Military Bullying

In school and in the workplace, standing up to a bully can be hard but it is possible and leaving the situation is also an option. For bullying that occurs in the military, victims have a much harder time coping. For military personnel who are subjected to bullying by their peers and even superior officers, they have little recourse or ways to seek help. Military bullying is common in the armed forces and has even caused quite a few suicides in the armies of various countries. Although the armed forces have policies on hazing and bullying, they often go un enforced and military bullying continues. Bullying in the military is a very serious issue, although it is often overlooked.

In the civilian world, bullying victims can stand up to their bullies, file claims against them, and seek other forms of help. In the armed forces, soldiers are subject to severe discipline and have no realistic options to fight bullying. Soldiers are isolated both socially and by having to reside only on base or in the field. Military Bullying victims cannot seek outside help or the help of other officers for fear of severe discipline. Often the military bullying occurs from a senior officer to a lower ranking soldier so they have no way to fight back. Trapped in this vicious cycle, many soldiers seek out suicide as their only option to stop the violence.

Soldiers are usually unable to leave the base or the field for prolonged amounts of time, which prevents them from getting help. They are trapped in their situation, isolated and venerable to more bullying. They are forced to endure bullying with no way to take action. The military environment is the perfect environment for bullying to thrive as it is based on a hierarchy and solders are forced to prove that they are macho and worthy of service. Although the military environment is the perfect catalyst for bullying, there is no reason why it should occur and damages the lives of countless solders.

Even older personnel are not immune to military bullying, even though it most commonly occurs with new recruits. Older officers can be bullied into leaving their position early or to make decisions in the favor of other officers. Many times older personnel are bullied into retiring early to save on pension costs. Even when confronted with the problem of military bullying, few people admit that it is quite common and can have serious consequences. Because of the attitude of the armed forces, bullying is often overlooked which is a tragedy for those victimized.

There have been numerous cases of suicides form severe military bullying and even cases that appeared to be homicides but were never found as such. Even though the military environment seems to necessitate bullying, it should not be allowed. The rules and regulations that are supposed to stop military bullying are seldom followed, allowing bullying to continue unchecked in the military. Many cases of military bullying are covered up or denied to lessen the seriousness of the problem.