This congressman wants to change the title of Department of Navy

As US Rep. Walter Jones continues a 15-year effort in Washington to re-designate the title of the Department of Navy, not everyone in his North Carolina home and military community sees the need.

Retired Marine Col. Pete Grimes of Hubert refers to the adage "If it's not broke, don't fix it" when asked about Jones' fight to re-name the Department of Navy the Department of Navy and Marine Corps.

Beyond the surface of the name change, Grimes doesn't see any benefit to the organization by disrupting the status quo.

"Why change the name? What does it achieve? At the end, I can't think of anything that would improve the stature of the Marine Corps," Grimes.

Jones has seen things differently.

He first introduced a proposal to change the title of the department to Department of the Navy and Marine Corps in 2001 and has stuck to his belief that the two separate services deserve equal recognition.

The House Armed Services Committee passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018. As a member of the committee, Jones was involved in drafting the defense bill and has several measures attached, including the re-designation of the Department of Navy title.

"The Marine Corps is an equal member of this department, and therefore, deserves equal recognition in its title," Jones said in remarks on getting the language included in the defense bill.

Jones said the defense bill is expected to go to the House floor for a vote in July. If successful, NDAA will then go to the Senate.

Retired Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Ball of Jacksonville, who served 23 years in the Marine Corps, said whatever name is used is a matter of perception and will vary by a person's point of view. Regardless of the name, Ball said the operations of the two services are separate and should stay that way.

He said the organization as it is now has been working well.

"Leave it the way it is," Ball said.

Brian Kramer, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, said the unique Navy-Marine Corps relationship is an exceptional one within the Department of Defense that should not be changed. He questions whether a name change now could lead to larger, negative changes later.

"I am a traditionalist, and on this issue I think the longstanding relationship between the Navy and the Marine Corps should remain unchanged. This relationship has served both services exceptionally well over the centuries. We ( Marines) are called 'Soldiers of the Sea' for a reason," Kramer said. "Our roots are with the Navy, and I see the short-term 'feel-good' benefit of a name change having possible long-term negative consequences. Might this be a first step to the Corps being a separate service? I am not certain we want to go there."

Retired Navy Capt. Rick Welton of Swansboro doesn't have a particular opinion on the proposed change the Department of Navy's title but agreed that the two services have long had a history of working together.

"We've been working as a team from the beginning," Welton said. "We have depended on each other, worked with each other, and done outstanding things together."