Marines receive 'second chance' for minor offenses

[thedrifter]

Marines receive 'second chance' for minor offenses


Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification Number: 2003124194721
Story by Cpl. Ryan D. Libbert



CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan -- In the course of two weeks, Pvt. Kyle M. Garbisch, rifleman, Company C, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, currently assigned to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, has come from being a minor offender to one of the leaders in his current unit.

Garbisch, a Sheboygan, Wis. native, is the platoon guide for an 18-man platoon known as The Correctional Custody Unit, or CCU - a program that turns wayward Marines into self-disciplined, small-unit leaders.

"During the two weeks I have been here I have learned the basics of troop welfare and how to motivate people," Garbisch stated. "The instructors and superiors here have helped us out a lot by teaching us different ways on how not to screw up our lives."

Correctional Custody Unit is a "second-chance" program lasting up to 30 days, which Marines on their initial enlistment can be sent to when they commit various minor offenses. According to Gunnery Sgt. Charles D. Rudisel, Staff Noncommissioned Officer in charge of CCU, the program teaches junior Marines the basics of teamwork.

"During each rotation through CCU we teach the Marines how to become productive individuals," the Brooklyn, N.Y. native said. "It is our goal for each Marine to return to their respective units with small-unit leadership traits and the ability to know right from wrong - to step up to the plate and take corrective action when needed."

Rudisel and his staff of correctional specialists (MOS 5831) accomplish this by putting the "awardees" through a daily routine of physical training, classroom lectures and working parties.

Every day begins with reveille at 5:30 a.m. and ends with taps at 9:30 p.m. Physical training routines include drills with a log, a five-mile forced march with a pack full of stones, breaking rocks with sledgehammers, and a weekly Marine Corps physical fitness test.

Classroom lectures include teaching the Marines various topics from the Battle Skills Training Handbook such as core values, counseling and financial benefits.

Afternoons are spent in working parties across Okinawa. The awardees are tasked with various chores supporting units and organizations in need of a helping hand.

Marines are also given other tasks during their time in CCU such as leadership positions as guide or squad leader to teach them responsibility and how to lead their peers.

The program has helped hundreds of Marines on Okinawa, but CCU is not limited to just devildogs on island, according to Rudisel.

"We receive around 170 Marines and sailors annually from all over the Pacific to include Iwakuni, Sasebo and Guam," Rudisel mentioned. "CCU has been very successful; it's very rare that I get a repeat offender."

Servicemembers are awarded CCU for minor infractions such as underage drinking, unauthorized absence charges or larceny offenses. Unit commanders at the company and battalion level have the authority to send their wayward Marines and sailors to CCU, but it is on a first-come/first-serve basis. Soldiers, airmen and female servicemembers are not admitted.

Learning the basics of becoming an effective Marine through disciplinary action may seem a lot like the training taking place at recruit depots in Parris Island, S.C. and San Diego, Calif., but as Rudisel explains, the process is different.

"CCU is structured relatively the same as boot camp, but there is a difference," Rudisel said. "These Marines are treated as (Marines) and not like recruits because they have earned the title."

After experiencing the lessons taught at CCU for two weeks, Garbisch agrees with Rudisel's claims.

"It doesn't even compare to boot camp," Garbisch stated. "The instructors focus more on motivating the awardees to complete a task rather than breaking us down."

The future of CCU is unknown as far as expanding, but the positive feedback it has produced from numerous commanding officers has permanently kept the program on Okinawa.

"Correctional Custody Unit is a great asset to the Marine Corps," Rudisel concluded. "Marines who are given a second chance and are sent to us normally recover from their errors. When they leave CCU they realize they are on a path to having a great experience in the Marine Corps, they just forgot something along the way that we instill back into them."



CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan - Private Kyle M. Garbisch, awardee at Correctional Custody Unit, demonstrates the rock-breaking drill awardees are forced to go through at CCU. Instructors at CCU motivate "second-chance" Marines and sailors by teaching them teamwork and leadership principles.
Photo by: Cpl. Ryan D. Libbert

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...4?opendocument


Sempers,

Roger