The scandal involving hundreds of members of the Marine Corps who are accused of sharing nude photos of servicewomen has been bubbling under the surface of the news. But it’s about to get a whole lot worse, as investigators have tracked it back to a much larger scandal that threatens to engulf the entirety of the armed forces.
To this point, what’s been known is that several hundred Marines had been apparently collecting and sharing nude photos of servicewomen via a Facebook group. Calling itself “Marines United,” and first breaking wide via the Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal podcast, the group members sorted the pictures by name, rank, base location, and even included contact information. And, unfortunately, it appears the scandal has spread beyond just the Marines.
Business Insider is reporting that the Facebook group turns out to be an off-shoot of an imageboard dating from at least May 2016:
Hundreds of nude photos of female service members from every military branch have been posted to an image-sharing message board that dates back to at least May 2016. A source informed Business Insider of the site’s existence on Tuesday.
The site, called AnonIB, has a dedicated board for military personnel that features dozens of threaded conversations of men, many of whom ask for “wins” — naked photographs — of specific female service members, often identifying the women by name or by where they are currently stationed.
In other words, it’s not just sexual harassment from one branch of the military, but a cabal across all the branches with specifically targeted sexual harassment. It should be noted the military doesn’t treat this lightly: Every individual on this message board is facing court martial if pinpointed.
As for what happens next, and how this will unfold, that will happen next week. Marine Commandant Robert Neller, the highest-ranking Marine, will be briefing the House Armed Services Committee on the scandal next week, and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service is delving into the issue as well. However, it appears that a public case is all but inevitable: Two victims of the scandal, one an active duty Marine, have met with high-profile attorney Gloria Allred to explore legal options.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Marine Corps released a statement through Commandant General Robert Neller, who condemned the actions of those involved:
“When I hear allegations of Marines denigrating their fellow Marines, I don’t think such behavior is that of true warriors or war fighters … unfortunately, it appears that some Marines may have forgotten these fundamental truths, and instead have acted selfishly and unprofessionally through their actions on social media.”
(Via CNN, Business Insider & Reuters)