Prank calls, harassment, and doxxing fears drove the Marine unit sent to LA to pull down its website
Marines took down their website to avoid harassment amid LA deployment backlash.
The unit was deployed to support law enforcement during immigration protests in Los Angeles.
Military trust is waning, highlighting a civil-military divide and potential misunderstandings.
The Marine Corps unit sent to Los Angeles amid local unrest and anti-ICE protests opted to take down its website to shield its members from being bombarded by angry calls, targeted by prank callers, harassment, and doxxing.
The Secretary of Defense tasked the unit, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, also known as "2/7," days ago to deploy to LA in response to the protests and in support of federal law enforcement. Around 2,000 US Army National Guard soldiers were tasked to the city prior to the announcement that roughly 700 Marines would be heading that way.
The Marines haven't yet been put to work for the US Northern Command-led mission known as Task Force 51, NORTHCOM spokesperson Capt. Mayrem Morales told Business Insider, adding that they've spent recent days receiving training for crowd control and de-escalation— missions for which Marines are not typically trained.
The order has put the Marines in the middle of national political divisions, with some Americans upset enough to spam government phone numbers.
"We received initial reporting from the unit that there were prank calls to all the numbers listed on the website for the Command Duty Officer and other numbers listed on the website," 1st Marine Division spokesman Lt. Col. Lucas Burke wrote in an email to Business Insider.
A "command duty officer" is a service member appointed to stand watch over a unit for a 24-hour period. Such postings are routine for leaders and can quickly become critical. The phone line is often the first to receive urgent news regarding unit member emergencies, meaning that prank calls to such numbers could stop information from reaching those in charge.
Concerns extended to Marines' families, contributing to the decision to remove the website. "Once the mission is complete and the Marines safely return home, we will immediately restore the website," he said.
"This was done trying to protect members of the unit from being doxxed or harassed," Burke said on a phone call, explaining that the website's removal was only temporary and done out of safety concerns.
Such unease is uncommon for active-duty units, often too busy with training to rile up such sentiments. The military has enjoyed high public trust for decades, though research indicates such trust has waned in recent years, becoming increasingly fragile.
Outsiders harassing military personnel could be symptomatic of the growing civil-military divide, the growing chasm between those who serve and those who don't.
Members of the armed forces are often, though not always, confined to remote bases like Twentynine Palms, California, over two hours east of Los Angeles. Military recruitment continues to rely heavily on families who already have histories of service, and the US veteran population is on the decline. Many Americans may only see uniformed service members at airports, fostering fundamental misunderstandings about the people who serve and who is calling the shots.
Protestors met Marines departing their base and arriving at Los Angeles, despite the Marine leaders having little choice in the matter. Missions, normally coordinated with state and local leaders, originate from much higher levels — in this case, from the Secretary of Defense.
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