ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 19, 1996 TAG: 9603190102
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
Long viewed as the toughest and proudest kid on the block, the Marine Corps is hoping to become the straightest arrow, too.
Citing a growing gap between society's values and its own, the small, elite service has embarked on an unusual mission to stress morals and ethics in training.
At basic training bases at Parris Island and San Diego, Calif., Marine Corps officials have spent several months studying how to teach lessons they say many young Americans aren't getting at home.
The effort comes as several high-profile scandals - including two Marines charged in the rape of 12-year-old Okinawan - have tarnished the military's image. But scandals are not the only reason for teaching values, Marine Corps leaders say.
``Intuitively, we know that society's values have tapered off and Marine Corps values have remained constant. The gap is much larger than 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago,'' said Lt. Col. Mike Knobel, operations and training officer at Parris Island.
Later this month, officers from Parris Island and San Diego will brief Marine Corps leaders in Washington on recent brainstorming sessions. While the Corps isn't sure how it will revamp training, it seems clear that the 174,000-member service is committed to trying new methods that emphasize ethical and moral behavior.
Among the possibilities would be moving part of the combat training that recruits get at boot camp to follow-up training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Camp Pendleton, Calif. For example, courses that are heavy on values such as teamwork and courage might be retained at basic training. Courses that stress skills such as map reading or navigation could be shifted to Marine combat training that follows boot camp.
The goal would be to stress ``core values'' such as honesty and integrity in basic training, where drill instructors wield tremendous influence on impressionable young recruits.
Marine commanders offer a litany of reasons for the values gap they've identified, from the decline of two-parent families to the disruptive effects of poverty, drugs and violence in society. The Marine Corps effort dovetails with a national debate over value-neutral education. Some prominent Americans, including former Education Secretary William Bennett, have decried the decline of moral standards in home and school.
The Marines, who take pride in teaching recruits how to shoot rifles and storm beaches, say adjusting their moral compasses is just as important.
``We've got a Marine culture that's had a pretty high standard of personal conduct. We consider ourselves the Jesuits of military services,'' said Col. Douglas Hendricks, a 24-year Marine veteran who commands the Recruit Training Regiment at Parris Island.
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