60page

go to www.marineshop.net.
60page

www.mca-marines.org/gazette
60page

58 <a href="http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette">www.mca-marines.org/gazette</a> M a r i n e C o r p s G a z e t t e • M a y 2 0 0 9 IDEAS & ISSUES (MCCS) or even advertise happy hours. Military police positioned themselves at the clubs every weekend, and a climate of fear settled onto the club scene. In this setting, as membership and attendance dwindled, the clubs began to transition from active duty social hangouts into retiree and civilian dining facilities. In 1997 Gen Krulak visited the cap- tains at Amphibious Warfare School to discuss, among other things, the noted decline in company grade retention rates. A few officers raised concern over the recent closing of the Quantico O’Club, Harry Lee Hall, and the estab- lishment of the new “trimod” multiser- vice club in its place. The Com- mandant respectfully told the captains that what was lacking was the officers’ esprit de corps from his company grade days. Arguably, the esprit of the cap- tains in the mid-1990s was well intact; what was lacking was an appropriate venue to bond and foster that critical aspect of comradeship. O’Clubs across the country followed Quantico’s lead, and with the creation of Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) at about the same time, the focus of the club system shifted from supporting the needs and desires of our corporals and captains into a bureau- cratic business most concerned with “making a buck.” The last decade saw officer club membership across our Corps dwindle, trimods and their like replace traditional separate facilities, and a generic watering down of the club experience in general. Today, the offi- cers’ club has become more of a dining facility focused on catering and buffets, a restaurant for lunch and brunch, than it is an establishment to support the so- cial gatherings and morale-building and camaraderie-fostering events, (such as professional military education (PME) get togethers, and yes, happy hour), for our officers. This is no secret: the trans- formation that has occurred over the last 10-plus years is well known to all, and in an effort to jump-start the dying club system, the Commandant, Gen James T. Conway, ordered an end to all dues with the hope that it would spur more attendance and interest in the suf- fering tradition of club gatherings. Although this was a welcome ges- ture and a well-intentioned attempt by our senior leader to save the club, many think it missed the mark. Dues is not the problem; the clubs’ focus is. People will always pay for a good product. No one expects or needs the lingerie shows or bottle smashing debauchery of the 1980s or wants an irresponsible return to condoned alcohol abuse. But there are creative ways we can improve the O’Club so Marines young and old will again want to go there, even if they have to pay dues. Here are a few suggestions: • Rewrite the rules to allow the use of the terms “happy hour” and “ladies’ night,” and include drink (and other) discounts. The Corps is collectively smart enough to act like adults without being prudish and should be able to offer incentives for patronage that are not offensive to the average person. End the reign of po- litical correctness and get over the cli- Restore the camraderie, “Here’s health to you and to our Corps.”* (Happy Hour by LtCol R.L. Cody.) *The print is available through MCA. To order <a href="http://www.marineshop.net">go to www.marineshop.net.</a>