Camp Pendleton, Calif -- CAMP PENDLETON, Ca. – Marines with Headquarters and Service Company, Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations – West on Camp Pendleton gathered for a brief on social media behavior and awareness Apr. 13.
The brief covered appropriate and inappropriate online behavior, do’s and don’ts of posting and proper reporting procedures of posts that violate the Marine Corps Social Media Policy.
Major Jason C. Schneider, Commanding Officer, H&S Co., said smaller briefs like these help to ensure that every Marine across the globe receives and understands this information.
“Not all the Marines in the Marine Corps are watching the news; they’re not necessarily seeing the things that are mainstream,” said Schneider. “Doing it like this is important because you make sure you get one hundred percent coverage of the Marine Corps and that Marines understand the seriousness of the situation and what is expected of the as a result of it.”
According to the Social Media Personal Preference Guide for Marines, Marines should use their best judgment at all times and keep in mind how the content of their posts will reflect upon themselves, their unit and the Marine Corps.
The reference guide also states that a Marine who violates Federal Law, regulation or policies through inappropriate personal online activity is subject to disciplinary action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Across the entire Marine Corps, in addition to the briefs, every Marine, regardless of rank, was given a Page 11 counseling sheet, stating that they are aware Marine Corps Policy on social media.
The purpose of these briefs and policies is to ensure that Marines are adhering to their corps values of honor, courage and commitment.
Schneider added that although recent actions by a small portion of Marines on social media creates negative feelings towards the Marine Corps, it is not reflective of the organization.
“I don’t think this represents the Marine Corps as a whole,” said Schneider. “Doing what we’re doing right now is good, it’s a way to reinforce our corps values. Anytime you get to sit down with a group of Marines and speak about something that negatively affected our organization and then discuss ways to ensure that something like this can never happen again, that’s a good day. That’s a win for the Marine Corps.”