In selecting battalion commanders, the Marine Corps still weighs the type of billets in which an officer has served more heavily than performance in billets.

The Accidental Marine Corps Commander

By Major Brian Kerg, U.S. Marine Corps
October 2020
The Marine Corps’ O-5 command selection statistics show a preference for a certain type of officer career path, contrary to the guidance officers receive and selection board precept language.
Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a formation run at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Forgetting Victor Krulak

By PJ Neal
October 2020
Numerous scandals in recent years have tarnished the Marine Corps’ image. Failing to rebuild trust with the society it serves could threaten the Marine Corps’ existence as a separate service.
The African American officers stationed on Oahu in the 1960s with the author—including Samuel Gravely (left), who commanded a destroyer and rose to the rank of vice admiral, and Frank Petersen (right), who rose to lieutenant general in the Marine Corps—had an unwritten code: Do not whine; perform.

Time for a Reckoning

Being a black officer is both an honor and a challenge, and it brings with it a responsibility to honor the service of those who came before.

The Honorable Carlos C. Campbell
September 2020