The Virgin Island’s National Guard (VING), an organization that was once know for its strong presence in the community, is now depleting in size due to many issues. Losing one of their biggest units, and the older generation of leaders being toxic and nonchalant about the issues of their subordinates, the current number of soldiers is at an all time low. Another major issues within the VING is its low moral, the soldiers of the VING have had enough. Toxic leadership will ruin any organization, and the VING may be the next to fall victim of this. Cliques, favoritism, pay issues that have been reported and brought up to commanding officers, but haven’t been resolved, are only a few of the issues that is driving the VING into the ground. Higher ranking commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers treat these issues as they are unimportant and sweep them under the rug, create disgruntled soldiers who no longer want to attend monthly drills, or any trainings. Soldiers are being reprimanded for not showing up to drills, due to the lost of hope for change, but commanders are not being held responsible for not dealing with the issues of the soldiers who they are supposed to lead.
Many soldiers have pay issues, whether it may be receiving the wrong payment amount for their rank, not receiving their housing benefits (OHA), or even acquiring debts that is not if their doing. Why would a soldier want to attend drills/trainings, if their basic needs aren’t being met. Some soldiers are depending on these pay checks to survive, even if they aren’t they deserved to be paid on time and the correct amount that deserve. Soldiers should not feel reject or used by their command.
Another major issue within the organization is that newer soldiers are being promoted before the ones that have laid the grown work for them. A soldier can be up to par with their performance, but if you do not kiss up to your leadership or are not part of their clique, that soldier will not be promoted. Again making soldiers feel like they are not good enough, and make them want to leave the island to join another states National Guard, the active military, or even get out of the military as a whole.
Regardless of ranking structure, soldiers are people too and are supposed to trust those of higher ranking to deal with the situations above for them. This toxicity will destroy this organization as it is, and the VING could end up no longer being recognized as an organization by the Federal Government if the numbers keep decreasing. We need to see a change.
Feel free to edit and take credit, I don’t exist, this just needs to be said.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR BY: “Tex George.”