Over the weekend, an explosive report circulated online stating that the Department of Defense was investigating a Facebook group called Marines United. According to allegations, the group contained Marines who shared hundreds of naked photographs of female service members and veterans. Even more troubling, full names, ranks, and duty stations were shared for more than two dozen women.
Many of those women currently serve on active duty. There was also an incident where a female Marine stationed in North Carolina was followed on base and photographed as she picked up her gear. Those photographs were then published online. The comments that accompanied the photos were disturbing. Many participants wrote that the person taking the photo should sexually assault the female service member. The sexually explicit comments continued.
The group was exposed by a nonprofit news organization run by a Marine veteran and reported to the Marine Corps. After the initial report, accounts were shut down and an investigation was launched. Despite investigations, the photograph sharing continued online. While it may seem easy to blame the victims, this is a disgusting act by those who are supposed to be serving their country honorably. This is not an instance of “boys will be boys.” There’s no doubt that a good majority of the photographs were probably shared in confidence, intended for only one recipient. What consenting adults do among themselves is their business. These men crossed the line not only by sharing nude photographs of fellow service members and veterans, but by stalking them and advocating sexual assault and even rape.
The Marine Corps ended up contacting the employer of the person who initiated the file sharing drive, and he was subsequently fired as a government subcontractor. Some of the women spoke about the incident, and believe their photos were leaked by former partners. One woman even said she was alerted about her nude photos being posted in the group by one of her coworkers. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable that had to have been. To me, the most alarming aspect is the fact that one female service member was actually stalked and photographed unknowingly while she conducted her duties. That particular woman spoke with a media outlet, where she said she fears retaliation for this scandal.
These participants also freely shared the women’s social media handles and locations, clearly encouraging actual contact with the women. This conduct can be devastating for an environment like the military. It leads to distrust among service members. These men betrayed not only their fellow service members, but the Marine Corps itself. How can these women trust the men next to them when it turns out there were around 30,000 followers of the group in question? The veteran who exposed the group has received death threats towards not only himself, but his family. Some Marines have even suggested that he be tortured and murdered for reporting the group. Thankfully, there are men like him in the world who will stand up and say when something is wrong.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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