Marine commander vows to fix problem that led to nude photo sharing
The top U.S. Marine says he intends to fix the problem that led to current and former Corps members sharing nude photos of female Marines online and making lewd or threatening comments about them.
Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that he will hold Marines accountable. He says changes have to be made in the Marine Corps culture, where some male Marines don’t accept women in the ranks.
Angry and skeptical senators are saying the military hasn’t done enough. New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called his answers on the subject “unsatisfactory” and asked him, “Who is being held accountable?”
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire says military leaders have vowed to correct sexual abuse and harassment problems before and haven’t done so yet. She asked Tuesday why anyone should believe it will be different now.
Some Marines had been using a secret Facebook page to share nude photos of women, including female Marines. Neller has said the incident is embarrassing to the Marine Corps and to the nation, and he has also said that leaders must make sure that all Marines understand the rules governing conduct, including on social media.
On its Reveal web site, the Center for Investigative Reporting, which first reported the investigation, found that since Jan. 30, more than two dozen women, including active duty and enlisted service members had been identified by their rank, full name and military duty station in photographs posted and linked to from a private Facebook page called “Marines United.” The activity was revealed by The War Horse, a nonprofit news organization run by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan.
In one instance cited in the report, a woman corporal in uniform was followed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina by a fellow Marine, who surreptitiously photographed her as she picked up her gear. The picture was posted to the Marines United private FB page, where dozens of obscene, sexually explicit comments were posted.