For the first time since I joined the Marine Corps in 1969, I am ashamed of the organization. Until now, no Marine Corps commandant has been accused of lying to the American public. On January 15th of this year, General Eric Smith told a whopper. When asked by a group of reporters what the Corps’ position was, Smith answered unequivocally; “As far as DEI, the Marine Corps has not had DEI programs, never have.” 

That statement is a bare faced lie. Starting in 2021, the sitting commandant, General David Berger, slavishly complied with the guidance of the new Biden administration to embrace DEI as service doctrine. Berger went all in. In his human resources guidance called “Manpower 2030,” Berger created a vibrant program to implement DEI across the Corps.

A Special Assistant for DEI was hired and an office established. General Smith was the assistant commandant at that time. When Smith became commandant, he did nothing to change Berger’s policies until President Trump made it clear that DEI was persona non grata in the federal government. Suddenly, all mention of DEI was scrubbed from the Marine Corps’ website. Presumably, the commandant’s DEI advisor is — or soon will be — unemployed along with his staff.  What amazes me is that Smith thought he could get away with his assertation that the program never existed.

No one has ever accused Smith of being the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but the enormity of the lie is so blatant and the truth so transparent that his incompetence is staggering;  did he truly believe that deleting something from a website wipes it out completely?