CAMP PENDLETON — At a loss to stem the tide of liberty incidents within his company, 1st Sgt. Anthony Marquez tried an unorthodox approach at his latest liberty brief.
"Every time I talk to the company about what we expect from their conduct they go out and do the exact opposite," he said. "If I tell them to stay away from drugs they'll immediately go out and build a giant water bong out of a washing machine. Then they'll smoke bath salts until they're an ass hair from cannibalism."
The idea for a new approach came to him after a rash of DUIs got him a call from the regimental Sgt. Maj. In between heated remarks about his shortcomings as a leader and his failure to maintain good order in discipline in the ranks, the Sgt. Maj. said something which caught Marquez's attention.
"He asked what in the world we were telling our Marines," said Marquez. "I was about to ask if he was insinuating we actually encouraged drinking and driving when it hit me, maybe that was the answer." Marquez decided to extol the virtues of alcohol abuse and other questionable conduct his troops were already engaging in.
