Drew F. Lawrence

“Atropia” currently clocks a whopping 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is coincidentally your unit’s vehicle readiness rate.

Troops stung by ‘hard’ credit checks and unexpected denials in USAA’s relief loans Some troops were surpised by hard credit checks and unexpected denials for relief loans by military-friendly lender USAA.

Troops stung by ‘hard’ credit checks and unexpected denials in USAA’s relief loans — latest from me @taskandpurpose.com

One soldier messaged USAA’s chatbot about his denied loan. It pushed a credit card, then said to consider opening an account with Navy Fed.
taskandpurpose.com/military-lif...

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48 Hours with Marines and Soldiers on the US Southern Border Amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, military assets and personnel are increasingly being relied upon for a new type of mission.

48 Hours with Marines and Soldiers on the US Southern Border www.military.com/daily-news/i...

48 Hours with Marines and Soldiers on the US Southern Border Amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, military assets and personnel are increasingly being relied upon for a new type of mission.

48 Hours with Marines and Soldiers on the US Southern Border — @militarydotcom.bsky.social

www.military.com/daily-news/i...

VA Secretary has decided to attack my colleague @patriciakime.bsky.social with an ambush video, willfully misrepresenting her reporting to try and deceive veterans about her important watchdog journalism. I've worked with Patricia off and on for 14 years, let me just say she's the absolute best.

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark reality.

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide

Produced in partnership with @washingtonpost.com

In one of the Marines’ most iconic jobs, a stunning pattern of suicide Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark reality.

This story was published jointly between The Washington Post and @militarydotcom.bsky.social.

Here is a gift link to the @washingtonpost.com version of the article: wapo.st/40QnVXb

“People, in general, have problems in their personal lives,” one widow said. “But when you have the drill instructor job, it amplifies those problems because of how long you’re away from home, how tired you are.”

Some noted that the USMC lacks adequate services for those who are struggling, and tacitly condones a culture that stigmatizes those who seek it.

“We put a drastic expectation on them to act perfect,” one Marine said. "It causes this stress that trickles into their home life.”

The already high-stress DI role became even more intense after the 2016 death of Raheel Siddiqui, a Muslim recruit who suffered abuse at Parris Island. His case led to stricter oversight of the men and women who train new Marines.

The job’s unspoken expectations also can have a chilling effect on any impulse to seek care, they said, describing a prevailing reluctance to be away from work — for mental health reasons or even a family event — for fear of leaving teammates shorthanded.

One former drill instructor said the experience left him and his family shattered, adding, “I experienced a really, really dark side of myself.”

Another turned to alcohol to cope: “Let me just have a drink...so that I don’t overreact when I might talk to my children.”

A 2023 Marine IG investigation found a culture of "surviving" vs. "thriving," at Parris Island where DIs felt their welfare was a low priority. Many described "walking on eggshells," "on pins and needles," and being "afraid for their careers."

At least seven drill instructors died by suicide in the past five years. In 2023, three DI suicides occurred at Parris Island within less than three months.

Many describe routine 90-hour-plus workweeks, sleep deprivation and an always-on culture that frequently caused the job’s requisite intensity to seep into their personal lives, igniting disputes with loved ones. Others detailed bouts of depression or alcohol dependency.

An internal 2019 USMC study said 29 DIs died by suicide or contemplated it over a 10-year period, startlingly high compared with the occurrence of suicidal ideation among Marines who never held that job, it said. Addiction and divorce among drill instructors also were higher.

We conducted 30+ interviews with service members, their superiors and family members who have lost drill instructors to suicide, and reviewed countless documents related to the environments at the USMC's two recruit depots in Parris Island and San Diego.

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide Marine Corps drill instructors are a national symbol of discipline. But for some, their imposing persona belies a dark reality.

In One of the Marines' Most Iconic Jobs, a Stunning Pattern of Suicide.

Kelsey Baker & I spent over a year investigating the mental health crisis among Marine Corps drill instructors.
www.military.com/daily-news/i...

Marines Face Tough Choices as Reenlistment Bonuses Are Threatened by Congress' Late Budgets Reenlistment bonuses for 933 Marines are at risk of not being paid out by the Marine Corps because Congress cannot agree to pass a budget on time, instead relying on a short-term band-aid called a…

Marines Face Tough Choices as Reenlistment Bonuses Are Threatened by Congress' Late Budgets

Marine Corps Day Care Hit with Legal Allegations of Widespread Child Abuse Five Marine Corps families filed federal claims against the government late last month alleging that negligent hiring practices, training and supervision at a Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona,…

Marine Corps Day Care Hit with Legal Allegations of Widespread Child Abuse

Food Is Hard to Find at Fort Carson, as Base Struggles with Feeding Soldiers As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive reality -- months of insufficient meals, confusing schedules, and limited food op...

Seemingly for months - Ft Carson has struggled to feed its troops. Food shortages, undercooked food, low portions.

www.military.com/daily-news/2...

Food Is Hard to Find at Fort Carson, as Base Struggles with Feeding Soldiers As Americans gather for Thanksgiving feasts, soldiers at Fort Carson, Colorado, are contending with a far less festive reality -- months of insufficient meals, confusing schedules, and limited food op...

As you tuck into your Thanksgiving feast, just a reminder that folks on bases are having a hell fo a time getting a meal these days. Important story from @stevenbeynon.bsky.social

We need some help next month in our newsroom. A couple of weeks of contract work, reporting with our team covering the military. Beats will vary. It's a role that has been performed to perfection in the past by Kelsey Baker, Rachel Nostrant and others. Email me Zach.Biggs@Military.com

Steel Company Tied to Deadly Air Force Osprey Crash Faced Defective Parts Lawsuit in 2001 Military officials have refused to say whether they're still working with a company responsible for making the gear that failed on an Air Force V-22 Osprey aircraft and led to the deaths of eight airm...

SCOOP: The steel company that made the faulty gear in last year's Osprey crash may still be making parts

Tom Novelly and I tried to get an answer and NAVAIR and
Bell Flight refused to answer

Plus, the same company was sued in '01 also for making bad plane parts

www.military.com/daily-news/2...

Navy Shutters Premier East Coast Substance Abuse Program Amid Staffing Shortages The program, in an aging building at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, has struggled to retain employees.

Staffing shortages for medical care when it comes to active duty service members and veterans are severe, to the point that important programs and facilities are facing closure. @patriciakime.bsky.social has the details on one flagship substance abuse center going dark.

Thousands of Women Serve in Combat Roles. Pentagon Nominee Hegseth Says They Shouldn’t. Pete Hegseth has made clear, in his own words, that he is critical of military service by women and more specifically opposes female troops serving in combat roles.

Trump's Pentagon pick's protest against women in combat could mean thousands of troops may have to find new military careers (a logistical nightmare) -- or they'll be outright removed from the military. Retraining would be an enormous financial cost.
www.military.com/daily-news/2...

Thousands of Women Serve in Combat Roles. Pentagon Nominee Hegseth Says They Shouldn’t. Pete Hegseth has made clear, in his own words, that he is critical of military service by women and more specifically opposes female troops serving in combat roles.

Defense Sec nominee Hegseth has talked about wanting women out of combat roles. There are roughly 4,000 women with those jobs in the Army alone and that doesn't even get into the forward deployed Navy. Important piece from @stevenbeynon.bsky.social @dflawrence.bsky.social and @ktoropin.bsky.social

Thousands of Women Serve in Combat Roles. Pentagon Nominee Hegseth Says They Shouldn’t. Pete Hegseth has made clear, in his own words, that he is critical of military service by women and more specifically opposes female troops serving in combat roles.

If confirmed by the Senate, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon could mean upheaval for the careers of thousands of women serving in the military.

NEW from @stevenbeynon.bsky.social, @dflawrence.bsky.social and @ktoropin.bsky.social

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Nov. 18, 2024 These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Nov. 18, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases wher...

Here's a thing we do at USNI News that I'd like to share with my fellow Blue Sky-nians (A brief thread).

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Nov. 18, 2024
news.usni.org/2024/11/18/u...