Three years ago when my son was a company commander with lots of Marines and gear, one of his guys turned over an MRAP. This was when a rash of turnovers were happening and making the news. He told me later he drove out to the training area in his POV at top speed through the hinderland of Camp Pendleton to first check on the driver and A-driver and then to choke them because he knew when he got back to battalion he would be fired. Fortunately for all, the Marines were belted in, wearing helmets, and all gear was properly secured. The cause of the rollover was aided by the road being washed out by a heavy rain. DS lived to handle the next subordinate caused crisis.
Not long after that, the AAV went down in the Pacific killing a few Marines and their Doc. The battalion commander was relieved and repercussions were felt up to the commandant's office.
In IDC school we were told the only things taught about our job aboard ship in PCO/PXO school were the things that the IDC did that could get the CO and/or XO fired. That was probably not totally true but close. It used to be and is probably still true that Independent Duty Corpsmen were the reason for the highest number of UPLRs, unplanned loss reports. A good number of IDCs either get relieved for cause or the job is so difficult they just quit. I've never felt the burden of command but have felt the weight of the responsibility that keeps both me and my boss from being escorted off the ship.
My greatest fear for my son other than the obvious is him losing one of his people. That kind of hurt never heals. The next is him having his career ruined because of the actions of others that he had no control over but was still responsible for.
