MILITARY HAZING WORKS AGAINST THE AMERICAN ARMED FORCES AND ITS GOALS

Military hazing in the armed forces remains an ongoing issue that is deeply rooted and controversial worldwide. Despite efforts to eliminate this infamous practice, many service members are affected. It lowers morale, chemistry, and trust within units. By getting rid of military hazing, the military can remain the well-oiled machine it is and enhance the mental health of all Soldiers. Additionally, ending such practices helps our military remain elite and improves the mental health of this nation’s heroes as a result.

What Is Hazing in the Military?

Military hazing can come in many different forms. Most commonly, it means engaging in the practice of subjecting military personnel to humiliating, abusive, or dangerous activities. This is done as a rite of passage, initiation, punishment, or simply harassment.

It’s a practice that was always outdated but finds itself in the crosshairs due to the extremity in military hazing can involve. Hazing in the military examples can come through any number of actions that qualify as abuse, both physical and verbal, harassment, including sexual harassment, and various forms of assault.

There are several negative effects that can result due to hazing as there is bullying, humiliation, and acts of violence often involved. This means that those targeted and subjected to such events can often deal with psychological and emotional trauma, physical injuries, and potentially even die.

These actions are thought on the surface level to bring people together but actually do the opposite. From undermining the trust within a group to affecting morale, there are several counterproductive effects that result from military hazing.

Everyday hazing activities include violent assaults, sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, and excessive physical exercise. Those participating in these acts are morally and legally wrong, as it goes against military law and human rights.

This means that rather than helping the U.S. military improve as a well-oiled fighting machine, a division is spread and there are vulnerabilities within branches, units, and teams. All of these obviously create a harder work environment for anyone working as a team to complete a mission.

Because these issues can be far-reaching and detrimental to the American Armed Forces as a whole, each branch has its own policies prohibiting hazing and other forms of harassment.

This means that engaging in such activities can lead to disciplinary action, which can be as severe as time in prison and being discharged from the military itself.

But regardless, hazing in the military continues to be a serious problem from time to time. The lack of respect, dignity, and professionalism may feel appalling on paper, but in a competitive, military-minded culture, such things can slip through the cracks if there is not strong leadership maintaining high ethical standards.

Negative Mental Health Effects Are Inevitable

An unfortunate, yet unsurprising trend shows that bullying by fellow US Army Soldiers is associated with mental disorders and suicide. Whether it's during training or deployment, the effects of hazing in the military continue to lead to negative mental health including suicide ideation.

A variety of negative effects including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), suicidal ideation, substance use disorder (SUD), and intermittent explosive disorder were all results of military hazing stories.

But while no one deserves to suffer from such treatment, not all do the same. Data shows that examples of hazing in the military during deployment are much more prevalent for younger women.

Mentally, such treatment can cause PTSD, anxiety, depression, and a multitude of other psychological issues. Emotionally, it can break trust in leadership and other service members. This ultimately impacts the effectiveness and togetherness of units engaging in military hazing.

Furthermore, military hazing affects 1 in 8 Soldiers that are deployed thanks to bullying. Again, such treatment is yet another cause for members of the U.S. Army to suffer from mental disorders and suicidal ideation as a result.

A Closer Look at the Impact of Military Hazing

U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu of the 28th District of California recounts one of the many military hazing examples. If you’ve ever wondered, “What is military hazing?” Here's her testimony about her nephew’s unfortunate fatal hazing experience.

“Hazing has no place in our military. It undermines our military readiness and deeply scars volunteers forced to endure it. We must have a zero-tolerance hazing policy in our military."

Judy Chu further explained, "Harry Lew was a Marine stationed in Afghanistan. One midnight, his peers took it upon themselves to administer "corrective training." They berated him, ordered him to dig a foxhole, and forced him to do useless exercises carrying his heavy full body armor and a 25-lb sandbag. They stomped on his back, kicked and punched him, and poured the entire contents of a sandbag onto his face and in his mouth. It lasted a full 3 ½ hours."

"Finally, 22 minutes after they stopped, Harry killed himself with his own gun. He was 21 years old. He was my nephew."

"I was shocked and stunned. But I found out that Harry was only the tip of the iceberg. There was Danny Chen, Brushaun Anderson, Hamson Daniels McPherson Jr., Jarrett Wright, and countless other victims of hazing, picked on because of race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or just because they were different.” This example shows how military hazing should be abolished and has no place in military units or anywhere.

Efforts to Combat Military Hazing

Understanding and acknowledging the implications of military hazing is essential for combating this ongoing issue. Some preventive measures that have been implemented to address it include:

Policy Reforms:

There have been strict anti-hazing policies that clearly define what is considered hazing and penalties for those participating. To supplement these policies, extensive training programs have been launched to educate military members about the severity of hazing and the importance of reporting it.

Leadership Accountability:

Those at the top of the leadership ranks are responsible for the actions of their units. Frequent evaluations and inspections ensure that anti-hazing policies are correctly enforced. Leaders who fall short of addressing this issue may face disciplinary action.

Support Systems:

Numerous resources are available to service members, including counseling, hotlines, and support groups. They provide a safe environment where victims can express themselves and report incidents freely without judgment.

Cultural Transformation:

There are continuous efforts to shift the culture within the military to end hazing altogether. Instead of condoning that, respect, dignity, and mutual support are promoted and encouraged.

There Is No Place for Military Hazing in the American Armed Forces

The rise of wokeness in the military continues to be a topic of interest, debate, and concern. But make no mistake about it, when it comes to military hazing, it’s unacceptable in the U.S. military:

• Morally, these actions are wrong regardless of any creed, ideology, or organization.
• Heroes should conduct themselves accordingly. Harming your fellow troops in any way is not an acceptable practice.
• The goals of the U.S. military are undermined by such activities and our national defense becomes weaker as a result.
• Mental health continues to be a focal point in and outside of the military. The idea of hazing in the military is counterproductive to improving mental health within troops.

Hazing in military units should be eliminated. With a dedicated commitment to educate, reform, and change as a culture, efforts to end hazing are possible. It creates a safer and more supportive environment when it does happen.

Ultimately, success and progress depend on the collective efforts of military leadership and personnel. Doing so upholds the respective values that the military represents. This includes honor, respect, and integrity. Ultimately, this will ensure that the bonds formed in service are founded on mutual trust and respect instead of fear and coercion.

Ending the practice of military hazing is important for each branch. It isn’t about being “soft” or woke or any other disparaging term. By ridding itself of such practices, the U.S. military as a whole and our nation, as a result, improve for the better.

Sources:

"Military Hazing," Accessed June 2024.

https://chu.house.gov/issues/military-hazing

"Soldiers Who Are Bullied or Hazed Are More Likely to Face Mental Health Issues, Studies Find," Accessed June 2024. 

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/01/24/soldiers-who-are-bullied-or-hazed-are-more-likely-face-mental-health-issues-study-finds.html

Updated by: Noah Abrams