COMMANDING OFFICER
HEADQUARTERS REGIMENT
HAZING POLICY LETTER

"Hazing, is any conduct whereby a military member or members, regardless of Service or rank, without proper authority causes another military member or members, regardless of Service or rank, to suffer or be exposed to any activity which is cruel, abusive, humiliating, oppressive, demeaning, or harmful. Soliciting or coercing another to perpetrate any such activity is also considered hazing. Hazing need not involve physical contact among or between military members; it can be verbal or psychological in nature. Actual or implied consent to acts of hazing does not eliminate culpability of the perpetrator."

"Hazing does not include command-authorized or operational activities; the requisite training to prepare for such missions or operations; verbal counseling addressing performance or correct deficiencies; administrative corrective measures; properly administered Extra Military Instruction (EMI) athletic events; command authorized physical training."

When we received the Eagle Globe and Anchor and became Marines, we pledged to defend our country, our citizens and our Constitution. We gave an oath that when our country directs, we would go anywhere and stand up against the tyrants, the bullies, and thugs throughout the world. Why is it then that we become the bullies and tyrants of our own? There is no excuse for bullying. There is no excuse for hazing. Physical or verbal, the harm is the same. Teamwork cannot exist where there is no trust and trust cannot exist when we subjugate our own. Our job is to stand up for the weak. Our job is to build Marines and better citizens. Our focus must be on building up through positive actions not tearing down through negative actions.

An example of tearing down our Marines is what often happens to those Marines on the Body Composition Program. Calling our Marines “fatbodies” and demeaning them is hazing. Our endstate as leaders is to get our overweight Marines to lose the weight and keep the weight off. In my 23 years, the only successful BCP programs I have witnessed where those where the leadership demonstrated they cared about the Marines on the program. Administering a BCP program is a leadership challenge. Those who humiliate and demean our overweight Marines are poor leaders who lack the ability to inspire someone through positive means.

I do strictly charge each one of you to put a stop to hazing and bullying wherever you witness it. You are not allowed to let hazing occur to you nor will you tolerate it done to others in our unit or any other unit. Stand up for those who will not or cannot stand up for themselves. Stop it. Report it. I will investigate all allegations of hazing and if substantiated, I will take the appropriate disciplinary and/or administrative action.



E. B. KRAFT
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps
Commanding Officer

Commanders/SgtMajors/1stSgts (Leadership) 

  1. Ensure all personnel under their command know the contents of MCO 1700.28B. 
  2. Report all allegations of hazing immediately (day or night) to the Headquarters Regiment XO, SgtMaj and Commanding Officer 
  3. Foster a command climate intolerant of hazing and proactive about reporting hazing incidents. Be aware of hazing report sensitivity and   handling as well as victim privacy. 
  4. Investigate all hazing allegations in accordance with reference JAGINST 5800.7F (JAG Manual). 
  5. Publish a command/unit policy statement on hazing addressing this Order's tenets. Prominently post the policy statement on all command/unit bulletin boards, in common areas, and in high traffic areas. 
  6. Discuss the policy statement during leadership training.

Bn Executive Officers/Regt XO (Reporting and Tracking)

  1. Report all allegations of hazing in accordance with Marine Corps Order 3504.2 and MARADMIN 359/13 using the formats contained therein. The respective Commanding General's special staff EOA will coordinate with MPE and document the incident in the Discrimination and Sexual Harassment (DASH) database.
  2. Follow established reporting timelines for all alleged incidents of hazing.
  3. Submit a voice report to the Marine Corps Operation Center (MCOC) upon knowledge of any alleged hazing incident; voice reports must precede message reports.*
  4. Submit an OPREP-3 SIR message report to the MCOC within six hours of receiving information of any alleged hazing incident.*
  5. Coordinate with the respective commanding general's EOA and submit the appropriate DASH report to MPE. DASH report submission is not dependent upon completion of any related preliminary inquiry.
  6. Submit initial DASH reports within 72-hours of becoming aware of any alleged hazing incident. In those cases where the preliminary inquiry results in a determination of ''unsubstantiated" within this 72-hour period, omit the initial DASH report and submit a final DASH report.
  7. Submit continuation DASH reports within 72-hours of the convening authority substantiating the investigation results. Additionally, submit continuation DASH reports to provide updated legal and administrative actions (e.g., administrative action, nonjudicial punishment, preferral of charges, or forwarding of charges) as those events occur.
  8. Submit final DASH reports within 72-hours of final disposition (i.e., completion of all judicial or administrative action)
  9. Maintain investigative records for two (2) years per reference (f); MPE will maintain and archive electronic DASH reports.

* All SIRs/OPREP 3s will be screened and approved by the MLG Chief of Staff (through the Headquarters Regiment XO or Adjutant) prior to calling or sending a report.

 

S-3/Training Officers/Training Chiefs (Train, Educate and Document)

  1. Provide appropriate training as part of the unit orientation (New Join Brief)/li>
  2. Provide appropriate training as part of the unit’s annual troop information programs to ensure all personnel are aware of the contents of MCO 1700.28B and MARADMIN 359/13.
  3. Ensure proper documentation of hazing training.

 

 

    1st Marine Logistics Group