Ousted Marine General Defends Using ‘N-Word’ as ‘Teaching Moment’

A previous U.S. Maritime Corps basic, who was relieved of his command in excess of his use of a racial slur, argued that he was “instructing” his subordinates a lesson, according to an interior investigation report.

A report supplied to Stars and Stripes by the inspector standard (IG) of the Maritime Corps aspects the July 2020 incident involving Main Basic Stephen Neary applying the n-word though speaking to junior troops. Neary advised IG that he took offense to the term and applied it at the minute to set an illustration.

“I was working with this as a instructing minute, is what I was doing,” Neary advised the IG. “Mainly because yet again, there is no location for discriminatory habits at all, in our Maritime Corps, throughout the board.”

On the morning of July 22, 2020, Neary had just concluded his bodily teaching when he overheard the track “Place It On,” by rapper Big L, remaining played by a group of Junior Marines.

Neary explained he was offended by the phrase and asked the team to convert off the music.

“You cannot play songs that use n***** in it for the reason that it is counter to excellent get and discipline. … We have a trouble when we assume it is satisfactory. Glimpse what is going on across our country,” Neary mentioned in his account to the IG.

Neary asked the Junior Marines how they would really feel if he mentioned the phrase.

In the minute, the Junior Marines had been shocked that Neary, a white gentleman, stated the total word, in accordance to the report.

“Neary said the phrase should in no way be utilized and it is a term of loathe,'” according to a statement by just one of the Maritime witnesses.

The witnesses’ statement went on to say that Neary explained to the group that the n-word “is the reason ‘you people’ are executing riots in the U.S.”

The incident transpired during the time of national protests in opposition to law enforcement brutality, including the murder of George Floyd by then-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.

Neary acknowledged stating the n-term as soon as, in accordance to the IG report, but denied he utilized it numerous times. He also denied stating “you people today.”

The testimony of other Marines was consistent, and the report asserts that their statements corroborated just one one more.

Neary joined the Marines in 1988 and was a job infantry officer who served in Functions Desert Protect and Desert Storm as a organization commander and as a battalion commander all through Operation Iraqi Liberty, in accordance to his formal unit biography.

He was relieved of his command in October 2020. Neary retired from the Marines previously this year.

“Neary unsuccessful to demonstrate exemplary perform, as outlined by the normal, as a result of his insensitive reviews and lack of consciousness and appreciation for how divisive his use of a racial slur would be on his group and offensive to his Marines,” the IG said.

Newsweek arrived at out to the Marine Corps for remark.