MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- He didn’t hurt anyone. He didn’t steal anything. He wasn’t even drunk. And yet one lance corporal recently found himself behind bars in a Mexican jail cell.
“Mexican prisons are not nice places,” said Col. Ted E. Devlin, Command Inspector General for Marine Corps Installations West. “The border police arrested three Marines all because they had deuce gear and a couple empty magazines in their vehicle.”
Two Marines were later released, but the vehicle’s owner had to pay a $5,000 bond before coming home and must go back to appear in court. It’s because of this recent run-in with the law, and other recurring issues south of the Mexican border, that the command sought to advise Marines on the pitfalls of visiting Mexico and the popular city of Tijuana.
“I had no idea you could get arrested for that,” said Lance Cpl. Jimmy C. Turner, a 20-year-old mechanic with 9th Communications Battalion, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. Turner, who is from Jonesboro, Ark., said he carries his issued gear in his trunk for convenience, and that he knows many others who do the same.
“It’s all about education and awareness, not prohibition,” said Devlin. The regional order 1050 suggests commanders use welcome aboard briefs, professional military education classes, the media, and small-unit leadership as an avenue for education and awareness. Referencing Marine Corps regulation 1500.1B, a diagram of leave and liberty restrictions for the Mexico border area, will help when instructing personnel E-3 and below on such items as the buddy system and mandatory liberty request chits.
The regulation also states advice for Marines of any grade who plan on heading down to Mexico.
“It aims to keep Marines from getting into situations hazardous to their health, or that cause legal issues or safety issues,” Devlin said. It is not uncommon to find empty magazines or Kevlar helmets in a Marine’s vehicle, he said.
“Those things are considered weaponry, and are against the law,” Devlin said.
The problem is that most Marines don’t know that can land you in jail, Devlin said. It’s not that the Marines are doing anything wrong, it’s that they aren’t aware of what’s wrong or dangerous, Devlin continued.
“It’s a good thing to reemphasize areas of caution because sometimes you can become complacent,” Devlin concluded.
He also wanted to make it clear that Marines aren’t being forbidden, just refreshed on the guidelines. “Marines are going to go down there, so they should know the rules, just to make sure things like that don’t happen,” Turner said.