Building Cohesive Units And Teaching Leadership: A Naval Academy Grad Reflects On The Evolving Marine Corps From The 70s To The 90s

Scott McKenzie was born in southern California in September 1948. His father had been in the Merchant Marine during World War II and was a helmsman sailing through “Halsey’s Typhoon.” After graduating from high school in 1966, he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps, but the recruiter noted his high ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) scores and recommended he become an officer. He selected Naval ROTC at the University of South Carolina, where he was on the drill team. A Naval Academy program for ten ROTC students interested him and he decided to attend USNA instead. He describes I-Day (Induction Day) at the Naval Academy and recalls that “two weeks in, the real discipline started.” When the Brigade of Midshipmen returned following summer training, “all hell broke loose.” Plebe year was brutal. He participated on the crew team all four years. During one summer, he sailed on DDG-12 as a seaman, where he learned the basic skills of a sailor. He remembers that serving in the boiler room was really rough, “like descending into hell.” As a Junior, he served on the Beast detail at a time when the Academy was reshaping Plebe summer training. When it was time to pick a branch, he selected the Marine Corps. During his time at Annapolis, the “summer of love” swept America, and he recalls “back home people didn’t understand me.” Following graduation, he attended the Marine Officer Basic Course with 250 other lieutenants, where the training was very physical. Some of his instructors were still recovering from wounds received in Vietnam. After four years of repression at the Naval Academy, he remembers “playing hard” and lots of drinking. He was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa. Arriving at his platoon, he found a “bad situation” and rough Marines. He found himself in charge of 20 Mexican-Americans, 25 blacks, and 2 whites, and he encountered racial issues and “pure hate” based on the environments they came from. He had to figure out how to build a cohesive unit and combat the violence and racial issues in the unit. When the Easter Offensive occurred in Vietnam, more corpsmen were added to the unit and his platoon was deployed aboard USS Okinawa. On board ship, there were more leadership challenges and he had to keep his Marines busy, so he taught them English, writing, and math. He describes training aboard the ship including PT (Physical Training), and boxing matches. For a period, he was ashore in Da Nang at a supply depot where he saw “shot up advisors” in a hospital. During this period, the Marines were helping extract technicians, equipment, and helicopters. Next, he returned to Okinawa and extended his tour. He volunteered for a training exercise in Australia but while they were enroute, the Peace Accords were signed, and his unit was diverted to the Philippines. Returning to the United States, he was stationed at the Marine Barracks, eight blocks from the Capitol. When Watergate broke, he remembers receiving a letter from the Secretary of Defense and having to practice Civil Defense drills. He recalls that President Ford was an “amazing individual” who remembered something about everyone. He then served as a company commander on a Med Float, noting that command time is the best time. During this period, the quality of the Marine Corps was changing. High school diplomas were now mandatory for recruits and discharges for troublemakers were more expeditious. In 1978, he met his wife in France, and in 1979 they were married. He was then assigned as a liaison to the Royal Marines, where he noted similarities and differences between American and British Marines. He observed that they “take more risks” and are “not as safety conscious” as American Marines. He wrote an article about training for deployments to Northern Ireland and completed ski and mountain courses. His next assignment was Parris Island, where he oversaw training new Marines. He then attended DLI (Defense Language Institute) in preparation for attending the Norwegian Command and Staff College. During this period, he noted that “we turned our back on Asia after Vietnam” and focused instead on fighting the Soviets. The Marines were “looking for a mission” in the late 70s and introduced mission-type orders, focusing on commander’s intent. He then took command of the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion and had to begin thinking about operating in a desert environment. This was during the Reagan build-up of the military and new equipment like HMMWVs and GPS was being introduced. During Operation Desert Storm, he remembers conducting minefield reconnaissance, and since his Recon Marines had GPS, one Recon Company led each regiment through the minefields. His final assignment in the Marine Corps was as a leadership instructor at Quantico. When he entered the civilian sector, his biggest surprise was the lack of leadership in the business world. Reflecting on his service in the Marine Corps, he states, “It was my life. I can’t imagine anything else.”