I have recently read posts from many young Marines and soldiers; here is my response to them all:

The USMC Generational Separation

WARNING THIS MAY UPSET YOU; IF YOU ARE A WEAK LEADER*

I have heard people say Kids These Days………all my life; I now call BS. If you want empirical evidence to the contrary, look at the last 19 years of combat with most of the actual fighting being done by 18-25 year old warriors; these kids are amazing….Oh yeah, and many us were disrespectful little pieces of crap too in our past; I was.

Here is a new quote for you: “Weakness starts at the top.” (David K. Devaney)

When I arrived at my first Fleet Marine Force unit, India Company 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines (1984), most of our Battalion’s Staff NCOs and senior Officers were Vietnam War Veterans. Many of them fond every opportunity to tell all of us that we were the weakest generation in Marine Corps History. That society was making only weak males nowadays and the Marine Corps was doomed.

Then came the Gulf War and the latest generation of Marines to bag on the next generation about how weak they were.

Now we have the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are already bagging on the next generation; it is all over social media.

The weak assed Millennials; right. Yeah, well those Millennials are the next generation of Marines, warriors, and they will succeed just like every other generation of Marines.

The fact is, as time goes on the Marines Corps becomes smarter, stronger, and faster than every generation before them. This is all because the Marine Corps is always adapting and changing or even evolving – this is all good.

“To change with change is to remain unchanged.”

If you Do Not Adapt and Evolve; everything around you will change – except for you – therefore you Devolve.

I will bet you that WWI vets told their boots they were the worst. Then WWII vets and then the Korean War Vets, and so on.

When I was a Drill Instructor I told every one of my platoons, they were the weakest platoon ever.

One night when I was a Sgt, the Platoon Sgt for STA 3/3, my Battalion Gunner (Infantry Weapons Officer) invited me into the lower club, for permanent personnel and invited guests only (Camp Fuji Japan). As we were sitting there two SgtMajs started arguing and one said to the other, “Shut the F___ up you F______ boot.” The Gunner looked at me and said, “Everybody is boot to somebody.”

Weakness starts at the top; not the bottom. The bottom has no control over anything. So, the next time you start ragging on your subordinates, take a long look in the mirror; you are the source of their weakness. Your fault; not theirs. Now, suck it up buttercup and drive on. Here is a little history lesson about the old saying; kids these days:

The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect to their elders…. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and are tyrants over their teachers.

Supposedly stated by Socrates or Plato before 399BC

The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they alone knew everything and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for girls, they are forward, immodest and unwomanly in speech, behavior and dress.

Aristotle 322BC

The moral of the story: Weakness starts at the top; not the bottom.

SF DKD

Photo: This photo is of a very young Marine Cpl Leading a Raid on a building in Baghdad Iraq 2003. Old Corps, New Corps, all that Matters is Marine Corps (Chesty Puller).

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By David Devaney

David K. Devaney SgtMaj USMC Retired 2009 City of Hit Iraq with PTTDavid was born in Geneva New York and graduated from Geneva High School in 1980. He joined the Marine Corps on a guaranteed Infantry contract in April of 1983. After graduating boot camp he was stationed in Hawaii with 3rdBattalion 3rd Marines (3/3). While assigned to 3/3 he held billets as a rifleman, fire team leader, and squad leader. During 1986 Corporal (Cpl) Devaney was selected as a member of Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) Platoon, 3rd Battalion 3rd Marine. Upon graduation of Scout Sniper School he was assigned to the Scout Sniper Section of 3/3 STA Platoon. During his second deployment as a Scout Sniper with 3/3 he was promoted to Sergeant (Sgt). After a tour on the drill field from 1989-1991 Sgt Devaney returned to STA 3/3 were he deployed two more times. During 1994 Sgt Devaney was selected to the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSgt) and ordered to III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF), Special Operation Training Group (SOTG); while at SOTG SSgt Devaney was assigned as a Reconnaissance and Surveillance (R&S) and Urban Sniper Instructor and Chief Instructor. At the time III MEF SOTG Instructors were members of Joint Task Force 510 (JTF 510 CT); a Counter Terrorism Task Force. In 1998 he deployed to Operation Desert Fox with Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2/4 and was attached to Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 572/594 as a sniper. SSgt Devaney deployed again, during 2000, with ODA 135/136/132 to Malaysia as member of JTF 510, working with the Malaysian National Police. After leaving SOTG Gunnery Sergeant (GySgt) Devaney was assigned to Company A 1st Battalion 7th Marine, and spent much of his time training the Scout Snipers of 1/7. Just before the invasion of Iraq, in 2003, he was selected to the rank of First Sergeant (1stSgt) and led 270 Marines, sailors, and soldiers during combat – receiving a Bronze Star Medal for destroying the enemy and their will to fight. During 2004 1st Sgt Devaney was ordered to duty as the Inspector Instructor Staff 1st Sgt for 2nd Beach and Terminal Operations Company, Savannah, Georgia. During 2007 he was selected to the rank of Sergeant Major (SgtMaj) and received orders to Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 (VMAQ-4) stationed at Cherry Point, NC. There he trained a CADRE which in turn trained a massive Quick Reaction Force in combat operations. After two more deployments to Iraq SgtMaj Devaney received orders to Weapons Training Battalion, Quantico, VA. SgtMaj Devaney retired from the Marine Corps on 31 December 20013. He now works as an adjunct combat instructor at the “Crucible’’ in Fredericksburg, VA. David is also on the Board of Directors of the Marine Corps Scout Sniper Association. David’s published work: Books Devaney, D.K. (2007). Surviving combat: Mentally and physically (3rd edition). 29 Palms, CA: USMC. Devaney, D.K. (2015). They Were Heroes: A Sergeant Major’s Tribute to Combat Marines of Iraq and Afghanistan. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. Articles Devaney, D.K. (2011) Enough Talk of Suicide, Already! Proceedings Magazine. Devaney, D.K. (2011) Can PTSD Be Prevented Through Education? Proceedings Magazine. Devaney, D.K. (2012) PTSD Is Not Cancer. The Marine Corps Gazette. Devaney, D.K. (2012) Women in Combat Arms Units. The Marine Corps Gazette.

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