from doing my job,” Ford said. “I have not worked in an E-8 billet or an E-9 billet since I requested mast.”

But he believes he can still contribute. The latest push by top officials, including Commandant Gen. James Conway, to improve the Corps’ minority officer recruiting is something that’s very familiar to Ford, who spent his 17 years in recruiting mostly working with officer procurement teams.

He wants to get back to training Marines and visiting contact teams, and finding new approaches to reach highly sought minority candidates. Still, the stress of it all has taken a toll on Ford and his family. He wonders about the impact on his sons.

One is in the military and will deploy to Iraq this fall, while the other soon will report to boot camp.

“I need to know that my sons … will have an expectation of the fairness and the equity which is denied me,” he said. “The system of redress in the Marine Corps is broken.”

———

How it works
A beginner’s guide to request mast:

Q. What is request mast?

A. According to Marine Corps Order 1700.23F, it is “the right of all Marines to directly seek assistance from, or communicate grievances to, their commanding officers.” A Marine has “the opportunity to communicate not only with his or her immediate commanding officer, but also with any superior officer in the chain of command up to and including the Marine’s commanding general.”


Q. How do I request mast?

A. Fill out NAVMC Form 11296, detailing your problem or complaint along with the help or resolution you hope to get, and submit it to your immediate chain of command. You also can submit it directly to the Marine Corps Inspector General’s representative during an IG visit. The rep could resolve the problem or refer the request mast to your local command or Marine Corps Headquarters.


Q. Do I have to find some other solution first?

A. No. However, the Informal Resolution System might get you some immediate relief and prove sufficient.


Q. When can’t I request mast?

A. If you’re being involuntary separated, facing punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or if you have already filed a complaint under Article 138 of the UCMJ or Article 1150 of U.S. Navy Regulations.


Q. Can I send my request directly to the commandant?

A. No. In some cases, a Marine may be “granted the privilege” only if his commanding general supports and forwards the request mast application through the command chain up to the commandant or the Navy secretary. But that’s rare.


Q. How much do I have to tell my supervisors about my complaint?

A. According to NAVMC 1700.23F, “a Marine does not have to disclose the subject … to anyone in the chain of command except to the commander with whom the Marine is requesting mast.” However, the submission of an application often means others’ eyes are seeing your request, so brace yourself for scrutiny.

Q. What if my supervisors don’t support my request and don’t think I should request mast?

A. NAVMC 1700.23F is clear: “Any interference with a Marine’s right to request mast or any attempt of reprisal against a Marine who has requested mast is prohibited. No Marine may suppress, or attempt to suppress another Marine’s ability to conduct request mast. Any attempted violation or solicitation of another to violate this directive … subjects involved members to disciplinary action under Article 92 of the UCMJ.”


Article: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/09/marine_requestmast_092108w/

i recently told my sncoic that i was thinking about requesting mast because of co's decision. i was then told that doing so would result in njp from an incident that happened 5 months ago. i'm kind of being black balled and needsome advice

[SSgtAllen3381]

He's a MGySgt and crying about a request mast? I read that article when it came out in the Marine Times and laughed when I put it down. He got promoted and still is concerned with a request mast.

Is it career suicide? Getting an article published about it may.

I have never seen a Marine request mast, LEADERSHIP before hand would cure the need.

[SSgtAllen3381]

i recently told my sncoic that i was thinking about requesting mast because of co's decision. i was then told that doing so would result in njp from an incident that happened 5 months ago. i'm kind of being black balled and needsome advice

Did you read that article? Have you done your homework on the whole RM process? If you did, then you would know that getting NJP is BS. An incident that happened 5 months ago? Where is the paperwork from that incident? Did you get charged with something? If he's talking about you being late to work and trying to "hold that over your head" ask him where your counseling sheet or charge sheet is?

Send me some more info on that and I'll help you out with that; advice, which way to go, etc.

[AGuest]

Requesting Mast isn't career suicide, its all about who you have in your pocket pulling for you. If you have made nothing but enemies by standing up and telling the truth(which seems to be happening more often than not) then you really have nothing to lose, especially at this guys rank. They give you the right but dare you to use it and its ridiculous. The hardest thing to do is always the right thing to do. No one should sit there and take it up the rear for others wrong doings. Unfortunately that is what is going on here and everywhere else. Oneday the USMC will realize that putting a nasty black mark on someone's record is nothing more than a waste of money, its not teaching our Marines anything other than how to be bitter for something that wasn't even their fault.

[RM2SWUSNRET]

I do not know how it is in the corps. but in the navy after one files article 138 redress of wrong. I have seen nothing good come about of this. or you can ask for admirals mast. but have your ducks all in one row. I have seen sailors and marines who have asked for request mast and nothing good has come of it. mainly keep your head down do your job. one thing about a request mast it makes you the target of senior officers. from what I read this man is at 24 years in the corps and is Master Gunnery Sgt/E-9 or equal to a Navy Master Chief. This man has the time he can put in for retirement. but that is something he will have to figure out. but if you stick to your guns and get what is deserved of you, go for MASTER GUNS! I believe in a person in the military getting what they deserve no matter what the sacrfice. as long as he belives in what he is trying to complete. YOU GO GUNS! OORAH


V/R


LON K. HE'BERT, RM2(SW), USN, RET

[Zeke]

Request has always been a Joke in the Marine Corps, no officer is going to discuss his own decesions and wether you like them or not. Its a shame they publish such non-sense.

[OIFCOMBATVETNYC]

We haven't got the complete story!!! As always the Marine Corps/Army Times not to tell the whole story unless it is a bad story to degrade the military.

However, I have been in 17 years, and in my expierence there are some Officers who have a "them vs us mentality". I went to OCS and found out that it works both ways when it comes to the treatment stated above. I have been told that I have an abrasive personality, but I only ask things to get accomplished. The ulitimate reason, I left the NCO Corps was due to the lack of responsibility afforded to Staff/Senior NCOs. I was still treated poorly and decided to change over.

The second reason I changed was the overall laziness in the NCO Corps, before you rant and rave, you know what I am talking about nine times out of ten you have one NCO doing 90% of the work while the rest of them don't measure up. You have some CSM telling you how to write NCOER or Fitness reports even though you have a turd in your platoon. If it were up to me I would get rid of the CSM rank, and make the company level a SGM position. What do they do other than make up BS and make up stupid rules and check the motorpool. I have become a little bitter since changing but NCOs tend to get defensive when you question them or ask them to do something. My fav is when I am told "Sir you are doing my job". I wouldn't have to do your job if you executed with violent action and gave me a heads up. This has nothing to do with the article, but it seems that all this site does is bash officers.

You had your choice you can change or get a direct commission or shut up and move out and execute orders when told to do so when they are morally right.

signed
disgruntled with the NCO corps

Sounds like the reporter was a civilian with no military service.


Obviously you are from the Army side of the house and I left the NCO Corps and became a Warrant and so far things are going well. We live in an imperfect world and the military is run by people so the dynamics will change everytime. I dont know how changing the role of the SGM makes a case in your argument. Request Mast is the same of using your chain of command in any dilemma that cant get resolve at the nearest level. Some commanders stress the open door policy but yet still want you to utilize the COC. In the case of the OP, his circumstances were unique but I dont think of it as a career ender (hey he still made E-9). He has given over 20 years of service so he is in a comfort zone and he has been doing recruiting the majority of his time. Maybe if he was in the operational Marine Corps and got away from the desk perhaps things will be different. One thing I learned from the Corps is the Combat Arms handle things much better than the POGs who have no other things to do except play games and by the book. They love to give office hours for any little thing.

[Zeke]

Well a Mgysgt on recuriting duty is most likely just along for the free ride to 30 yr anyways, so he most likely does not have anything to bitch about, probaly wants to be an E-10. On the other hand if he is a Mgysgt who is serious about fixing the request mast system then maybe he should be promoted to E-11 I have never seen a SgtMaj who would allow Marines their right to request mast unless it was something that would make the SgtMaj look good "OH L/cpl Botts has brain cancer Sir, I think we should let him see the Doc" SgtMaj you are so wise, what would we do without you?? stuff like that.

[E4RUMOR]

Got to be honest with you... everytime someone whispers the words "Request Mast", I firmly believe a very human chill goes down the spine of the command. In most commands, I believe it goes back to the fact that it's just a headache dealing with a junior Marine's problems. The majority of commanders have a alot of stuff on their desk already, or they are just plain lazy. The last thing they want to deal with is a Marine that has a problem with the way his/her command is addressing an issue that has become a problem for that Marine. I think senior SNCOs know the commanders feel this way, and that's why they try to squash the issue before it gets to the commander. One of the ways this is carried out is the whole retaliation approach mentioned in the article. And as mentioned before... no command likes their dirty laundry being aired. I don't care what anyone says... one way or another... that Marine will be the subject of some blatant or subtle persecution. Recognizing this... I'm that type of Marine that would become your regular pain in the ass. If I requested MAST, and the situation got resolved, but I saw my pros and cons drop for no apparent reason.. or thought I was being punished in some form for requesting MAST, I'd request MAST again for that reason. And I'd keep doing it until they stopped screwing with me, and looked at themselves, and fixed their own screw ups, OR until they couldn't stand me and got me orders out of that unit.
I believe Marines of today are alot smarter than they were years ago, and that's why the majority of them don't put up with near as much bull sh*t. They are more aware of their rights, and know pretty much what their superiors can and can't get away with. I'm all for requesting MAST as long as you're prepared to stand your ground. But I believe you're definitely going to catch some flak.

[OIFCOMBATVETNYC]

Well if PVT Santiago would have requested mast; he be alive today instead of sending letters to NIS/NCIS ;) sorry some A Few Good Men humor.

[Mustang7696]

I requested mast when I was a PFC - I had enlisted with a contract that guaranteed that I'd go to a combat arms MOS school and serve in that MOS; I ended up as an 0341, mortarman, in K Co 3/4. A month or so after I reported in (Camp Hansen, Okinawa) our company commander and first sergeant rotated back to the states, and when the new guys came in the company changed. First the first sergeant told me he was going to pull me from weapons platoon and reassign me in the company office as a clerk because I knew how to type. I respectfully told him that I wasn't open contract and my contract said I could stay in my MOS. He told me I'd have to do it anyway, so I told him that in that case I needed to request mast. He harumphed about how I would have been a shitty clerk anyway with my attitude and picked on someone else. Then the captain called me in to his office and told me he was moving me from my platoon to make me an armorer. I really didn't want to do that, not only because I liked my MOS and billet, but because that captain had a history of ordering the armorers to let Marines turn weapons in without a thorough cleaning when we came out of the field, then pulling an armory inspection a day or two later and writing the armorer up when he found dirty weapons. Anyway, when I told him he couldn't move me to the armory because I was a contract grunt, he told me the needs of the Corps came ahead of my desire to have my contract honored; so I told him I wanted to request mast to the battalion CO. The captain backed off too, but then my platoon commander recommended me for meritorious lance cpl several months in a row and the skipper and first shirt never even let me go to the board; I stayed a PFC until they left the company.

I kept that in mind when I ended up as a company CO myself 16 years later (Comm Co, HqSvcBn, 1st FSSG) - two of my corporals requested mast to me. It turned out that HQMC had approved reenlistment deals for them stipulating that if they successfully completed an advanced school and reenlisted, they would get a more advanced MOS and would be promoted to sergeant. They had done well in the school and reenlisted - they got the new MOS, but not the promotion. All I could do was tell them, "You're right, you are getting hosed here, and I can't fix it - let's go talk to the battalion CO." I took them to see him (the best CO I ever had) and he basically said the same thing, except it was "let's go talk to the CG." The upshot was that HQMC told the general that they'd offered the same deal to a bunch of other Marines throughout the Corps, but had miscalculated the budget and billet structure, so they couldn't afford to honor all those agreements and thought it was best if they just didn't honor any of them. As far as the CG was concerned, that was it - he wasn't interested in pushing it; so our battalion CO stood there and, in respectful and appropriate terms, argued with the CG until he got mad and threw us out of his office. I know that the battalion CO was getting close to being up for promotion to full colonel, and I know that CG didn't like subordinates disagreeing with him and was the kind of vindictive senior who used fitness reports to punish anyone who pissed him off. So that particular request mast may have ended up being career suicide for the LtCol who kept pushing it on behalf of a couple of his NCOs when the general didn't want to ruffle feathers at HQMC.

[DevilNuts]

I have seen two request masts in my 5 short years in the Corps and neither of them were handled in this way. The first was "talked down" and handled informally (often the very words "request mast" will send everyone in the command scurrying to correct the matter before pen ever hits paper). The second was executed the proper way, the issue was addressed (if not resolved), the Marine had the opportunity to voice his grievances with the CO, and his issue was resolved satisfactorily.

Neither of these Marines were threatened, punished or "black balled" because of what they did. The system works, if the command is supportive. Therein lies the problem - it is a few select commands that are broken, not request mast. Commanders and SNCOs who are more occupied with their own advancement and are willing to step on the little guy instead of trying to help their Marines.

my 2¢

[USMC_8156]

The first was "talked down" and handled informally (often the very words "request mast" will send everyone in the command scurrying to correct the matter before pen ever hits paper).

This is how it seems to work most of the time, and that's sad.

"Oh shit...this Marine is serious...we'd better do what we should have done in the first place."

That's all I hear.

[Mustang7696]

Yeah, I was talking about this with one of my brothers, and he told me about an incident when he was a sergeant in the Marine Detachment on a ship. He'd been on leave and when he got back to the ship, the MarDet CO and 1st Sgt told him he needed to counsel one of his Marines ASAP - they said the young Marine had gotten in trouble and they'd had to write him up, and they'd heard he was considering refusing NJP (they were in port, so he could do that) and requesting a court-martial; they told my brother he needed to make sure the Marine accepted NJP.

My brother checked up on the situation and realized the charge sheet was unjustified, so when he talked to the Marine he told him that insisting on a court, with its stricter due process, was his best option, and further recommended that if the Det CO and 1stSgt leaned on him again to accept NJP, he should request mast. The Marine followed his advice. The charge sheet was thrown out, but when my brother became eligible for staff sergeant, they made sure he didn't get promoted, although he'd had nothing but outstanding fitness reports up to that incident. So there was another situation that to me was a parallel to the one my battalion CO found himself in - he got severely penalized not for his own request mast but for supporting that of one of his Marines. It makes both of them outstanding examples of the way Marine leaders ought to be, in my eyes; the way one person put it, if a senior isn't even willing to risk his/her career for his/her Marines, how can they believe he/she would die for them or with them?