Old beliefs die hard. The Daily Breeze editors printed a letter advocating sadism in the name of military training.

Regarding the Daily Breeze letter below: Hazing is against the law. Would the Daily Press have printed this letter if
the writer had advocated the value of comitting some other crime involving sadism or masochism? I don’t blame the writer. He believes what he believes. But the Daily Press editors are the gatekeepers, the journalistic watchdogs. I think their editorial judgment was off line here in printing the letter. Carrying a  well-researched article on why such misguided beliefs still exist in the military makes more sense. Moderator

(letter below)

I read with mixed emotions the story of the “hazing” of young Marines at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown (“Marine relieved of command,” Sept. 11). As a former Marine who spent two years in special operation capable units, I can tell you that during my era of service “hazing” was never an issue: It was a matter of fact.

In every elite Marine unit, as well as the entire 6th Marine Infantry regiment, it was a rite of passage when you reported in. I still carry my “burn-in” mark for the Pathfinder platoon of the 22nd MEUSOC, a round white scar the size of a pencil eraser, where another Marine and I laid a lit cigarette lengthwise in the trough formed by our locked forearms and waited until it went out. That was on the first night. It got tougher after that.

The FAST unit at Yorktown is no ordinary detachment; they are, in fact, elite troops expected to perform at a very high level of combat skills. Brutality in training has always been controversial, but the harshness of training in the Marine Corps has paid huge dividends on the battlefield.

I would hope that the NCOs who are charged with maltreatment of subordinates are judged by those who have been shot at.

Ron Inman

Poquoson