MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (April 28, 2006) -- The Marine Corps’ top enlisted leader visited the Combat Center Tuesday to view pre-deployment training and to speak with Marines and Sailors.

Sergeant Maj. John Estrada visited training grounds and declared his pride in the Marines and Corpsman preparing to deploy and those remaining behind to support. However, he also spoke to staff noncommissioned officers and noted his disappointment in the quality of life for single Marines living in the barracks.

“We spent much of our resources to take care of our married Marines,” said Estrada to a group of senior enlisted leaders during lunch. “What we didn’t realize was that caused us to neglect our single Marines. The commandant and I expect all of you to be advocates for those single Marines in the barracks.”

The sergeant major referred to an opinion piece in the Marine Corps Times about the barracks living conditions written by a Marine stationed here and encouraged the senior leaders to drop the old mentality of the Corps. The article said single Marines are being treated unfairly with priority going to married Marines.

“If you’re the only Marine in the barracks who can be found on a weekend and the officer of the day needs a duty clerk, guess who is ‘voluntold,’” wrote the Marine. “The [officer of the day] is not going to call the homes of married Marines to ask them to report for duty; he’s going to go to the barracks to find the first Marine he can.”

The writer continued about how married Marines have the luxury to live in private quarters and come Friday are never inspected for field day; nor kept up to the same standards as those who live in the barracks.

“Those are the things we need to address immediately because the Marines we have today are smarter than when we came in,” said Estrada to the leaders. “Some of their expectations are a lot higher than ours as they should be. We need to treat them a little better, and I need your help with that.

“If the plumbing goes out in housing maintenance fixes it right away,” said Estrada. “It’s a different story when something breaks in the barracks.”

Lance Cpl. Mike E. Billy, barracks manager, Alpha Company, Headquarters Battalion, agrees the barracks are in desperate need of help, and anything wrong within the rooms should be reported immediately to the barracks manager or S-3 shop.

Billy said a Marine should contact their barracks manager, who would submit a work request via the Maxio system, which Facilities Maintenance Division aboard the base uses.

Once submitted, a request should normally fixed or otherwise addressed within three business days, but because of other FMD commitments around the Combat Center, work may take up to a week to be fixed, he said.

Estrada said the Marine Corps is changing and leaving the dinosaur way of thinking behind. The change will affect single Marines who make up approximately 55 percent of the Marine Corps. The commandant of the Marine Corps tripled funding to $150 million to ensure adequate barracks around the corps and made the quality of life for single Marines one of his top priorities.

After touring the range facilities and Mainside, Estrada ended his visit aboard the Combat Center by speaking to enlisted Marines of all ranks to pass guidance and answer questions.

Ellie