Our opinion: Sadly, true integration of the military has not been achieved

The recent discovery and resulting firestorm over a secret Facebook page that was a repository for nude photos of female Marines, apparently without their knowledge or consent, is perhaps the most troubling military scandal since photos surfaced of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq more than a decade ago.

If you didn’t have any trouble wrapping your mind around this, it’s likely you are not fully informed. The photos were posted by other Marines – all males, according to reports – some active, others not. Some of the photos were posted by ex-partners who may have initially possessed them because the women shared them in confidence. Even more troubling is that some of the photos were taken surreptitiously, without the woman’s knowledge.

It gets worse.

Along with the photos were posts that included personal information about some of the women, including their names, addresses and contact information, and comments encouraging members of the closed Facebook group to harass and assault the women, and some of the women indeed reported harassment.

This hits home in more ways than one. Like much of our region, our communities are home to many residents who served and continue to serve in the U.S. military, including the Marine Corps. Our high schools are home to well-regarded Junior ROTC programs, such as the one at Nation Ford High School that is affiliated with the Marine Corps. These co-ed programs are models of discipline and team work and no doubt many of these students are contemplating military careers.

We can only imagine what’s going through their minds since news of the scandal broke. Col. Sean T. Mulcahy, USMC (Ret.), the senior marine instructor at Nation Ford, said he has not discussed the incident with his students, but he was clearly upset about it when we emailed him for a comment.

“All Marines know better than to violate our Core Values and there simply is no excuse for disparaging behavior,” Col. Mulcahy wrote in his reply.

Members of Congress have expressed outrage since the existence of the postings were made public and hearings have continued since. Active duty Marines who are connected with the scandal are sure to face military justice, but those no longer serving are not subject to that jurisdiction. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has suggested yanking VA benefits from civilians who participated in the Facebook page.

We don’t agree. One reason is, it could mean denying medical treatment that otherwise might not be attainable. Innocent spouses, children and other family members might end up suffering through no fault of their own by a loss of benefits. It also would blur the lines between military and civilian justice and that would be a dangerous precedent to set. What we do support is criminal prosecution and civil actions where applicable. A range of crimes and violations could be in play here, from sexual harassment to cyberstalking.

The female Marines violated in this case have been subject to a level of cruelty that could be difficult to comprehend. The damage may be more psychological and emotional than physical, but recovery could be even more difficult and, sadly, for some women, may never be realized.

Perhaps it was naive to think women in the military are considered as equals by their male peers. We thought all it would take is women serving with honor in front line combat roles alongside males to break through any final barriers. Clearly, we were wrong.

Hopefully, swift justice against the men who exploited and menaced these women will deter future incidents. That doesn’t mean, however, that true integration of men and women in the Armed Forces has been achieved. And that is profoundly disappointing.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Our opinion: Sadly, true integration of the military has not been achieved."