Marine Corps News Room

Jan 19, 2016 | by Hope Hodge Seck

A new directive from Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller announces dramatic changes to the service set to take place by the end of next year.

Continue reading "Marine Commandant Announces New Promotion, Cyber Warfar" »

Posted by KC at 7:03 PM | Permalink

Jan 13, 2016 | by Amy Bushatz

U.S. military installations are no longer allowing visitors to gain base access using official ID cards from five states -- and other installations may soon follow.

Continue reading "Military Bases No Longer Accepting IDs from Five States" »

Posted by KC at 7:32 PM | Permalink

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff January 12, 2016

The Marine Corps is set to allow women who have done the training to assume combat jobs and titles that had previously been closed to them.

Continue reading "Marine Corps to award job titles such as ‘Rifleman’ to women who have completed infantry training" »

Posted by KC at 6:53 PM | Permalink

Dec 29, 2015 | by Hope Hodge Seck

Starting Jan. 1, Hawaii-based Marines will have to be 21 to smoke -- or they could face state and Marine Corps penalties.

Continue reading "Marines Will Comply With Hawaii Law Raising Smoking Age to 21" »

Posted by KC at 5:26 PM | Permalink

By Lance M. Bacon, Staff writer 12:52 p.m. EST December 23, 2015

Marines can expect some big fitness changes in the year ahead

Continue reading "Marine fitness review: Big changes in store for 2016" »

Posted by KC at 10:36 PM | Permalink

By Cpl. Aria Herrera
14 Dec 2015

WASHINGTON -- The 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller approved lock and twist hairstyles in uniform, Dec. 14, 2015.

Continue reading "UNIFORM BOARD DECISION UPDATES HAIR REGULATIONS" »

Posted by KC at 10:04 PM | Permalink

By Lance M. Bacon, Staff writer 6 p.m. EST November 23, 2015

Due to technical difficulties with Marine Online, hundreds of officers selected for career designation were not notified of their selection. Marine officials have now created a work-around, and selected officers have until Dec. 20 to accept or decline the offer.

Continue reading "Glitch leaves hundreds of Marine officers unclear about career designation" »

Posted by KC at 6:47 PM | Permalink

U.S. Marine Corps video by Sgt. James R. Skelton
Date Posted:11.17.2015 10:03AM

U.S. Marine Corps commanding officer of Marine Corps Combat Service Support Schools, addresses his policy on hazing.

Continue reading "Video: Hazing Policy" »

Posted by KC at 10:57 PM | Permalink

Courtesy video, (U.S. Marine Corps courtesy motion media/Released):
Date Posted:10.23.2015 6:26PM

Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller and SgtMaj of the Marine Corps Ronald Green speak to Marines and Sailors about our history, esprit de corps and "The Legacy Within."

Continue reading "Video: The 240th Marine Corps Birthday Message" »

Posted by KC at 11:23 PM | Permalink

By Sgt. Melissa Karnath, Defense Media Activity
24 Sep 2015

WASHINGTON -- General Robert Neller received the battle colors of the Marine Corps from Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. during a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, Sept. 24, 2015, signifying his new position as the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Continue reading "PASSAGE OF COMMAND: NELLER BECOMES 37TH COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS, DUNFORD SET TO BECOME JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN" »

Posted by KC at 4:23 PM | Permalink

By Sgt. Eric Keenan, Defense Media Activity
17 Sep 2015

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. --
Employees of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency trained Marines from the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab how to operate “Spot,” a quadruped prototype robot, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Sept. 16, 2015.

Continue reading "FOUR-LEGGED ROBOT RUNS TOWARD POTENTIAL FUTURE WITH MARINE INFANTRY" »

Posted by KC at 10:08 PM | Permalink

By Gretel C. Kovach | 5 p.m. Sept. 1, 2015

Will the Marine Corps fight to keep women out of the infantry? Female Marines who volunteered for research to help the commandant decide that question are eager to find out, along with many others tracking the contentious debate over women in combat.

Continue reading "Marine women look back on historic combat experiment" »

Posted by KC at 8:28 PM | Permalink

By Leo Shane III, Staff writer 11:08 a.m. EDT July 30, 2015

The Senate confirmed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday, after a brief dispute between Pentagon leaders and the chamber's leading critic of military sexual assault policy.

Continue reading "Senate confirms Dunford as next Joint Chiefs Chairman" »

Posted by KC at 9:43 AM | Permalink

By Michele Katz (PopularMilitary.com)
July 28, 2015

It’s the weapon of choice, the “world’s gold standard” — in urban, close-quarter combat that is.

Continue reading "M4 carbine expected to replace M16 as new universal weapon for infantrymen" »

Posted by KC at 10:09 PM | Permalink

By Courtesy Story , Headquarters Marine Corps
17 Jul 2015

PENTAGON -- It is with deep regret and heartfelt sorrow that the Marine Corps can officially confirm that the following Marines were killed on July 16, 2015, at the combined Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee:

Continue reading "MARINES IDENTIFIED IN CHATTANOOGA SHOOTING" »

Posted by KC at 9:52 AM | Permalink

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No: NR-265-15July 06, 2015

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced today the 2015 recipients of the Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence:

Continue reading "DOD Announces Winners of the 2015 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence" »

Posted by KC at 7:10 AM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck and Aaron Mehta, Staff writers 8:12 p.m. EDT July 1, 2015

Lt. Gen. Robert Neller is the Obama administration's choice to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as 37th commandant of the Marine Corps, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced Wednesday.

Continue reading "Lt. Gen. Robert Neller tapped as next commandant of the Marine Corps" »

Posted by KC at 11:47 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe June 24, 2015

After years of debate, the Marine Corps’ elite Special Operations force just made a major change, adopting the name of the combat-hardened Raider units that fought in the fierce Pacific island-hopping campaign of World War II. Marine officials marked the decision Friday with a brief ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C., 10 months after the decision was made.

Continue reading "How elite, newly renamed Marine Raider units will visually mark history" »

Posted by KC at 7:40 AM | Permalink

Associated Press | Jun 19, 2015 | by Jonathan Drew

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Army has the Green Berets, while the Navy is known for the SEALs. Now, an elite branch of the U.S. Marine Corps will officially be known as Raiders.

Continue reading "Rangers, SEALs, Now Raiders: Marines Resurrect Historic Name" »

Posted by KC at 2:08 AM | Permalink

By Derrick Perkins, Staff writer 11:58 a.m. EDT May 26, 2015

The Marine Corps will likely promote more than 4,000 sergeants to staff sergeants this year, the highest number since before the start of the drawdown.

Continue reading "Sergeants see best promotion outlook since drawdown began" »

Posted by KC at 9:10 PM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck, Staff writer 12:47 p.m. EDT May 8, 2015

Gen. Joseph Dunford's nomination to succeed Army Gen. Martin Dempsey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff leaves the Marine Corps in need of a new top officer for the second time in less than a year. But it also represents history in the making for the Corps: If confirmed by the Senate, Dunford will become only the second Marine general in history to hold the prestigious position.

Continue reading "Dunford's Marine background prepped him for Joint Chiefs role" »

Posted by KC at 12:50 PM | Permalink

Lt. Gen. Michael S. Tucker
April 5, 2015

Today has been designated as Gold Star Wives Day.

Continue reading "Honor a Gold Star family" »

Posted by KC at 8:15 AM | Permalink

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑAMARCH 16, 2015

The four Louisiana National Guard members who died last week in a helicopter crash near the Gulf Coast had multiple deployments to war zones and a long record of responding to hurricanes, floods and oil spills, Guard commanders said Monday.

Continue reading "Guard Says Crash Victims Were Men to Be Proud Of" »

Posted by KC at 7:03 PM | Permalink

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2015 – The Defense Department’s Warrior Games 2015 will take place June 19-28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, according to a DoD news release issued today.

Continue reading "2015 Warrior Games to be Held at Quantico" »

Posted by KC at 2:54 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl Cuong L
Date Posted:02.20.2015 15:09

FORT GEORGE G. Meade, Md. -- The 17th Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Micheal Barrett relinquished his post to the 18th Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green on Feb. 20, 2015, at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Continue reading "Post of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps changes hands" »

Posted by KC at 8:02 AM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck, Staff writer 3:17 p.m. EST February 20, 2015

ARLINGTON, Va. — The mercury read a bitter 6 degrees here as the post of sergeant major of the Marine Corps changed hands from Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett to Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green.

Continue reading "Green becomes Corps' new sergeant major as Barrett retires" »

Posted by KC at 7:55 AM | Permalink

Courtesy Video
Date Posted:02.20.2015 12:16PM

The relief and appointment ceremony for the Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial. During the ceremony Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett turned over the office to Sgt. Maj. Ronald Green.

Continue reading "Video: Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Relief and Appointment" »

Posted by KC at 10:53 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Photos
Date Posted:02.20.2015 13:53

Sgt. Maj. Micheal P. Barrett and Sergeant Major Ronald L. Green at the Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, Virginia, Feb. 20, 2015 in a relief and appointment ceremony. The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is selected by the Commandant, and typically serves a four-year term, though his service is at the discretion of the Commandant.

Continue reading "Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Relief and Appointment Ceremony" »

Posted by KC at 10:31 PM | Permalink

James K. Sanborn 2:41 p.m. EST February 14, 2015

Quantico officials have released a Corps-wide warning about the dangers of pure caffeine powder, a teaspoon of which can contain the equivalent of about 25 cups of coffee and result in a dangerous overdose.

Continue reading "Corps, FDA: Caffeine powder can be deadly" »

Posted by KC at 10:39 AM | Permalink

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2015 – As he prepares to leave office, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today said farewell to the military and civilian men and women of the Defense Department’s workforce in a statement, noting it’s been “a tremendous privilege” to serve as the nation’s top defense official. Here is Hagel’s statement:

Continue reading "Hagel Bids Farewell to Defense Department Workforce" »

Posted by KC at 12:04 PM | Permalink

By James Rogers
Published February 11, 2015 FoxNews.com

Military spouses are the latest target of the hacking group describing itself as “CyberCaliphate,” which claims affiliation to the Islamic State.

Continue reading "Military spouses targeted in twisted ‘CyberCaliphate’ hack" »

Posted by KC at 4:18 PM | Permalink

By Terri Moon Cronk
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2015 – As tax season begins, Defense Department officials want to remind TRICARE beneficiaries of changes in the tax laws, which require all Americans to have health care insurance or potentially pay a tax penalty.

Continue reading "TRICARE Patients Must Attest to Health Care Coverage" »

Posted by KC at 8:54 PM | Permalink

Jan 15, 2015 | by Amy Bushatz

Tricare users will need to identify themselves and their families on their 2014 tax forms as having healthcare coverage, Defense Department officials said, or risk paying a fine.

Continue reading "Tricare Users Must Self Identify on 2014 Tax Forms" »

Posted by KC at 6:15 PM | Permalink

Courtesy video
Date Posted:12.22.2014 3:05PM

Commandant of the Marine Corps General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., and his wife, Mrs. Dunford, send their holiday greetings to Marines and their families.

Continue reading "Commandant and Mrs. Dunford's 2014 Holiday Message" »

Posted by KC at 10:04 PM | Permalink

Courtesy video
Date Posted:12.22.2014 3:05PM

Commandant of the Marine Corps General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., and his wife, Mrs. Dunford, send their holiday greetings to Marines and their families.

Continue reading "Commandant and Mrs. Dunford's 2014 Holiday Message" »

Posted by KC at 10:04 PM | Permalink

Release No: NR-627-14
December 22, 2014

Today, the Department of Defense announced the 2015 military pay and compensation rates for service members.

Continue reading "DoD Releases 2015 Military Pay and Compensation Rates" »

Posted by KC at 6:46 PM | Permalink

By Sara Fischer, CNN
updated 11:20 AM EST, Fri December 5, 2014

Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama announced Friday that Ash Carter is his pick to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

Continue reading "Obama nominates Ash Carter to lead Defense, Hagel not at ceremony" »

Posted by KC at 5:55 PM | Permalink

Gregory Korte, Tom Vanden Brook and David Jackson, USA TODAY 7:03 p.m. EST November 24, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Obama announced the resignation of Chuck Hagel Monday, commending the secretary of Defense for his "steady hand" through a period of transition for the United States' military.

Continue reading "Hagel bows out as Defense secretary" »

Posted by KC at 7:09 PM | Permalink

By Terri Moon Cronk
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed a policy change in new paycheck allotments to prevent unscrupulous commercial lenders from taking advantage of troops and their families, Pentagon officials said today.

Continue reading "New Allotment Rule Protects Troops From Lending Scams" »

Posted by KC at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Video by Cpl Fareeza Ali
Date Posted:11.7.2014 11:40AM

Secretary of the Navy wishes Marines a happy 239th birthday.

Continue reading "Video: SECNAV Gives Birthday Message to Marines" »

Posted by KC at 10:17 PM | Permalink

By William La Jeunesse, Dan Gallo
Published November 01, 2014
FoxNews.com

After 214 days in a Mexican prison, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi crossed the US – Mexican border Friday night, boarding a private jet for Florida shortly after 9 p.m., after a strong diplomatic push appeared to help convince a judge to release the former Marine on humanitarian grounds.

Continue reading "Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi freed from Mexican jail, immediately returns to US after strong diplomatic support" »

Posted by KC at 11:43 AM | Permalink

DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2014

Noting that the selflessness of military families “tells a story of unfailing duty and devotion,” President Barack Obama today signed a proclamation declaring November as Military Family Month.

Continue reading "Obama Designates November as Military Family Month" »

Posted by KC at 9:34 PM | Permalink

Release No: NR-553-14
October 31, 2014

The Department of Defense announced today that service members deployed abroad in support of Operation Inherent Resolve are eligible for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright signed a memorandum authorizing award of the medal.

Continue reading "DoD Authorizes Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal for Operation Inherent Resolve" »

Posted by KC at 6:04 PM | Permalink

By Jennifer Hlad
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 28, 2014

The death of Marine Cpl. Jordan L. Spears has been reclassified to indicate he died in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

Continue reading "Marine corporal is reclassified as 1st to die in Operation Inherent Resolve" »

Posted by KC at 10:33 PM | Permalink

By Jon Harper
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 17, 2014

WASHINGTON — Gen. Joseph Dunford became the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps on Friday, as Gen. James Amos closed the curtain on his controversial tenure.

Continue reading "Dunford takes over for Amos as commandant of the US Marine Corps" »

Posted by KC at 9:29 AM | Permalink

Oct. 3, 2014 - 06:00AM
Staff report

Soldiers and their families should be warned the Islamic State is calling on its followers in the United States to use social media sites to “find the addresses of service members, show up [at their homes] and slaughter them,” according to the Army Threat Integration Center.

Continue reading "Soldiers' families and homes may be IS targets, Army threat center reports" »

Posted by KC at 10:03 PM | Permalink

By Catherine HerridgePublished October 02, 2014FoxNews.com

An Army intelligence bulletin is warning U.S. military personnel to be vigilant after Islamic State militants called on supporters to scour social media for addresses of their family members – and to “show up [at their homes] and slaughter them."

Continue reading "Army warns US military personnel on ISIS threat to family members" »

Posted by KC at 10:45 PM | Permalink

By Jon Harper
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 1, 2014

WASHINGTON — With the midterm elections approaching, voting activists have developed a new online tool to make it easier for servicemembers deployed overseas to cast their votes.

Continue reading "New online tool helps troops overseas vote" »

Posted by KC at 10:28 PM | Permalink

Sep. 29, 2014 - 03:45AM |
By JOE GOULD and PAUL McLEARY

QUANTICO, VA. — The US Marine Corps is preparing to deploy about 2,100 grunts to be based out of Kuwait in a new unit configuration designed to respond to crises in the region, according to Corps officials.

Continue reading "New US Marine Corps Crisis Unit To Be Based in Kuwai" »

Posted by KC at 8:42 PM | Permalink

Story Number: NNS140915-17Release Date: 9/15/2014 3:15:00 PM

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (NNS) -- The Naval Supply Systems Command's (NAVSUP) mail-by dates for pre-Dec. 25 deliveries of holiday cards, letters, and packages were released Sept. 15.

Continue reading "NAVSUP Announces 2014 Holiday Season Mailing Deadlines" »

Posted by KC at 10:26 PM | Permalink

Published time: August 04, 2014 23:56
Edited time: August 05, 2014 02:13

Getting into a military base is about to get tougher even for well-credentialed individuals, as the Defense Department implements a new screening system that will subject people to FBI background checks every time they enter a facility.

Continue reading "FBI to enact tough new security procedures for military bases" »

Posted by KC at 7:39 PM | Permalink

Story by Hope Hodge Seck | Staff Writer
Jul. 28, 2014 - 04:09PM

The commandant of the Marine Corps has approved a new primary military occupational specialty that will allow Marine officers the opportunity to spend a career in the Corps’ special operations command.

Continue reading "Marines approve new primary MOS for MARSOC officers" »

Posted by KC at 9:33 PM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff Writer
Jul. 24, 2014 - 06:00AM

It’s official: Gen. Joseph “Fighting Joe” Dunford will be the 36th commandant of the Marine Corps.

Continue reading "Dunford confirmed as 36th commandant of the Marine Corps" »

Posted by KC at 7:36 AM | Permalink

Published July 03, 2014 FoxNews

A hurricane warning was issued for part of North Carolina's coast late Wednesday as Tropical Storm Arthur moved northward, threatening Fourth of July plans across the eastern seaboard.

Continue reading "Hurricane warning issued as Tropical Storm Arthur threatens July 4th plans along East Coast" »

Posted by KC at 12:03 AM | Permalink

Jun. 20, 2014 - 04:35PM
By Patricia Kime

New research links Iraq dust to sick soldiers
The Veterans Affairs Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry is now live.

Continue reading "Service members can now register on burn-pit list" »

Posted by KC at 9:54 AM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck
Jun. 10, 2014 - 06:00AM

Think you could provide a good home to a retiring Marine Corps IED detection dog?

Continue reading "Wanted: Good home for Marine Corps working dogs" »

Posted by KC at 9:46 PM | Permalink

By NHCP Public Affairs | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton | June 09, 2014

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. --
Sometimes it is difficult to know if and when to seek medical help for health problems, so having professional help at a moment’s notice is invaluable. The Military Health System’s (MHS) new Nurse Advice Line (NAL) for TRICARE beneficiaries does just that. TRICARE beneficiaries in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii can call the NAL toll-free twenty-four hours a day, seven days a wee
The NAL is a team of registered nurses who are available to answer a variety of urgent healthcare questions. They can help you decide whether self-care is the best option, or if it is better to see a healthcare provider. There will always be a live-person on the line to address beneficiary concerns.

Continue reading "Have medical questions? Call the TRICARE Nurse Advice Line" »

Posted by KC at 11:13 PM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck
Jun. 3, 2014 - 06:50PM

Officials with the Marine Corps military working dog program are looking to find homes for all the service’s improvised explosive device-sniffing dogs as the Corps’ requirement for these highly trained animals draws to a close.

Continue reading "Marine Corps to close its IED detection dogs specialty" »

Posted by KC at 10:20 AM | Permalink

Published May 27, 2014
FoxNews.com

President Obama announced Tuesday that he aims to keep 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the war formally ends later this year, while pledging a near-total withdrawal by the end of 2016.

Continue reading "Obama announces plan to keep 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan after 2014" »

Posted by sr at 5:18 PM | Permalink

Stars and Stripes
Published: May 24, 2014

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department announced Saturday it had canceled ongoing military exercises with Thailand as a result of the military coup in the Southeast Asian country.

Continue reading "US cancels military exercises with Thailand" »

Posted by sr at 4:32 PM | Permalink

Published May 21, 2014
Associated Press

NEW YORK – Well, hello, sailor!

Continue reading "Fleet Week returns to NYC after one-year absence" »

Posted by sr at 10:26 PM | Permalink

May 12
By RICK MONTGOMERY
The Kansas City Star

Army Sgt. 1st Class Terrence Hoard must reach potential recruits early to set them straight.

Continue reading "Military gets picky in recruiting; only 20% of applicants qualify" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 PM | Permalink

By Chris Carroll
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 12, 2014

WASHINGTON — Troops who deploy by the end of this month to nine Middle Eastern countries recently removed from the imminent danger pay location list will still qualify for R & R, according to a recent Pentagon decision.

Continue reading "Pentagon reauthorizes R & R for 9 countries" »

Posted by KC at 12:39 PM | Permalink

Apr. 6, 2014 - 01:41PM
By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS

WASHINGTON — The US Marine Corps is in a period of transition, working to reconstitute itself as a sea-based fighting force after more than a decade of fighting land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Corps is rolling out Expeditionary Force 21 (EF 21), a new construct intended to organize its forces to deploy and respond worldwide to whatever need it’s assigned to.

Continue reading "New US Marine Concept Re-establishes Maritime Roots" »

Posted by sr at 11:44 AM | Permalink

By Mark Berman
April 4 at 6:10 pm

Since the grueling Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course was first opened up to women in September 2012, 14 female officers have attempted and failed the test (and, of course, a lot of men have also failed; around 20 to 25 percent of Marines are typically dropped from the taxing course). And since that time, all 14 of these officers have not been allowed to take it a second time, unlike many of their male peers.

Continue reading "The Marines will let women try the Infantry Officer Course a second time" »

Posted by sr at 11:48 AM | Permalink

By Cpl. Codey Underwood | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | April 01, 2014

NEW ORLEANS --
Marine administrative message 148/14 announced the availability of the Marine Corps Semper Fit Program’s High Intensity Tactical Training Program through a website and mobile application.

Continue reading "Semper Fit introduces HITT Program to Marines" »

Posted by KC at 11:16 AM | Permalink

By Kristen Wong | Marine Corps Base Hawaii | March 28, 2014

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII --
The TRICARE Service Centers at five locations on Oahu will be closing April 1, 2014.

Continue reading "TRICARE Service Centers to close nationwide" »

Posted by KC at 8:05 PM | Permalink

"If we integrate it with a contact lens or other wearable electronics, it expands your vision," said researcher Zhaohui Zhong. "It provides you another way of interacting with your environment."

By Brooks Hays | March. 18, 2014 at 12:54 PM

March. 18 (UPI) -- Currently, it's mostly just cats, owls, and Navy Seals that can see in the dark, but soon, night-vision technology might be available to the masses.

Continue reading "Night-vision contact lenses could be available in the near future" »

Posted by sr at 4:26 PM | Permalink

By Tom Philpott
Published: March 13, 2014

Tricare Prime, the military’s managed care option for 5.5 million beneficiaries who enroll for a modest fee to be guaranteed timely access to primary care, would cease to exist within a few years under the “Consolidated Tricare” plan proposed in the fiscal 2015 defense budget.

Continue reading "'Consolidated' Tricare: Higher user fees, more freedom" »

Posted by KC at 8:29 AM | Permalink

By Linda McIntosh
6 a.m.Feb. 27, 2014

CAMP PENDLETON — Several hundred injured Marines are set to compete in the annual Marine Corps Trials, starting Sunday at Camp Pendleton. The trials help determine who will represent the Marine Corps at the military paralympics, known as the Warrior Games, to be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., this fall.

Continue reading "Marine paralympic game trials start" »

Posted by sr at 5:23 PM | Permalink

By Jennifer Hlad
Published: February 25, 2014

Good news, Marines and fans of Marine biceps (ahem): Rolled sleeves are coming back.

Continue reading "Rolled sleeves to make return with Marines" »

Posted by KC at 12:11 AM | Permalink

Camp Pendleton brigade replaces southwest force at war's end

By Gretel C. Kovach
4:52 p.m. Feb. 6, 2014

A Marine brigade from Camp Pendleton took command of coalition forces in southwestern Afghanistan as the 13-year campaign enters its critical final phase, the International Security Assistance Force announced Thursday

Continue reading "Last Marine takes command in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 1:45 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Francisco Martinez | Marine Corps Recruiting Command | Date: 02.03.2014
Date Posted: 02.04.2014 16:09

QUANTICO, Va. - Exceptional work ethic, dedication to service and commitment to excellence are just a few things in which Marines take pride. Marines who put all the energy, knowledge and skills they possess into their work are recognized as the best of the best and a step above their peers.

Continue reading "CMC Awards MCRC Recruiters of the Year" »

Posted by sr at 2:17 PM | Permalink

New facility was Navy's largest project using federal stimulus funds

By Gretel C. Kovach
2:07 p.m.Jan. 31, 2014
Updated 5:38 p.m.

Navy and Marine Corps officials celebrated the recent opening of the new Camp Pendleton hospital with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday.

Continue reading "Pendleton hospital ribbon cut" »

Posted by sr at 6:33 PM | Permalink

By Gretel C. Kovach
3:35 p.m.Jan. 27, 2014
Updated7:46 p.m.

The Miramar Air Show, grounded last year by the federal government shutdown, is a go for 2014, the Marine Corps announced Monday.

Continue reading "Miramar Air Show a go for 2014" »

Posted by sr at 10:30 PM | Permalink

Latest warrior technology featured; feedback sought from active-duty Marines

By Linda McIntosh
6 a.m.Jan. 21, 2014

CAMP PENDLETON — The latest technology to support Marines will be showcased at the Marine West Expo Jan. 29-30 on base.

Continue reading "Marine West Expo opens Jan. 29" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 PM | Permalink

By Pauline Jelinek
The Associated Press
Jan. 3, 2014 - 09:28AM

WASHINGTON — More than half of female Marines in boot camp can’t do three pullups, the minimum standard that was supposed to take effect with the new year, prompting the Marine Corps to delay the requirement, part of the process of equalizing physical standards to integrate women into combat jobs.

Continue reading "Marines delay female fitness plan after half fail" »

Posted by sr at 9:29 PM | Permalink

Contest honors military and civilians preserving Corps history

By Gretel C. Kovach
2:32 p.m.Dec. 16, 2013

The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is seeking submissions for its annual awards program. The 2014 contest recognizes work illuminating the 238-year history of Marine traditions, culture and service, from long ago battles to ones still being fought in Afghanistan today.

Continue reading "Entries sought for Marine heritage awards" »

Posted by sr at 10:48 PM | Permalink

By Gina Harkins
Staff writer
Nov. 18, 2013 - 06:20PM

Female Marines will now have more time to prepare for the pullup requirement to pass the Physical Fitness Test.

Continue reading "Corps postpones pullups for women, cites potential risks" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

By Jennifer Hlad
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 15, 2013

It’s official: The Marines will not be wearing “girly hats” after all.

Continue reading "Marines decide on men’s dress and service cap for everyone" »

Posted by sr at 7:56 AM | Permalink

By Hope Hodge Seck
Staff writer
Oct. 22, 2013 - 05:00PM

The Marine Corps’ representative for the Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review said a pared-down Marine Corps force of 150,000 would require significant changes across the military services, but stopped short of saying such a cut would not happen.

Continue reading "Marine Corps 2-star: Force of 150K 'unviable'" »

Posted by sr at 10:41 AM | Permalink

by American Forces Press Service
October 18, 2013 3:45PM

Military Postal Service Agency officials recommend that parcel post packages for troops stationed overseas be mailed by Nov. 12 to ensure delivery by the holidays.

Continue reading "Deadlines for Holiday Mail Delivery Announced" »

Posted by sr at 5:37 PM | Permalink

Jim Michaels, USA TODAY
6:02 p.m. EDT October 17, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps' top officer is calling on the service to renew its focus on discipline and standards amid early signs that 12 years of combat have caused some "fraying" of the service's values.

Continue reading "Commandant calls for renewed focus on discipline" »

Posted by sr at 11:38 PM | Permalink

By Matthew M. Burke
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 15, 2013

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Marines have announced new alcohol restrictions for Marine Corps Exchange stores around the world aimed at curbing irresponsible drinking.

Continue reading "Marines limiting alcohol sale to curb irresponsible drinking" »

Posted by sr at 7:48 PM | Permalink

By Travis J. Tritten
Published: October 15, 2013

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marine Corps warned troops on Okinawa Tuesday that a fitness supplement banned from military exchanges in 2011 following soldier deaths might have been a factor into an outbreak of liver disease.

Continue reading "Marines warn against OxyElite Pro, citing liver damage link" »

Posted by sr at 6:05 PM | Permalink

The security measure does not prohibit fuel belts or hand-held water bottles.

By
Michelle Hamilton
Published
September 30, 2013

Runners planning to use hydration backpacks during the New York City and Marine Corps marathons this fall will need to come up with a new fueling strategy. Both events are prohibiting the use of the CamelBak-type packs.

Continue reading "NYC, Marine Corps Marathons Ban CamelBak-type Packs" »

Posted by sr at 10:13 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Sep. 30, 2013 - 05:07PM

Congress has passed a bill exempting the military from pay delays during a government shutdown, Senate leaders said Monday.

Continue reading "Congress passes shutdown exemption for military pay" »

Posted by sr at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall | Date: 09.27.2013

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - The Marine Corps has announced changes to its eligibility requirements for using tuition assistance.

Continue reading "Corps announces tuition assistance changes" »

Posted by sr at 8:18 PM | Permalink

Navy and Marines name new ships for heroes, young and old

By Jeanette Steele
7:26 p.m.Sept. 20, 2013

Now their stories, tales of desperate bravery, will be forged in steel.

Continue reading "3 destroyers, 3 war stories" »

Posted by sr at 1:56 PM | Permalink

By The Associated Press, Greta Kreuz
August 21, 2013 - 06:49 am

WASHINGTON (AP/WJLA) - The popular Marine Corps Marathon is tweaking its route this year to give participants a flatter course and a new, longer approach to the U.S. Capitol.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Marathon revises route" »

Posted by sr at 4:49 PM | Permalink

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, London Daily Telegraph August 17, 2013

U.S. Marines go to war in Afghanistan with solar cells embedded in their rucksacks, efficient enough to recharge lithium-ion batteries for radios and greatly lighten loads. Field patrols will soon have almost weightless solar blankets as well. These will be able to capture a once unthinkable 35 per cent of the sun's light as energy thanks to thin membranes technology, a spinoff from satellites.

Continue reading "Forget fracking - solar is the hot ticket in energy for U.S. military" »

Posted by sr at 8:25 PM | Permalink

By Gina Harkins
Staff writer
Aug. 14, 2013 - 07:35AM

Much of Mexico is now off limits to Marines and other troops looking to travel there, and one expert said it provides a clear message that the U.S. can’t rely on Mexican authorities to protect American military personnel.

Continue reading "New rules make much of Mexico off-limits to Marines" »

Posted by sr at 4:07 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Jun. 12, 2013 - 06:00AM

WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee sided with the Joint Chiefs on sexual assault legislation Wednesday, gutting changes passed by a subcommittee on Tuesday that would have created an independent legal command to prosecute serious criminal offenses.

Continue reading "Senators side with Joint Chiefs on sex assault law" »

Posted by sr at 8:48 PM | Permalink

Jun. 11, 2013 - 06:00AM
By Gina Harkins
Staff writer

The Marine Corps’ presence in Australia will increase fivefold next year as military officials there look to the U.S. for guidance in developing their amphibious capabilities, a Marine general with oversight of operations in the Pacific said June 11

Continue reading "Marines' role in Australia to expand next year, general says" »

Posted by KC at 12:31 PM | Permalink

April 26, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Marine Corps announced today the cancellation of Marine Week Seattle. Marine Week is the Corps’ annual week-long community outreach event, scheduled to be held in Seattle, Wash., from Aug. 5-11.

Continue reading "MARINE WEEK SEATTLE 2013 CANCELLED" »

Posted by sr at 3:28 PM | Permalink

Sunday Apr 21, 2013

Spain has authorized the temporary deployment of US Marine forces to an airbase in the southwestern city of Moron de la Frontera, Seville Province.

Continue reading "Spain approves deployment of US Marines " »

Posted by sr at 3:27 PM | Permalink

By Sgt. Jacob Harrer | 11th Marine Regiment | April 18, 2013

It’s time to reenlist. There are more than 800 boat spaces still available this year, but first term Marines must act quickly to claim the jobs of their choice.

Continue reading " Marines: Don't Miss the Boat to Reenlist" »

Posted by sr at 3:31 PM | Permalink

POSTED: 16 Apr 2013 1:16 PM
UPDATED: 16 Apr 2013 4:09 PM

SEOUL: A US military helicopter taking part in a joint South Korea-US drill crashed Tuesday near the North Korean border with 21 personnel on board. There were no fatalities.

Continue reading "US military helicopter crashes near N Korea border" »

Posted by sr at 4:24 PM | Permalink

By Lenny Bernstein, Published: March 27

The 2013 Marine Corps Marathon sold out in a record 2 hours 27 minutes Wednesday, but not before problems with its computerized registration process led to widespread complaints from people trying to sign up for the venerable 26.2-mile footrace.

Continue reading " Marine Corps Marathon sells out in record time after computer problems" »

Posted by sr at 4:50 PM | Permalink

Posted: March 19, 2013
By: Associated Press By: Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Seven Marines from a North Carolina unit were killed when a 60mm mortar exploded unexpectedly at a Nevada military depot that's an important training facility for troops headed overseas, a Marine Corps official said.

Continue reading "Nevada training explosion kills 7 North Carolina unit Marines" »

Posted by sr at 11:40 AM | Permalink

Published March 19, 2013
FoxNews.com

An explosion at a military ammunition storage facility in Nevada during a Marine Corps training exercise killed seven U.S. Marines and wounded several others, military officials said.

Continue reading "7 Marines killed during explosion at Nevada's Hawthorne Army Depot" »

Posted by sr at 9:15 AM | Permalink

By Kevin Liptak
March 11th, 2013
02:23 PM ET

United States Marines are being told to preserve ammunition and gasoline as a deal softening the impact of automatic spending cuts continues to elude leaders in Washington.

Continue reading "Cutting costs: Marines told "save every round"" »

Posted by sr at 3:54 PM | Permalink

By Jennifer Hlad
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 5, 2013

WASHINGTON – Some Marines are scrambling to find ways to pay for classes after a surprise announcement that the Marine Corps has stopped new enrollments in its tuition assistance program.

Continue reading "Marines halt new enrollments in tuition assistance programs; other services could follow" »

Posted by sr at 6:02 PM | Permalink

By Jeanette Steele
5:44 p.m.Feb. 26, 2013

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and two other military veterans in Congress have introduced legislation to downgrade the Pentagon’s newly announced medal for non-combat troops such as drone pilots and cyber warfare operators.

Continue reading "Hunter: New medal is no Purple Heart" »

Posted by sr at 10:09 PM | Permalink

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2013 – The new Distinguished Warfare Medal recognizes the changing face of conflict in the 21st century, said Juliet Beyler, the acting director of officer and enlisted personnel management in the Pentagon.

Continue reading "New Medal Recognizes Changing Face of Conflict, Official Says" »

Posted by sr at 10:59 AM | Permalink

By Linda McIntosh
9 a.m.Feb. 12, 2013

CAMP PENDLETON — Registration is open for Camp Pendleton’s World Famous Mud Run.

Continue reading "Registration opens for Mud Run on base" »

Posted by sr at 10:46 PM | Permalink

By Jeff Schogol - Staff writer
Posted: Tuesday Feb 12, 2013 10:44:06 EST

President Obama will announce tonight that 34,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will return home by this time next year — halving the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, senior administration officials confirm.

Continue reading "Half of troops in Afghanistan home in 1 year" »

Posted by sr at 3:26 PM | Permalink

By Linda McIntosh6 a.m.Feb. 12, 2013

CAMP PENDLETON — Construction is being completed this month on 119,000-square foot barracks near the School of Infantry to house 860 Marines. The $44 million project is one of more than two dozen barracks/bachelors quarters totaling more than $650 million that have been built or renovated by Harper Construction since 2010 and is part of a barracks building boom on base.

Continue reading "New barracks set to open at School of Infantry" »

Posted by sr at 8:47 AM | Permalink

By Cpl. Andrea Cleopatra Dickerson | Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point | February 06, 2013

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. --
The female dress cover may change soon, more than 11 years after Gen. James T. Conway, the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps, started an initiative to make the change.

Continue reading "New female cover on horizon" »

Posted by sr at 1:40 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune | Date: 01.18.2013

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Beginning Jan. 30, the Tax Center aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is scheduled to start filing 2012 tax returns for service members and government employees who work on the installation.

Continue reading "Don’t wait, Tax Center offers free 2012 return filing beginning Jan 30" »

Posted by sr at 11:19 PM | Permalink

New Rules Reinstate Tax Treatment for Gifts to Charity

By LAURA SAUNDERS
January 18, 2013, 2:05 p.m. ET

Better late than never.

On New Year's Day, Congress renewed the highly popular but expired individual retirement account charitable-rollover provision for people at least 70½ years old. The extension is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012, and will be in effect until year-end, when it lapses for the fourth time in a decade.

Continue reading "IRA Donations Get a Break" »

Posted by sr at 10:19 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 3, 2013 18:09:54 EST

The Marine Corps will require nearly all Marines to dress up on Fridays beginning this week, following a directive issued by Commandant Gen. Jim Amos.

Continue reading "Service uniform required on Fridays" »

Posted by JAA at 11:45 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 29, 2012 10:30:32 EST

The Marine Corps has ended its use of female engagement teams in Afghanistan, saying their work is now performed by Afghan National Security Forces.

Continue reading "The end of female engagement teams" »

Posted by sr at 11:27 PM | Permalink

Peralta case an example of modern methods interfering with witness accounts, vets say

Written by
John Wilkens
12:01 a.m., Dec. 23, 2012

When it comes to the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for battlefield bravery, the standard has long been the same: Two eyewitnesses.

Continue reading "The changing process of awarding military's highest medal" »

Posted by sr at 9:08 PM | Permalink

By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER
The Associated Press
Published: December 23, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A war over, the Army heeds Congress' demands to cuts costs by paring its ranks. But the nation's economy is weak, and unemployment rates are high. It's an uncertain time for thousands of service members and their families.

Continue reading "Cuts to ranks may shock, but it's happened before " »

Posted by sr at 6:50 PM | Permalink

But troops at 1 in 5 locations will receive less

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 17, 2012 6:18:46 EST

The average Basic Allowance for Housing will rise 3.8 percent in 2013, giving troops living off base their largest average increase in four years, defense officials said.

Continue reading "Average BAH rate increases 3.8% in 2013" »

Posted by JAA at 5:09 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 12, 2012 8:23:15 EST

By early next year, the Marine Corps plans to send a second infantry battalion to Okinawa for six months as part of the resumption of the Unit Deployment Program in Japan. A third is expected to follow later in 2013.

Continue reading "Okinawa rotations may uproot permanent troops" »

Posted by sr at 11:21 PM | Permalink

By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
November 12, 2012

Online merchants sending electronics internationally will be pleased to learn that, after banning them in May, U.S. Post Offices will once again accept packages containing lithium batteries installed in electronic devices bound for many international destinations, as well as Army (APO), Fleet (FPO) and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) locations.

Continue reading "USPS Lift on Lithium Ban Good for Online Merchants " »

Posted by sr at 11:18 AM | Permalink

Posted : Tuesday Oct 23, 2012 11:12:19 EDT

TRIANGLE, Va. — The most decorated Marine in the Corps’ history is getting another honor.

Continue reading "USMC museum installs statue of Chesty Puller" »

Posted by sr at 10:35 PM | Permalink

By Matthew Barakat - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 22, 2012 20:39:14 EDT

WASHINGTON — Arlington National Cemetery on Monday made available to the public a massive electronic database detailing the gravesites of the roughly 400,000 people buried there.

Continue reading "Arlington Cemetery debuts new interactive map" »

Posted by sr at 10:46 PM | Permalink

By Bryan Bender | Globe Staff
October 21, 2012

CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN AIR FORCE STATION, Colo. — The rusted, twisted girder, recovered from the ashes of the World Trade Center, stands sentry outside the tunnel entrance, pointing eastward toward New York City

Continue reading "Military role on US soil a complex challenge" »

Posted by sr at 4:08 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 16, 2012 9:13:25 EDT

This year’s first rotational deployment of a Marine Corps infantry company to Australia proved successful, from the low-key nature of the Marines’ conduct Down Under to the improved ties with their Australian army hosts.

Continue reading "Marines pave way for larger force in Australia" »

Posted by sr at 11:46 AM | Permalink

By Gina Harkins - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2012 11:02:59 EDT

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Marines are about to see a lot of changes in their training as the Corps shifts from steady combat in Afghanistan to new missions focused on U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

Continue reading "USMC general details training changes" »

Posted by sr at 1:43 PM | Permalink

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 3, 2012 9:39:08 EDT

Nominations open today, Oct. 3, for Operation Homefront’s 2013 Military Child of the Year awards, which recognize military children who have shown resilience and strength of character and who thrive in the face of the challenges of military life.

Continue reading "Military Child of the Year nominations open" »

Posted by sr at 9:11 AM | Permalink

10/1/2012 By Terri Moon Cronk , Headquarters Marine Corps

WASHINGTON — Beginning Oct. 1, 2012, active-duty members of the Army, Navy and Air Force will be able to contribute to the Roth Thrift Savings Plan as part of their investment planning, Defense Financing and Accounting Service officials said today.

Continue reading " Roth Contributions to Open to All Active-duty Troops " »

Posted by sr at 1:05 PM | Permalink

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 27, 2012 17:08:23 EDT

With little more than a month to go before the election, activity has picked up among military community voters overseas.

Continue reading "Military absentee voting picks up" »

Posted by sr at 9:08 PM | Permalink

September 27th, 2012 | Afghanistan Camp Leatherneck Embedded journalism Infantry | Posted by Dan Lamothe

It’s that time again: Marine Corps Times is heading back to the Sandbox.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Times to embed in Afghanistan in October" »

Posted by sr at 5:10 PM | Permalink

Sep 25, 2012
Military.com| by Bryant Jordan

A decade of war has the Marine Corps implementing a change that will see collective battalion- and squadron-level training for Marines headed off to the combat theater.

Continue reading "Corps Introduces Changes to Deployment Training" »

Posted by sr at 12:01 PM | Permalink

Invitation by MCRD to take on 3-mile obstacle course

Written by
Nathan Max
12:01 a.m., Sept. 24, 2012

Anyone looking for the Marine Corps experience without the commitment of enlisting or the danger of ducking bullets will have the chance Saturday morning.

Continue reading "Get a taste of Marine boot camp" »

Posted by sr at 4:09 PM | Permalink

9/24/2012 By Lance Cpl. Lauren Kurkimilis , 7th Marine Regiment

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTY NINE PALMS, Calif. — Since 2001, the Combat Center has provided comprehensive and collaborative training for combat operations in the Middle East. Training exercises have evolved from the Combined Arms Exercise to what is known today as Enhanced Mojave Viper.

Continue reading " Corps changes deployment training " »

Posted by sr at 11:12 AM | Permalink

By Luis Martinez
@LMartinezABC
Sep 20, 2012 8:46pm

The last of the 33,000 American surge troops sent to Afghanistan two years ago have left the battlefields of Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said.

With the departure of the last of the surge troops, there are now 68,000 American troops in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Last of 33,000 Surge Troops Leave Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:36 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Sep 15, 2012 21:46:09 EDT

WASHINGTON — Coalition military authorities in Afghanistan on Saturday said the insurgents who attacked a British airfield in southwestern Afghanistan on Friday, killing two U.S. Marines, wore U.S. Army uniforms and destroyed six Harrier fighter jets.

Continue reading "Base attackers wore U.S. camo, destroyed jets" »

Posted by sr at 10:14 PM | Permalink

By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 14, 2012 11:01:39 EDT

WASHINGTON — An elite Marine rapid response team arrived in Yemen's capital Friday in the wake of violence and protests at the U.S. Embassy, the Pentagon said.

Continue reading "Official: Marine team sent to Yemen" »

Posted by sr at 12:54 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Published: September 14, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official says an elite Marine rapid response team is headed to Sudan in the wake of violence and protests against the embassy in Khartoum.

Continue reading "Marine unit heading to Sudan in wake of violence" »

Posted by sr at 8:42 AM | Permalink

By Robert H. Reid - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Sep 13, 2012 15:49:59 EDT

BERLIN — U.S. embassies across the world ramped up security Thursday following an attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, as Muslims angry over an anti-Islam film stormed the U.S. mission in Yemen and clashed with police near the American mission in Cairo.

Continue reading "Embassies boost security after Libya attack" »

Posted by sr at 3:41 PM | Permalink

By Jim Kuhnhenn - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Sep 12, 2012 8:38:40 EDT

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday condemned attacks on a U.S. consulate in eastern Libya that killed the U.S. ambassador and three American members of his staff. He ordered increased security at U.S. diplomatic posts around the world.

Continue reading "Pentagon boosting security at U.S. embassies" »

Posted by sr at 9:34 AM | Permalink

TALIBAN insurgents are posing as "attractive women" on Facebook to befriend coalition soldiers and gather intelligence about operations.

Anthony Deceglie, Katie Robertson
The Sunday Telegraph
September 09, 2012 12:00AM

Australian soldiers are given pre-deployment briefings about enemies creating fake profiles to spy on troops.

Continue reading "Taliban using Facebook to lure Aussie soldier " »

Posted by sr at 5:09 PM | Permalink

By Associated Press, Published: August 26

SAN DIEGO — Dozens of small to moderate earthquakes rattled Southern California on Sunday, shaking an area from rural Imperial County to the San Diego coast and north into the Coachella Valley.

Continue reading "Magnitude-5.3 quake, dozens of smaller shocks rattle Imperial, San Diego counties in Calif." »

Posted by sr at 5:10 PM | Permalink

By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Aug 17, 2012 14:39:17 EDT

Tricare beneficiaries who live in one of the regions served by the Uniformed Services Family Health Plan have until Monday to apply for the program if they want to stay in it when they become Medicare-eligible.

Continue reading "Sign-up deadline looms for Family Health Plan" »

Posted by sr at 6:52 PM | Permalink

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Aug 14, 2012 17:33:49 EDT

Insider attacks by Afghan troops who turn their weapons on U.S. and NATO forces have doubled compared to last year, prompting the top U.S. commander in Kabul to step up efforts to identify potential inside-the-wire threats.

Continue reading "Inside-the-wire attacks double in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:40 PM | Permalink

By Erik Slavin
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 30, 2012

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Capital One will pay $12 million to servicemembers and their families to settle claims that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, according to documents filed in federal court Thursday.

Continue reading "Credit company to pay $12 million to troops for violating Civil Relief Act" »

Posted by sr at 9:27 AM | Permalink

By Joby Warrick, Published: July 26

Iran is rapidly gaining new capabilities to strike at U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, amassing an arsenal of sophisticated anti-ship missiles while expanding its fleet of fast-attack boats and submarines, U.S. and Middle Eastern analysts say.

Continue reading " Iran bolsters retaliation capability in Persian Gulf, experts say" »

Posted by sr at 6:49 AM | Permalink

By Jim Michaels - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Jul 25, 2012 18:45:04 EDT

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — The surge of Marines and other forces in southwestern Afghanistan has broken the Taliban’s grip on a former stronghold, allowing coalition forces to begin turning over security to Afghans, commanders said.

Continue reading "Amos sees ‘rolling transition’ in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:27 PM | Permalink

By Bethany Crudele - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 23, 2012 9:25:38 EDT

Marines training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will soon battle a simulated enemy and engage in live-fire maneuvers on a new $10 million Infantry Squad Battle Course. The 82-acre range, to be completed in May 2014, is designed to expose infantry squads with II Marine Expeditionary Force to realistic battlefield situations and decision making.

Continue reading "Lejeune to get $10M battle course in May 2014" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

Monday, 02 July 2012 14:00
Written by Newsdesk

Discovery Channel’s Mighty Ships returns with six all-new episodes offering unprecedented access to today’s most extraordinary vessels.

Premiering Sunday, July 22 at 8 p.m. ET/ PT, Season 6 kicks off with a special two-hour premiere featuring the world’s most luxurious cruise ship – the fantastic Crystal Serenity – immediately followed by an action-packed voyage aboard battle-bound USS New York, the first time the massive amphibious transport has performed all her functions

Continue reading "Discovery's Worldwide Hit Mighty Ships Returns for Season 6 on July 22nd" »

Posted by sr at 11:32 PM | Permalink

Posted: 07/02/2012
By: Lindsay Shively

LATHROP, Mo. - A Lathrop, Mo., woman has not been seen in more than two weeks, when friends say she disappeared off of her boyfriend's couch, leaving behind all her belongings - including important medication.

Continue reading "Effort to 'Find Carol Thompson' ramps up as search enters third week" »

Posted by sr at 8:55 AM | Permalink

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 28, 2012 20:05:42 EDT

Military fakers scored a major victory at the U.S. Supreme Court when the justices struck down the Stolen Valor Act, the 2006 law that made it a federal crime to lie about receiving military medals.

Continue reading "Court rejects Stolen Valor, suggests rewrite" »

Posted by sr at 10:52 PM | Permalink

By Gina Harkins - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 26, 2012 17:46:38 EDT

A new hand-held, battery-operated sensor that can help detect the most serious of brain bleeds could soon make its way to Marines in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Hand-held scanner can detect brain injuries" »

Posted by sr at 11:16 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jun 21, 2012 16:00:50 EDT

About 28,000 U.S. and coalition forces who fought a thriving insurgency in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 under the command of a Marine expeditionary brigade will receive the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation, Marine Corps Times has learned.

Continue reading "MEB troops to get prestigious valor award" »

Posted by sr at 5:14 PM | Permalink

The drones, which U.S. officials hope will help reduce civilian casualties in war zones, pack tiny explosive warheads that can destroy targets with pinpoint accuracy.

By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times

June 11, 2012, 5:00 a.m.
Seeking to reduce civilian casualties and collateral damage, the Pentagon will soon deploy a new generation of drones the size of model planes, packing tiny explosive warheads that can be delivered with pinpoint accuracy.

Continue reading "Pentagon to soon deploy pint-sized but lethal Switchblade drones" »

Posted by sr at 9:46 PM | Permalink

By Matthew M. Burke
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 25, 2012

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Marine Corps soon will offer early retirement with benefits to some troops as part of force-shaping efforts aimed at cutting 20,000 jobs from the rolls over the next four years, Corps officials said this week.

Continue reading "Marines to offer early retirement, with benefits" »

Posted by sr at 8:27 AM | Permalink

Dogs and devices sniff out top killer

By Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times
Thursday, May 24, 2012

The U.S. military is on a path toward significantly fewer battlefield deaths in Afghanistan this year because it has become better at detecting the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops: the improvised explosive device (IED).

Continue reading "U.S. troops winning war against IEDs of Taliban" »

Posted by sr at 10:29 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 24, 2012 20:46:40 EDT

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Marine commanders in Afghanistan have cracked down on war-zone photography in the wake of two international scandals this year in which U.S. troops were depicted posing with dead Taliban fighters.

Continue reading "General restricts war-zone photography" »

Posted by sr at 6:23 PM | Permalink

By Jon Anderson and Karen Jowers - Staff writers
Posted : Friday May 11, 2012 17:49:32 EDT

Starting next week, the U.S. Postal Service will prohibit shipping of lithium or products containing lithium to international, APO, FPO and DPO addresses.

Continue reading "Overseas shipping of many electronics banned" »

Posted by sr at 10:04 AM | Permalink

By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 27, 2012 8:37:47 EDT

WASHINGTON — About 9,000 Marines stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa will be moved to the U.S. territory of Guam and other locations in the Asia-Pacific, including Hawaii, under a U.S.-Japan agreement announced Thursday.

Continue reading "U.S. to move 9,000 Marines from Okinawa" »

Posted by sr at 11:36 AM | Permalink

By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Apr 19, 2012 16:43:22 EDT

The Veterans Affairs Department announced Thursday that it plans to hire 1,600 nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to bolster its staff of mental health providers.

Continue reading "VA to hire 1,600 mental health care providers" »

Posted by sr at 10:29 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 18, 2012 15:36:36 EDT

The Marine Corps school that produces infantry combat officers will enroll its first-ever female students this year, Marine Corps Times has learned.

Continue reading "USMC 4-star: Women to attend infantry school" »

Posted by sr at 9:30 PM | Permalink

By: Kari Pugh | Inside NoVA
Published: April 08, 2012

If you were nearWashington,D.C., on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the sight of this particular F/A-18 Hornet in the sky was probably a welcome one, even as smoke billowed upwards from the Pentagon.

Continue reading "First fighter jet to respond to 9/11 attacks heads for Marine museum" »

Posted by sr at 10:48 PM | Permalink

Staff report
Posted : Monday Apr 2, 2012 11:05:06 EDT

Marine Corps manpower officials are launching an eight-week, worldwide tour to inform personnel how the service intends to shed about 20,000 from active duty over the next five years.

Continue reading "Corps to map out drawdown options for Marines" »

Posted by sr at 5:03 PM | Permalink

By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 31, 2012 9:54:58 EDT

The Tricare Assistance Program for behavioral health counseling is being shut down due to lack of use, Tricare officials said Friday.

Continue reading "Tricare to close online mental health program" »

Posted by sr at 9:37 AM | Permalink

By Lolita C. Baldor and Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 29, 2012 9:19:10 EDT

WASHINGTON — U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan have assigned “guardian angels” — troops that watch over their comrades even as they sleep — and have ordered a series of other increased security measures to protect troops against possible attacks by rogue Afghans.

Continue reading "U.S. troops get new protections in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 1:18 PM | Permalink

Gretel C. Kovach recognized for combat dispatches and narrative series

By U-T San Diego
5:33 p.m., March 28, 2012

Gretel C. Kovach, a U-T San Diego military affairs reporter, has been selected for two awards for “exemplary work in advancing and preserving Marine Corps history,” the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation announced Wednesday.

Continue reading "U-T reporter honored for Marine coverage" »

Posted by sr at 11:25 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 19, 2012 19:50:12 EDT

The Marine Corps will send a Hawaii-based infantry unit to Australia in April, marking the first rotation there for U.S. forces as part of a new military partnership between the longtime allies.

Continue reading "Corps’ new Australia tours to start in April" »

Posted by sr at 9:50 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Michele Watson | 1st Marine Logistics Group | Date: 03.18.2012

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Anyone who has ever used cash to buy something at the exchange in Afghanistan is familiar with the pogs that serve as change for a purchase.

Continue reading "Cash is out, the eagle is in" »

Posted by sr at 11:28 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 17, 2012 9:51:38 EDT

Throwable robots, small enough to fit in a Marine’s cargo pocket, are on their way to infantry units in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Tiny robots ready for remote searches" »

Posted by sr at 8:59 AM | Permalink

By Seth Robson
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 15, 2012

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The Marine Corps plans to trim its ranks by 20,000 over five years, but no Marines will be forced out of the service early, according to the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for combat development and integration.

Continue reading "Marine Corps cuts won’t affect current enlistments, top general says" »

Posted by sr at 9:24 AM | Permalink

By Chris Carroll
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 15, 2012

KABUL - An Afghan man who barreled onto a runway in a stolen truck and set himself on fire just as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was landing in Afghanistan has died of his injuries, the No. 2 U.S. commander in the country said Thursday.

Continue reading "Afghan who crashed truck where Panetta landed dies" »

Posted by sr at 9:19 AM | Permalink

By Rod McGuirk - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 15, 2012 7:42:44 EDT

CANBERRA, Australia — Indonesian ministers said Thursday they were comfortable with a planned increase in U.S. troops in northern Australia seen as an attempt to contain China and hoped to join in training exercises focused on disaster relief.

Continue reading "Indonesia OKs Marine Corps’ Australia training" »

Posted by sr at 9:03 AM | Permalink

Active-duty ranks to be trimmed by 10 percent over five years

Written by
Gretel C. Kovach
7:23 p.m., March 14, 2012
Updated 9:12 p.m.

The Marine Corps plans to cut its active-duty ranks by about 20,000 in the next five years, because of the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq, the rapid drawdown underway in Afghanistan and national budget strains.

Continue reading "Local bases escape brunt of Marine Corps cuts" »

Posted by sr at 11:46 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 13, 2012 9:33:13 EDT

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — Marine Corps aircraft will be used to support Afghan ground forces as sizeable numbers of U.S. and coalition infantry units withdraw from Helmand province throughout the coming year.

Continue reading "1-star: Corps’ aircraft to back Afghan forces" »

Posted by sr at 6:37 PM | Permalink

By David S. Cloud and Laura King
Los Angeles Times
Published: March 11, 2012

REPORTING FROM WASHINGTON AND KABUL — A U.S. serviceman who went on a house-to-house shooting rampage in a rural Kandahar hamlet, killing 16 people as they slept Sunday, is an enlisted soldier who acted alone, according to a senior U.S. military officer.

Continue reading "Afghan village shooter said to be American enlisted soldier" »

Posted by sr at 5:11 PM | Permalink

Athima Chansanchai
March 12, 2012

While the U.S. Army knows its soldiers live in the modern world and carry location-aware, socially networked smartphones, it is reiterating the dangers of broadcasting too much information, because oversharing could cost lives.

Continue reading "US Army to soldiers: 'Check-ins' can kill" »

Posted by sr at 7:37 AM | Permalink

March 7, 2012
By Cheryl Rodewig

FORT BENNING, Ga. (March 7, 2012) -- "Is a badge on Foursquare worth your life?"

Continue reading "Geotagging poses security risks" »

Posted by sr at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Sexual assault prevention training, fitness also included in 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 5, 2012 18:46:31 EST

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK — The Navy and Marine Corps today introduced a wide-ranging wellness initiative with programs ranging from duty section Breathalyzer tests for alcohol use and reliable synthetic marijuana testing to enhanced anti-sexual assault training, greater emphasis on fitness and nutrition, increased on-base prices of tobacco products and the ability to temporarily leave the service, without penalty, to raise children.

Continue reading "Wellness initiative to test for alcohol, drugs" »

Posted by sr at 7:32 AM | Permalink

by Mike DeFranco
Sunday, March 4, 2012

Tracy Della Vecchia is the founder of MarineParents.com.It's a website she started in 2003 when her son started serving in the Marines overseas.

Continue reading "Local woman receives congressional Medal of Honor award" »

Posted by sr at 10:32 PM | Permalink

BY Laura D'Angelo
Friday, March 2, 2012 | 8:02 p.m. CST; updated 9:23 p.m. CST, Friday, March 2, 2012

COLUMBIA — It's hard for Tracy Della Vecchia to grasp how deserving she is of a national award — humbling, she said.

Continue reading "Columbia woman chosen as Citizen Service Before Self Honors finalist" »

Posted by sr at 11:17 PM | Permalink

BRETT ZONGKER
Associated Press
Feb 29, 1:45 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It took almost 60 years for World War II veterans to get a monument in Washington. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial opened less than a decade after their war ended. Now with the Iraq war just over, and Afghanistan continuing, there are already plans to honor those veterans in a new National Mall tribute in the works.

Continue reading "Troops from Iraq, Afghanistan to be honored in DC" »

Posted by sr at 4:04 PM | Permalink

By Leo Shane III
Stars and Stripes
Published: February 17, 2012

WASHINGTON — Troops could see their lowest pay raises in four decades — far below what their civilian peers will get — if proposed changes are made in the way military raises are calculated.

Continue reading "Military pay raise plans could pinch troops' wallets" »

Posted by sr at 9:33 PM | Permalink

By Sam Fellman - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 15, 2012 15:26:21 EST

The three latest destroyers will be named for Navy and Marine Corps heroes from Pearl Harbor, Vietnam and the Iraq war, the Navy announced in a statement Wednesday.

Continue reading "Navy names destroyer for Rafael Peralta" »

Posted by sr at 10:18 AM | Permalink

By Andrew Lapin
February 3, 2012

The Army could resort to buyouts and severance packages in its recently announced effort to eliminate 80,000 soldiers over the next six years, the National Journal has reported.

Continue reading "Buyouts, early outs could be part of Army plan to cut 80,000 soldiers and officers" »

Posted by sr at 1:32 PM | Permalink

By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jan 28, 2012 10:39:59 EST

WASHINGTON — The lineup of weapons the Pentagon has picked to fit President Obama’s new forward-looking defense strategy, called “Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” features relics of the past.

Continue reading "Cuts give new life to old weapons systems" »

Posted by sr at 10:10 AM | Permalink

1/27/2012 By Lance Cpl. Rubin J. Tan , Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

MCAS Beaufort, S.C. — Engineers, aircraft mechanics, data network specialists and other jobs in the Marine Corps can be turned into careers and with experience in the military, Marines may be qualified for college credit.

Continue reading "College credit earned though military experience" »

Posted by sr at 9:57 PM | Permalink

By Leo Shane III
Stars and Stripes
Published: January 27, 2012

WASHINGTON — Voting experts anticipate fewer problems for military and overseas absentee voters in this November’s presidential election, thanks to more online tools and more accommodating deadlines from states.

Continue reading "Absentee voting should be easier for servicemembers in 2012" »

Posted by sr at 9:48 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 26, 2012 13:45:08 EST

The Marine Corps will slash 20,000 Marines as part of Defense Department-wide budget cuts, reducing its end strength to about 182,000, top Pentagon officials announced Thursday.

Continue reading "20,000 Marines to be cut, Pentagon announces" »

Posted by sr at 5:27 PM | Permalink

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 25, 2012 15:16:12 EST

Federal officials have begun tracking companies and individuals who repeatedly target service members with scams, officials announced Wednesday.

Continue reading "Officials: Scam database will protect troops" »

Posted by sr at 9:40 AM | Permalink

Military unveils new eyeglass style

Written by
Jeanette Steele
2:55 p.m., Jan. 20, 2012

The U.S. military said Thursday that weak-sighted recruits will no longer be forced to wear the infamous eyeglass frames long known affectionately as “birth control glasses

Continue reading "Goodbye, 'birth control' glasses" »

Posted by sr at 12:56 PM | Permalink

By Lindsay Wise
Houston Chronicle
Published: January 16, 2012

The president of the American Psychiatric Association says he is "very open" to a request from the Army to come up with an alternative name for post-traumatic stress disorder so that troops returning from combat will feel less stigmatized and more encouraged to seek treatment.

Continue reading "Idea to take the 'D' out of PTSD being studied" »

Posted by sr at 10:59 AM | Permalink

1/11/2012 By Cpl. Isis M. Ramirez , Marine Forces Pacific

CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii — Just like everyone else in the United States, Marines and Department of Defense civilians have opinions. As citizens, they have the freedom to generate and express their beliefs. However, as the 2012 presidential elections draw near, it is a good time to be reminded of the do’s and don’ts in regard to service members and civilian government employees participating in the election process, as well as how opinions can be appropriately expressed in a public forum.

Continue reading "Political activities: what every Marine and DOD civilian should know " »

Posted by sr at 4:59 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 6, 2012 17:20:34 EST

A Colorado lawmaker wants the Defense Department to remind active-duty and reserve service members about the rules limiting participation in partisan political events.

Continue reading "Rep.: Troops need reminder on political events" »

Posted by sr at 4:36 PM | Permalink

Written by
Gary Robbins
5:38 p.m., Jan. 4, 2012

The three Mobile Landing Platform ships that General Dynamics NASSCO will build in San Diego have been given names that honor Marines and a historic Marine Corps training facility.

Continue reading "3 Navy ships named in honor of Marines" »

Posted by sr at 8:47 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 3, 2012 17:21:36 EST

President Obama has signed a law that within six months could make it easier for service members and their families to get through security checkpoints at major airports.

Continue reading "Law signed to speed troops through TSA security" »

Posted by sr at 5:24 PM | Permalink

Written by
U-T Editorial Board
9 p.m., Dec. 31, 2011

Today, the U-T launches a new tradition. Each Jan. 1, we will honor the Person of the Year, an individual or category of individuals with San Diego ties.

Continue reading "U-T Person of the Year: The U.S. Marine " »

Posted by sr at 11:48 PM | Permalink

12/21/2011 By Capt. Patrick Boyce , Manpower & Reserve Affairs

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — No one steps foot into the combat zone in hopes to be wounded. But it’s a fact that some Marines in combat will be wounded or injured as a result of enemy action, with many of the Marines being eligible for award of the Purple Heart.

Continue reading "Marines with concussion, mild brain injury may qualify for Purple Heart " »

Posted by sr at 4:57 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Dec 21, 2011 14:47:52 EST

The Marine Corps wants to make sure Marines and sailors who suffer concussions and other head injuries are tagged and tracked in a medical database, which officials hope will lead to better health care and treatment.

Continue reading "New database tracks Marine head injuries" »

Posted by sr at 9:43 AM | Permalink

Tuesday, 20 December 2011

The Military Wives are on course to be this year's Christmas number one and become the fastest-selling single for six years.

Continue reading "The Military Wives on course to be Christmas number one" »

Posted by sr at 8:50 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 20, 2011 9:48:29 EST

Grunts and amtrac crewmen assigned to the Corps’ seven Marine expeditionary units will undergo more intensive water-survival training as part of a new initiative to teach personnel how to escape a sinking amphibious assault vehicle.

Continue reading "New ground requirement: amtrac dunker training" »

Posted by sr at 5:15 PM | Permalink

By Geoff Ziezulewicz
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 12, 2011

NAPLES, Italy — With the 2012 presidential election campaign in full swing and the first primaries only weeks away, those living overseas who want to vote should think about registering now to cast an absentee ballot.

Continue reading "Overseas voters should check website for registration options" »

Posted by sr at 10:06 AM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 10, 2011 9:31:58 EST

Eight months after Marine Corps aviators first flew missions in Libya — including the rescue of a downed Air Force pilot — a California representative wants to know why no Marine has been honored with awards for their combat actions.

Continue reading "Lawmaker: Award Marines for Libya ops" »

Posted by sr at 9:37 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Abigail Brown | Marine Corps Air Station New River | Date: 12.07.2011

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - With many Marines accessing websites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, My Pay, Marine Online, Marines.mil and so on, the risk of leaking information vital to operational security is high. To reduce the threat, the Marine Corps offers a secure social media platform called eMarine that links a unit’s page to many pages vital for Marines.

Continue reading "eMarine is new one-stop-shop" »

Posted by sr at 10:09 AM | Permalink

Marine Support Group will host the commander of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines at the San Clemente Community Center to talk to the public about the unit's experiences in Afghanistan.

By Adam Townsend
Dec. 6, 2011

The Commander of 1st Battallion, 5th Marines will give a presentation on that unit's recent deployment to Sangin, Afghanistan, knows as the Most Dangerous Place on Earth.

Continue reading "Marine Commander to Discuss Afghan Deployment" »

Posted by sr at 11:11 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 3, 2011 9:06:33 EST

The Marine Corps has begun researching options for a new modular body armor system that would combine the coverage of the current plate carrier vest with additional soft armor resembling the service’s new pelvic protection system.

Continue reading "Marine Corps seeks better body armor system" »

Posted by sr at 8:29 AM | Permalink

December 02, 2011
Marine Corps News|by Lance Cpl. R.J. Driver

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Family readiness officers throughout the Marine Corps use a combination of Facebook, base-sponsored web pages and word of mouth to pass information to their units’ families.

Continue reading "E-Marine Connects Units and Families" »

Posted by sr at 8:58 AM | Permalink

By Ron Barnett - USA Today
Posted : Thursday Dec 1, 2011 17:30:25 EST

Carol Horner-Iacona of San Marcos, Texas, knew her father had been aboard the USS Helena on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. But it really hit home this week when she found the Navy document on the genealogy website Ancestry.com placing him there on that day.

Continue reading "Website makes WWII records available for free" »

Posted by sr at 9:46 PM | Permalink

By DEB RIECHMANN and SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press
Nov 29, 6:20 AM EST

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Drawdown plans announced by the U.S. and more than a dozen other nations will shrink the foreign military footprint in Afghanistan by 40,000 troops at the close of next year, leaving Afghan forces increasingly on the frontlines of the decade-long war.

Continue reading "40,000 troops to leave Afghanistan by end of 2012" »

Posted by sr at 7:30 AM | Permalink

By John Vandiver and Martin Kuz
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 28, 2011

STUTTGART, Germany — If Pakistan opts to keep the border crossings into Afghanistan closed to NATO resupply convoys for an extended period following an air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, the U.S. military and its allies may have to rely more heavily on the Northern Distribution Network, a key gateway for military equipment.

Continue reading "Military looks at supply routes away from Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:35 PM | Permalink

By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 26, 2011 9:55:07 EST

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines will march out of Afghanistan by the thousands next year, winding down combat in the Taliban heartland and testing the U.S. view that Afghan forces are capable of leading the fight against a battered but not yet beaten insurgency in the country’s southwestern reaches, senior U.S. military officers say.

Continue reading "Marines to wind down Afghan combat in 2012" »

Posted by sr at 10:17 AM | Permalink

By Megan McCloskey
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 23, 2011

WASHINGTON — A new report on civilian ties to the military puts numbers to what top military leaders have been a lamenting for years: The American public is largely disconnected from its fighting force.

Continue reading "Report shows a military and a nation disconnected" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 AM | Permalink

Published: Saturday, November 19, 2011, 4:47 PM

Navy medic from Staten Island honored for his heroics

Continue reading "Navy medic from Staten Island honored for his heroics" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 AM | Permalink

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2011 – President Barack Obama joined Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today to announce expanded military-to-military relationships between the two countries as they commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Australia-New Zealand-U.S. alliance.

Continue reading "Obama Announces Expanded U.S. Military Presence in Australia" »

Posted by sr at 11:14 AM | Permalink

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 12, 2011 9:03:34 EST

The Sand Flea looks like a laptop with four wheels. But it can leap up to 24 feet high, landing on its wheels every time.

Continue reading "Leaping Sand Flea robot heading to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:20 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Nov 11, 2011 16:27:06 EST

Crocodile Dundee, move over — there’s a new tough guy reportedly moving in Down Under. The U.S. will base 500 to 1,000 Marines in Australia as part of an expanded partnership between the two countries, according to media reports.

Continue reading "Marines to be based in Australia, report says" »

Posted by sr at 11:10 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Marcin Platek | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 11.10.2011

NEW ORLEANS – As Halloween decorations come down, some stores start preparing for Christmas early. From sales to giveaways, Christmas fever is spreading. For the Marines it means something else: there are toys to be collected.

Continue reading "Toys for Tots launches as the holiday season approaches" »

Posted by sr at 11:27 PM | Permalink

By the CNN Wire Staff
November 8, 2011

(CNN) -- A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck deep under the ocean floor northwest of Okinawa, Japan, near noon Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Continue reading "Offshore earthquake hits Okinawa area, no reports of damage" »

Posted by sr at 5:03 PM | Permalink

BY JOE SWICKARD
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
1:43 AM, Nov. 6, 2011

More than 16 million Americans answered the call to arms in World War II. Of those, 600,000 were the few, the proud, the Marines.

Continue reading "1st black Marines may soon get Congressional Gold Medal" »

Posted by sr at 9:46 AM | Permalink

By David Hodge
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 2, 2011

RAF MILDENHALL, England — The deadlines for sending gifts for the holidays are fast approaching, and postal officials caution that mail service could be busier than usual this year with U.S. troops withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan and shipping their belongings home by mail.

Continue reading "Post office warns overseas military Christmas mailing deadline is near" »

Posted by sr at 10:40 PM | Permalink

By MARK WALKER [email protected] | Posted: Friday, October 28, 2011 5:00 am

The Marine Corps has tapped a battle-tested and insurgent-savvy commander at Camp Pendleton to lead its troops on the ground in Afghanistan next year.

Continue reading "Gurganus to lead Marine Corps forces in Afghanistan next year" »

Posted by sr at 10:24 PM | Permalink

Cid Standifer - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 26, 2011 17:11:51 EDT

The Marines Corps has retreated from the tuition assistance cuts the service announced less than two weeks ago, according to a Marine Corps administrative message released Wednesday, but they are warning that TA funds will probably run out well before the end of fiscal 2012.

Continue reading "Marine Corps backs off tuition assistance cuts" »

Posted by sr at 10:44 PM | Permalink

Date Signed: 10/26/2011
MARADMIN Active Number: 639/11 2011

R 261938Z OCT 11
UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 639/11
MSGID/GENADMIN,USMTF,2007/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MF(UC)//

SUBJ/MARINE CORPS TUITION ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY, FUNDING PROVISIONS AND RESTRICTIONS//
REF/A/MSGID:CMC WASHINGTON DC/D171625ZOCT2011/-//
AMPN/REF IS MARADMIN 616-11, MARINE CORPS TUITION ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY, FUNDING PROVISIONS AND RESTRICTIONS.//
POC/DARYL PATRICK/NF-4/UNIT:MRA MF/-/TEL:703-784-9550//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THIS MESSAGE CANCELS REF A.

Continue reading "MARINE CORPS TUITION ASSISTANCE ELIGIBILITY, FUNDING PROVISIONS AND RESTRICTIONS " »

Posted by sr at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Marine Week will take place in Cleveland.

Colleen O'Neill, Newsradio WTAM 1100
Tuesday, October 25, 2011

(Cleveland)- Cleveland has been chosen to host the 4th annual Marine Week...

The announcement was made Tuesday morning at Cleveland City Hall. It's taking place June 11-17, 2012 and provides a unique experience to directly connect the public and Marines.

Continue reading "The Marines are coming" »

Posted by sr at 10:12 PM | Permalink

October 25th, 2011 | Marine Week | Posted by Dan Lamothe

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Capital of the World will showcase the Marine Corps next summer.

Continue reading "Marine Week 2012 to be held in Cleveland, Ohio" »

Posted by sr at 8:26 PM | Permalink

10/25/2011
Headquarters Marine Corps Capt. Lori Miller, USMC

571-256-4177 (office)
[email protected]
CLEVELAND, OHIO —

Fourth Annual Event Celebrates Community, Country and Corps June 11-17 2012

The United States Marine Corps will partner with the city of Cleveland, Ohio, to bring Marine Week to the nation’s Rock and Roll Capital, June 11-17, 2012. Marine Week is a celebration of community, country and Corps, and provides the unique experience to directly connect the American public and Marines.

Continue reading "Marine Week to Rock Cleveland in 2012 " »

Posted by sr at 4:52 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Oct 23, 2011 9:21:11 EDT

The Marine Corps’ first unmanned cargo helicopter is headed to Afghanistan, where it will resupply front-line troops and keep convoys off the road.

Continue reading "Unmanned cargo helos ready for war zone" »

Posted by sr at 11:38 AM | Permalink

By Travis J. Tritten
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 18, 2011

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marine Corps announced Tuesday it has slashed tuition assistance by 75 percent for servicemembers who take classes on their off-duty time.

Continue reading "Tuition assistance slashed by 75 percent for Marines" »

Posted by sr at 7:28 AM | Permalink

A 59-year-old sergeant in Afghanistan is determined to serve any way he can. His real fear? Retirement

By MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS
OCTOBER 15, 2011

Staff Sgt. Don Nicholas disproves the old refrain: Old soldiers do not, in fact, fade away. They re-enlist.

Continue reading "The Old Soldier Who Didn't Fade Away" »

Posted by sr at 4:31 PM | Permalink

By Clinton Rogers BBC News
3 October 2011

It is 120 degrees in the Mojave Desert in California with no place to hide - and for the past three weeks it has been home to the Royal Marines.

Continue reading "Royal Marines train in Mojave Desert in California" »

Posted by sr at 9:23 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 29, 2011 8:30:56 EDT

Marine forces in southwestern Afghanistan have broadly improved security there, but they must keep pushing before U.S. forces in country are reduced next year as part of a planned drawdown, the top officer in the region said.

Continue reading "General: Marines could cut 8K in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 AM | Permalink

By Tom Vanden Brook - USA Today
Posted : Tuesday Sep 27, 2011 21:18:29 EDT

Accidents are the major cause of helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, despite the recent shootdown of a Chinook that killed 30 U.S. troops, records state.

Continue reading "Review: Most Afghan helo crashes accidental" »

Posted by sr at 5:00 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 26, 2011 7:51:18 EDT

It takes guts to be the point man breaching a door and heading into the unknown. What’s on the other side? It could be an empty room. There could be a family huddled in the corner. Or a Marine could find himself staring down the barrel of an enemy AK-47.

Continue reading "Pocket robots gain ground with Marines" »

Posted by sr at 8:00 AM | Permalink

Phones and other smart devices are being tested across all branches of the military. Seeing an opportunity, software firms and defense contractors are developing apps that will enable soldiers to pass along intelligence, view reconnaissance images or even pilot small drones by remote control.

By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
September 25, 2011, 8:28 p.m.

As a Cobra attack helicopter pilot, Marine Capt. Jim "Hottie" Carlson was running support missions above Afghanistan last summer when it occurred to him that it was taking far too long to find where U.S. troops were under attack.

Continue reading "Taking iPads into battle" »

Posted by sr at 11:15 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Sep 25, 2011 13:42:51 EDT

WASHINGTON — A Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee said Sunday that the U.S. should consider military action against Pakistan if it continues to support terrorist attacks against American troops in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Senator: Consider ‘all options’ with Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:06 PM | Permalink

By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Sep 24, 2011 9:33:57 EDT

U.S. troops in Afghanistan rely more and more on the superior noses of military working dogs to sniff out deadly improvised explosive devices.

Continue reading "More working dogs heading to the front" »

Posted by sr at 11:23 AM | Permalink

By Ishtiaq Mahsud - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Sep 27, 2011 14:09:44 EDT

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — An American drone fired two missiles at a house in a northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border Tuesday, killing three people, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Continue reading "Pakistanis say U.S. missile strike kills 3" »

Posted by sr at 2:55 PM | Permalink

9/17/2011 By Cpl. Katherine Keleher , II MEF (FWD)
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Hundreds of service members aboard Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, attended a memorial ceremony to reflect upon the tragic events and lives lost on September 11, 2001.

Continue reading "Deployed troops reflect on 9/11 during memorial ceremony " »

Posted by sr at 8:57 AM | Permalink

TSGLI Payments Will Be Made for Qualifying Injuries

September 16, 2011

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is extending retroactive traumatic injury benefits to Servicemembers who suffered qualifying injuries during the period Oct. 7, 2001 to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.

Continue reading "Retroactive Traumatic Injury Benefits No Longer Just For OEF/OIF Injuries" »

Posted by sr at 2:24 PM | Permalink

by Tom Gjelten
September 16, 2011

Napoleon declared that "an army marches on its stomach." Gen. Omar Bradley said, "Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics." Successful military commanders have long recognized that few requirements rank higher in wartime than the need to maintain reliable supply lines.

Continue reading "U.S. Now Relies On Alternate Afghan Supply Routes " »

Posted by sr at 1:32 PM | Permalink

By Tabassum Zakaria
WASHINGTON | Thu Sep 15, 2011 6:04pm EDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. agency that operates spy satellites is helping the military spot homemade bombs before they kill American troops on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Continue reading "U.S. "Red Dot" spy program hunts bombs in war zones" »

Posted by sr at 10:06 PM | Permalink

By Dave Majumdar - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 12, 2011 8:00:43 EDT

It doesn’t take a multibillion-dollar defense contract to design and build a state-of-the-art airborne electronic attack pod. The Marine Corps has developed its own.

Continue reading "IED jammer ready for Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:05 AM | Permalink

Cpl. Dakota Meyer fought to save his friends on "worst day" of his life

Written by
Gretel C. Kovach
1 p.m., Aug. 27, 2011

Cpl. Dakota Meyer was the youngest on the team assigned to mentor Afghan security forces. Until that day, the 21-year-old Marine’s worst firefight had been in the video game Call of Duty.

Continue reading "Marine's uncommon valor in Afghanistan garners Medal of Honor" »

Posted by sr at 10:20 PM | Permalink

Aug. 27, 2011

On Saturday, the last patients are to be transferred from the closing Walter Reed Army Medical Center to the Bethesda National Military Medical Center. As of Monday, the Bethesda facility will be known as the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Continue reading "New beginning in Bethesda as military hospitals merge" »

Posted by sr at 9:58 PM | Permalink

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 27, 2011 – Officials here at the National Naval Medical Center declared a new chapter in military health care as a procession of ambulances delivered the last 18 inpatients from Walter Reed Army Medical Center this morning, a final milestone as the two flagship hospitals consolidate.

Continue reading "Arrival of Patients Marks New Beginning at Bethesda" »

Posted by sr at 9:54 PM | Permalink

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release

No. 740-11
August 26, 2011

The Department of Defense announced today that it is currently providing support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) efforts to prepare for Hurricane Irene’s expected landfall on the U.S. mainland. At this time, the support includes, but is not limited to: air and ground transportation experts and defense coordinating officers and elements who serve as DoD representatives to state, local and other federal agencies. These experts coordinate DoD resources in support of FEMA.

Continue reading "Defense Department Prepares in Advance of Hurricane Irene" »

Posted by SP at 4:24 PM | Permalink

8/25/2011 By Lance Cpl. Victor Barrera , Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The Lejeune High School aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, has opened its doors and is welcoming the new school year with an upgraded campus and high expectations from both the students and the staff.

Continue reading "Lejeune High School starts with high expectations " »

Posted by sr at 4:21 PM | Permalink

By Tony Lombardo - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Aug 6, 2011 16:59:21 EDT

Fido has no bark and no bite, but it’s got a sniffer.

Its full name is the Fido XT Explosives Detector, and military police aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., are the latest Marines to put the device to use.

Continue reading "Camp Lejeune to employ better bomb detectors" »

Posted by sr at 11:33 PM | Permalink

by Gloria Hillard
August 2, 2011

The military's four-legged warriors now have a more hopeful future in store.

Continue reading "Military Dogs Enjoy Brighter Future After Service" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
Jul 31, 7:45 AM EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has until mid-October to submit a plan for the initial withdrawal of American troops, decisions that may hinge in part on whether the latest surge in attacks continues through the holy month of Ramadan.

Continue reading "US commanders concerned about Ramadan fighting" »

Posted by sr at 9:34 AM | Permalink

By the CNN Wire Staff
July 28, 2011 6:04 p.m. EDT

Killeen, Texas (CNN) -- An AWOL Muslim American Army private arrested near Fort Hood has told investigators that he wanted to attack fellow soldiers at the military base, the police chief in Killeen, Texas, said Thursday.

Continue reading "Soldier said he wanted to attack Fort Hood troops" »

Posted by sr at 6:29 PM | Permalink

By NICK PERRY, Associated Press – July 22, 2011

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — U.S. Marines will visit New Zealand next year for the first time in at least 25 years, a sign of continuing thawing in the countries' military relations.

Continue reading "US Marines to visit New Zealand next year" »

Posted by sr at 3:48 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 21, 2011 10:52:24 EDT

GI Bill 2.0 starts Aug. 1 with sweeping improvements to help thousands of current and former troops — and some of their families — earn college degrees.

Continue reading "GI Bill reboot: Upcoming changes simplify the process, but new caps could cut your benefits" »

Posted by sr at 4:06 PM | Permalink

By PATRICK QUINN
Associated Press
Jul 18, 8:33 AM EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Gen. David Petraeus handed over command of American and coalition forces to Gen. John Allen on Monday, ending a year that saw the costly counterinsurgency strategy he espoused and implemented coming under increasingly heavy criticism.

Continue reading "Gen. Petraeus hands over command in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:52 AM | Permalink

Other allied nations have made no secret of their wish to follow suit, and the withdrawals will place a heavier burden on those troops left behind. Senior U.S. officials have been reassuring wary Afghans, who say violence is still rampant.

By Laura King, Los Angeles Times
July 16, 2011

Reporting from Kandahar, Afghanistan—
The air conditioning in the cavernous military assembly hall didn't generate enough of a breeze to flutter the long strings of plastic Canadian flags. Some in the audience squirmed in their seats during a lengthy farewell address by an Afghan general. And with that, it was over.

Continue reading "Canada's exit highlights Afghanistan challenges" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 AM | Permalink

July 8, 2011

VFW Call to Action Against S. 277:

The Marine Corps family stationed at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987 is aware of some severe health issues that may have resulted from using contaminated well water that contained carcinogens. Until this week, the VFW was a strong advocate of the "Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011 (S. 277)," which the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee passed recently to provide VA healthcare to assigned Marines, their families and veterans. Now we have learned that SVAC changed the bill — without public notice or hearing — to fund the care it would provide through the elimination of federal subsidies for military commissaries, and by directing the military exchange system to consolidate with the Defense Commissary Agency. The VFW can no longer support S. 277 because the new proposal threatens the existence of the commissary and exchange systems. We ask that you urge your senators to reject S. 277. If additional funding is needed, then SVAC should request it through the traditional legislative process, and not attempt to obtain funding from a federal department over which it has no jurisdiction. Contact your senators today at http://capwiz.com/vfw/dbq/officials/.

Continue reading "VFW Call to Action Against S. 277" »

Posted by sr at 10:36 PM | Permalink

-- Tony Perry in San Diego
July 6, 2011

A battalion of Marines from Twentynine Palms will be among the first units to leave Afghanistan under the drawdown ordered by President Obama, a top general told reporters today.

Continue reading "Marines from Twentynine Palms to be among first to leave Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:51 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 6, 2011 14:31:24 EDT

A Marine infantry battalion out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., will leave Afghanistan before the end of the year as part of the early phases of a U.S. drawdown in the war-torn country.

Continue reading "3/4 eyed as part of Afghanistan drawdown" »

Posted by sr at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Jamil Ahmad's collection of stories is a striking debut

Basharat Peer
The Guardian, Friday 24 June 2011

Jamil Ahmad, a Pakistani civil servant, began his career in Baluchistan in the 1950s. Most civil servants posted to such a remote area as Baluchistan, North Western Frontier Province, or the tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghan border would lobby hard for a posting in the bigger cities of Pakistan, but Ahmad stayed on, spending several decades working as an administrator. Unlike most officials from the plains, Ahmad learned Pashto, the language most tribes along the dreaded frontier speak. Along the way, he took notes, and by 1974 had turned his impressions into a collection of inter-linked stories.

Continue reading "The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad – review" »

Posted by sr at 10:04 PM | Permalink

6/23/2011 By Lance Cpl. Cayce Nevers , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — OPSEC is a process to deny potential enemies information about capabilities and/ or intentions by identifying, controlling and protecting unclassified information that gives evidence of the planning and execution of sensitive activities.

Continue reading "OPSEC: National security starts with you" »

Posted by sr at 9:37 PM | Permalink

Pullout to begin with 10,000 by the end of this year

By Gretel C. Kovach
Originally published 8:18 p.m., June 22, 2011, updated 7:24 a.m., June 23, 2011

President Barack Obama Wednesday announced the much-anticipated plan to begin a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying the first 10,000 troops will be brought home by the end of this year.

Continue reading "Obama orders rollback in troops from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:59 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jun 18, 2011 9:22:07 EDT

Several hundred Marines whose planned separations from service or retirement were delayed by the stop-loss order have yet to collect their extra pay.

Continue reading "Stop-loss pay goes uncollected by Marines" »

Posted by sr at 9:14 AM | Permalink

By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER, Associated Press – June 17, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — For the first time in its 96-year history, a female general is taking charge at the famed Marine Corps training depot at South Carolina's Parris Island.

Continue reading "Historic Marine base gets 1st-ever female general" »

Posted by sr at 9:11 AM | Permalink

Written by: J.R. Wilson on June 14, 2011

When a U.S. soldier was captured by insurgents in Afghanistan, the Army quickly realized his personal Facebook page contained information his captors could use in psychological torture. When apprised of the situation, Facebook immediately responded to the Army’s request to take the page down.

Continue reading "Military Security Issues of Social Media: Army" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 13, 2011 8:42:51 EDT

The Corps will soon field heavy hauler trucks capable of pulling disabled mine-resistant vehicles and other beefy equipment over Afghanistan’s unforgiving terrain.

Continue reading "New haulers rolling to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:25 AM | Permalink

Amid growing doubts in Congress over the war's cost, the Obama administration begins an internal debate this week on how many troops to bring home, and when.

By Peter Nicholas and Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times
June 13, 2011

Reporting from Washington—
The Obama administration opens an internal debate this week on the size of a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan amid growing doubts in Congress about the cost and purpose of the decade-long war and public pressure to bring it to a rapid end.

Continue reading "Obama weighs scale of Afghanistan pullout" »

Posted by sr at 8:12 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jun 12, 2011 9:25:30 EDT

The Marine Corps is extending its early release program through next fiscal year, and more than 37,000 Marines have a chance to exit the service up to 90 days ahead of schedule.

Continue reading "Thousands eligible to exit service early" »

Posted by sr at 10:56 PM | Permalink

1:29 AM, Jun. 10, 2011
Written by
CHUCK RAASCH

WASHINGTON - Debate over how to end the war in Afghanistan is escalating, and how you perceive the issue may hinge around your definition of "modest" and "real."

Continue reading "Uncertain Obama faces crossroad in Afghan war" »

Posted by sr at 2:33 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 6, 2011 8:13:06 EDT

SAN DIEGO — Using synthetic drugs such as spice will do more than just risk your military career — it could lead to serious and potentially long-term mental disorders.

Continue reading "Doctor: Spice could threaten mental health" »

Posted by sr at 11:29 AM | Permalink

By Travis Tritten
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 3, 2011

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marine Corps has changed its re-enlistment procedures in an attempt to improve the quality of its ranks, according to orders approved by the commandant in May.

Continue reading "Marine Corps announces changes to re-enlistment procedures" »

Posted by sr at 8:32 AM | Permalink

Story by Pfc. Daniel Valle | III Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs | Date: 06.02.2011

OKINAWA, Japan - All social security numbers will be removed from Department of Defense identification cards and be replaced by a DOD identification number beginning June 2011.

Continue reading "DOD to remove social security numbers from ID cards" »

Posted by sr at 8:46 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 31, 2011 7:56:00 EDT

TAMPA, Fla. — The Marine Corps will overhaul its re-enlistment process this summer, introducing a new system that will give Marines more time to decide their future and allow the service to be more selective about who it keeps.

Continue reading "Re-enlistment changes coming this summer" »

Posted by sr at 11:17 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 24, 2011 6:53:41 EDT

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Ten weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, six CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters were launched from the amphibious assault ship Peleliu and traveled nearly 400 miles from the North Arabian Sea before touching down in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "New training puts distance between HQ and units" »

Posted by sr at 9:42 AM | Permalink

May 18 2011
— By CJ

The Nigerians and other scammers using images of troops to dupe women around the world out of their hard-earned money has gotten a bit more sophisticated. But, it’s still not difficult to out them.

Continue reading "Military Dating Scammers Wising Up" »

Posted by sr at 5:56 PM | Permalink

By Gina Cavallaro and Dan Lamothe - Staff writers
Posted : Tuesday May 17, 2011 7:43:48 EDT

When Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen replaces Army Gen. David Petraeus later this year as commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan, he’ll take over a complex mission that is expected to grow only more challenging in the months and years ahead.

Continue reading "Allen prepares to be next Afghan war commander" »

Posted by sr at 8:16 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 16, 2011 8:37:09 EDT

The Marine Corps’ search for a new standard-issue pack is complete. Officials have settled on a final design for the USMC Pack, which Marines will begin wearing downrange as early as October, according to Lt. Col. Kevin Reilly, the pack’s program manager at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va.

Continue reading "USMC Pack could debut downrange by October" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 AM | Permalink

Wannabes lie to get free beers, to get women into bed, to further their civilian careers or to get military benefits.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

As long as there have been Navy SEALs, there have been men pumping up their resumes or thumping their chests in bars with bogus claims of being one of the Navy's elite warriors.

Continue reading "SEAL Sleuths Expose Lies" »

Posted by sr at 5:16 PM | Permalink

By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: May 11, 2011

WASHINGTON — Marines were on a foot patrol last fall in the Taliban stronghold of Marja, Afghanistan, when they shot and killed a lethal threat: a local dog that made the mistake of attacking the Marines’ Labrador retriever.

Continue reading "The Dogs of War: Beloved Comrades in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 7:50 AM | Permalink

By PAUL ELIAS
Associated Press
May 10, 4:47 PM EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Noting that an average of 18 veterans a day commit suicide, a federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to dramatically overhaul its mental health care system.

Continue reading "Appeals court blasts VA mental health care system" »

Posted by sr at 4:56 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 10, 2011 5:19:01 EDT

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps has started to build two new one-star Marine expeditionary brigade headquarters that will be capable of leading joint task forces in times of crisis.

Continue reading "Corps planning new MEBs for crisis response" »

Posted by sr at 12:10 PM | Permalink

By Leo Shane III
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 8, 2011

WASHINGTON — Advocates for wounded troops are hailing major changes to the Veterans Affairs caregivers program announced last week, and military families can formally apply for the benefits starting Monday.

Continue reading "VA details new rules for program that compensates family caregivers" »

Posted by sr at 4:46 PM | Permalink

May 05, 2011 10:30 PM
SUZANNE ULBRICH

With 80 percent of combat casualties in the Middle East caused by Improvised Explosive Devices, Camp Lejeune has opened a new facility specifically for training to defeat the devices.

Continue reading "Marine Corps unveils new facility for counter IED training" »

Posted by sr at 11:13 AM | Permalink

Aggressive tactics credited with crucial role

By RICHARD S. DUNHAM
WASHINGTON BUREAU
May 2, 2011, 10:42PM

WASHINGTON — The lives and legacies of George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden have been inextricably intertwined since Sept. 11, 2001.

Continue reading "President picked up where Bush left off" »

Posted by sr at 11:18 PM | Permalink

May 2, 2011
Associated Press correspondent Hamza Hendawi reports:

Muslim clerics said Monday that Osama bin Laden's burial at sea was a violation of Islamic tradition that may further provoke militant calls for revenge attacks against American targets.

Continue reading "Islamic scholars criticize bin Laden burial at sea" »

Posted by sr at 3:34 PM | Permalink

By Richard Allen Greene, CNN
May 2, 2011 9:24 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- The hijacked jet planes that roared out of a clear blue sky one sunny September morning ten years ago killed nearly 3,000 people, but the hurt they did spread far beyond the immediate death and destruction at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Continue reading "Bin Laden's death brings healing to old wounds" »

Posted by sr at 8:56 AM | Permalink

May 2, 2011

Photos of spontaneous celebrations after announcement Osama Bin Laden killed.

Continue reading "Spontaneous celebrations" »

Posted by sr at 8:51 AM | Permalink

'Justice has been done,' President Obama says

3:42 AM, May. 2, 2011

WASHINGTON – Osama bin Laden, the glowering mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans, was slain in his luxury hideout in Pakistan early Monday in a firefight with U.S. forces, ending a manhunt that spanned a frustrating decade.

Continue reading "President Obama: Osama bin Laden is dead; U.S. dumps body at sea" »

Posted by sr at 8:46 AM | Permalink

Stars and Stripes
Published: May 2, 2011

SEOUL — Shock and awe.

Continue reading "Troops surprised, relieved over bin Laden's death" »

Posted by sr at 8:35 AM | Permalink

By Michael A. Memoli and Michael Muskal

May 1, 2011, 8:35 p.m.
Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles—
Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted terrorist, was killed in Pakistan as the result of a U.S. military operation, President Obama announced to the nation Sunday night.

Continue reading "Obama announces Osama bin Laden killed by U.S." »

Posted by sr at 10:37 PM | Permalink

By HELENE COOPER
Published: May 1, 2011

WASHINGTON — Osama bin Laden has been killed, two United States officials said. President Obama was expected to make an announcement on Sunday night, almost ten years after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Continue reading "BIN LADEN DEAD, U.S. OFFICIAL SAYS" »

Posted by sr at 10:12 PM | Permalink

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 29, 2011 11:11:54 EDT

Paper checks for federal benefits are going the way of the dinosaurs, and the first step happens May 1.

Continue reading "Fed begins phase-out of paper benefit checks" »

Posted by sr at 10:29 PM | Permalink

Injured toddler still in critical condition

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 17, 2011 14:55:56 EDT

A toddler remains in critical condition and several residents of a Camp Lejeune, N.C., neighborhood were injured Saturday when a highly destructive tornado cut through the area around 9 p.m. and damaged more than 100 homes.

Continue reading "Lejeune neighborhood recovering after tornado" »

Posted by sr at 10:18 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 16, 2011 9:08:44 EDT

The Marine Corps has fielded a new full-face dive mask to its most elite troops that is safer, easier to maintain and allows Marines to talk underwater.

Continue reading "New dive mask lets Marines talk underwater" »

Posted by sr at 10:15 AM | Permalink

By Lance M. Bacon - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 16, 2011 8:28:32 EDT

Connoisseurs of combat cuisine, get ready for change. Meals, Ready-to-Eat will soon have 12 new items for you to taste, trade and mix together.

Continue reading "Taste test: Panel tries 12 new items for MREs" »

Posted by sr at 10:01 AM | Permalink

By Tony Lombardo - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Apr 12, 2011 16:22:01 EDT

New underwear designed to better protect Marines’ groins from improvised explosive device blasts will soon be shipped to the war zone.

Continue reading "Marines to receive combat underwear" »

Posted by sr at 10:29 PM | Permalink

By Jeanette Steele
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 8:01 a.m.

An Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran from Camp Pendleton has been named Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the highest enlisted position in the Corps.

Continue reading "Camp Pendleton Marine is named top Sgt. Major" »

Posted by sr at 4:50 PM | Permalink

By Alison St John
April 12, 2011

The Marine Corps wants to expand its base at 29 Palms. The base is already the largest Marine Corps training facility in the world.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Plans To Expand Training Area At 29 Palms" »

Posted by sr at 8:42 AM | Permalink

Julian Glover
The Guardian, Monday 11 April 2011

The army is on the Soviet occupiers' path, with less success. What follows may be worse. All we can do, perhaps, is go.

Continue reading "Few politicians say it, but most think it: our Afghan war is a disaster" »

Posted by sr at 6:38 AM | Permalink

The New York Times
By THOM SHANKER
Published: April 10, 2011

WASHINGTON — Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who was relieved of command in Afghanistan after a magazine profile quoted his subordinates as disparaging senior civilian leaders, has been invited back to public service by the Obama administration to help oversee a high-profile initiative in support of military families, White House officials said Sunday.

Continue reading "McChrystal to Lead Program for Military Families" »

Posted by sr at 4:34 PM | Permalink

By Erik Slavin
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 8, 2011

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – Navy Federal Credit Union will advance servicemembers a week’s pay if the government shuts down, according to a credit union news release.

Continue reading "Navy Federal to advance servicemembers paychecks through April 15" »

Posted by sr at 6:10 PM | Permalink

Apr 7, 2011 Issues: Congressional Issues, Defense and National Security, Economy and Jobs, Spending Cuts and Debt

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) is expressing disappointment and dismay with congressional liberals who have refused to support legislation to fully fund America’s men and women in uniform through the end of the current fiscal year. Legislation to fund our troops while cutting $12 billion in wasteful government spending over the next week was approved by House Republicans without much help from Democrats. The bill now goes to the Democrat-controlled Senate which has already made clear it will not pass the bill.

Continue reading "Congresswoman Hartzler criticizes congressional liberals for putting politics ahead of America’s troops" »

Posted by sr at 4:54 PM | Permalink

By Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times
Updated: 10:17 a.m. on Thursday, April 7, 2011

Insurgents in Afghanistan have changed tactics in how they place deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs), prompting a war-veteran congressman to propose a relatively simple technique to find and detonate them.

Continue reading "Taliban alters its deadly IED tactics" »

Posted by sr at 9:30 AM | Permalink

Study shows 2010 saw at least 171 troops suffer battlefield injuries resulting in amputations; 65 of them lost two limbs or more.

By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
April 6, 2011

Reporting from Landstuhl, Germany, and Helmand— Grim combat statistics that one military doctor called "unbelievable" show U.S. troops in Afghanistan suffered an unprecedented number of catastrophic injuries last year, including a tripling of amputations of more than one limb.

Continue reading "U.S. troops in Afghanistan suffer more catastrophic injuries" »

Posted by sr at 9:38 PM | Permalink

By Steven Thomma
McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Wednesday, 04.06.11

WASHINGTON — Social Security checks would still go out. So would tax payments and refunds for e-filed returns. Soldiers would remain on duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, and sailors off the coast of Libya. FBI agents would still work. Mail would be delivered.

Continue reading "If the government shuts down, here's how it would work" »

Posted by sr at 6:03 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 6, 2011 15:58:44 EDT

The pay freeze that would come with an extended government shutdown would severely hurt military families and require the military to organize financial help for those who don’t have savings to cover bills, a nonpartisan arm of Congress is warning lawmakers.

Continue reading "Report: Shutdown would hurt military families" »

Posted by sr at 4:56 PM | Permalink

Posted Tuesday, Apr. 05, 2011

WASHINGTON -- U.S. military troops at war in Iraq and Afghanistan would receive one week's pay instead of two in their next paycheck if the government shuts down this weekend because of the federal budget impasse, a senior defense official said Tuesday.

Continue reading "Federal shutdown would have some troops' paychecks" »

Posted by sr at 9:51 PM | Permalink

Posted on March 31, 2011

Was it just a wrong turn, or something more sinister?

Continue reading "Dry Run or Wrong Turn? 3 Mid-East Men Try to Enter Calif. Marine Base After Allegedly Making Terror Threats" »

Posted by sr at 10:11 PM | Permalink

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 31, 2011 20:52:19 EDT

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — Nearly 32 years of service and history came to an end Thursday when the amphibious assault ship Nassau was decommissioned at Naval Station Norfolk.

Continue reading "Nassau decommissioned after 32 years of service" »

Posted by sr at 10:11 PM | Permalink

The New York Times
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: March 22, 2011

WASHINGTON — An American pilot and a weapons officer were safely rescued in Libya on Tuesday after their warplane crashed near Benghazi, but the United States Marine Corps dropped two 500-pound bombs during the recovery and faced questions about whether Marines had fired on villagers.

Continue reading "Marines Face Questions About Rescue of Officers in Libya" »

Posted by sr at 8:22 PM | Permalink

By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2011 – Service members and their families have a few tax advantages at their disposal, as well as a few extra days in which to complete their taxes this year, a Defense Department tax expert said.

Continue reading "Tax Laws Benefit Troops, Families" »

Posted by sr at 5:01 PM | Permalink

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, STEVEN ERLANGER and ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: March 19, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya — American and European forces began a broad campaign of strikes against the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi on Saturday, unleashing warplanes and missiles in a new military intervention in the Arab world on a scale not seen since the Iraq war.

Continue reading "U.S. Missiles Strike Libyan Air-Defense Targets" »

Posted by sr at 7:30 PM | Permalink

Admiral outlines worst-case scenario to move U.S. citizens and military personnel amid radiation concerns

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 17, 2011 21:27:50 EDT

SAN DIEGO — The admiral in charge of all U.S. military forces in the Pacific region said on Thursday the military has developed contingency plans to evacuate 87,000 Americans — including Defense Department personnel — from Japan if the situation deteriorates.

Continue reading "PACOM could evacuate 87k Americans from Japan" »

Posted by sr at 9:30 PM | Permalink

Posted 3/17/2011
by Tech. Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

3/17/2011 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Rothstein, 35th Fighter Wing commander, and U.S. Navy Capt. James Haugen, Naval Air Facility Misawa commanding officer, addressed the Misawa Air Base community in an American Forces Network broadcast March 17.

Continue reading "Misawa Air Base authorizes voluntary departure of dependants" »

Posted by sr at 5:38 PM | Permalink

By John Rabiroff
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 17, 2011

SEOUL — U.S. military personnel have delivered 40 tons of supplies to the hardest-hit areas of Japan, as humanitarian aid continues in the face of an ever-increasing threat from the failing Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

Continue reading "U.S. military delivers 40 tons of supplies to hardest-hit areas" »

Posted by sr at 9:15 AM | Permalink

By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2011 – In the wake of Japan’s massive earthquake and tsunami, Red Cross officials are encouraging U.S. service members and families posted there to register with an online resource intended to keep family and friends back home informed of their welfare.

Continue reading "Red Cross Website Links Japan-based Troops to Home" »

Posted by sr at 12:07 PM | Permalink

Monday, March 14th 2011 6:33 PM
By GetSolar Staff.

The U.S. military has been at the forefront of solar energy research for the past few years, albeit quietly. The Department of Defense has funneled large amounts of money into solar research and has looked to utilize the technology's power to help troops, power its bases and bring about technological advances in the field.

Continue reading "U.S. Military to Save $336,000 Annually With Newly Installed Solar Panel Installation" »

Posted by sr at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Navy ships, Marine forces and non-governmental relief teams are being dispatched to the disaster-stricken areas of Japan to provide humanitarian assistance and to search for survivors.

By Ken Dilanian, Washington Bureau
March 12, 2011, 8:59 a.m.

Reporting from Washington --
U.S. Navy ships and aircraft were converging on disaster-stricken Japan Saturday, while the main U.S. aid agency dispatched two urban search-and-rescue teams to help look for trapped survivors.

Continue reading "U.S. military, aid teams headed for Japan" »

Posted by sr at 12:24 PM | Permalink

By Sam Fellman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 2:55:35 EST

Eight warships are headed to Japan to render disaster relief in the wake of a catastrophic magnitude 8.9 earthquake that left hundreds dead Friday. The quake unleashed a tsunami that is tearing across the Pacific. It unmoored two subs and is forcing other ships to get underway or ease their lines as the surge waters arrive, according to updates posted on official Navy Facebook pages across the region.

Continue reading "Navy sends 8 ships to provide tsunami relief" »

Posted by sr at 4:52 PM | Permalink

U.S. Forces prepare for humanitarian relief operations

By James K. Sanborn and Gidget Fuentes - Staff writers
Posted : Friday Mar 11, 2011 11:49:11 EST

What is being called Japan’s largest earthquake in 100 years struck the country’s main island Friday afternoon, but the effect on Marine installations was minimal, according to a Headquarters Marine Corps spokesman.

Continue reading "Marine Bases Japan spared by earthquake" »

Posted by sr at 1:00 PM | Permalink

By TRAVIS J. TRITTEN
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 10, 2011

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The Marine Corps on Okinawa has created a crime-tips website to combat the use of designer drugs known as Spice, officials said Thursday.

Continue reading "Marine Corps opens crime-tips website to combat use of Spice" »

Posted by sr at 5:09 PM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 8, 2011 5:19:44 EST

SAN DIEGO — The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed in late February with the ScanEagle unmanned aircraft, marking the first time any MEU has taken the combat-proven drone out to sea for an operational assignment, officials said.

Continue reading "Lightweight drone set for first MEU deployment" »

Posted by sr at 7:21 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Feb 26, 2011 10:12:58 EST

The Corps is rolling out a new online tool to help families of deployed Marines stay in the know.

Continue reading "Communication system eases contact with family" »

Posted by sr at 9:25 AM | Permalink

FBI Begins Process of Examining How to Prosecute 15 Captured Somali Pirates

By JIM SCIUTTO and JESSICA HOPPER
Feb. 23, 2011

The bodies of the four Americans killed after Somali pirates hijacked their yacht headed home on the USS Enterprise from the dangerous waters off the Somali coast last night, military officials said. Also on board the massive aircraft carrier were the 15 captured Somali pirates.

Continue reading "Bodies of Americans Killed By Somali Pirates Headed Home" »

Posted by sr at 11:42 AM | Permalink

By Tom Vanden Brook
USA Today
Published: 02.16.2011

The military has reduced the number of troops wounded or killed by homemade bombs in Afghanistan by 37% since August by improving its ability to find the explosives before they blow up.

Continue reading "Better IED detection reduces casualties 37% in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Suez : Egypt | Feb 11, 2011
By Dava Castillo

The arrival of U.S. naval, marine and air forces in the Suez Canal’s Greater Bitter Lake could indicate that the crisis in Egypt is swerving out of control.

Continue reading "United States Military Warships Sent To The Suez Canal" »

Posted by sr at 10:36 PM | Permalink

By Joshua Rhett Miller
Published February 11, 2011 | FoxNews.com

EXCLUSIVE: Brace yourself: Blast Boxers are coming to America.

Continue reading "Bomb-Resistant Boxers to Be Manufactured by New York Company" »

Posted by sr at 4:53 PM | Permalink

2/10/2011 By Courtesy Military Spouse magazine , Headquarters Marine Corps

Military Spouse magazine announced the five military service branch winners for its 2011 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year award, and Bianca Strzalkowski, the wife of Gunnery Sgt. Ronald Strzalkowski, is representing the Marine Corps as the top Marine spouse. PITTSBURGH — Gunnery Sgt. Strzalkowski is the staff noncommissioned officer of Recruiting Sub-Station Garner, N.C., and Bianca has been by his side since the days he was a Marine prospect preparing for recruit training in 2001.

Continue reading "Voting begins to select 2011 Military Spouse of the Year" »

Posted by sr at 5:26 PM | Permalink

By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY
02.09.11

Several landmarks in Marne, Mich., are named "Berlin," including the Baptist church, the fairgrounds and the racetrack. That's because Marne, home to many German settlers in the 19th century, was named Berlin — until the United States entered World War I.

Continue reading "How will years of war change us?" »

Posted by sr at 5:57 PM | Permalink

The lifelike limb, controlled by a chip planted on the brain, is being tested as part of a program designed to speed development of medical devices.

By Andrew Zajac, Washington Bureau
February 9, 2011

Reporting from Washington —
Responding to the needs of badly wounded war veterans, federal officials said Tuesday they were accelerating reviews of a science-fiction-like robotic arm controlled by a computer chip on the brain.

Continue reading "FDA expedites review of robotic arm" »

Posted by sr at 5:47 PM | Permalink

Corps may create special operations career path

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 7, 2011 5:45:31 EST

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Marines who would like to forge a career as a MARSOC special operator may soon have their wish granted.

Continue reading "Commandant considers MARSOC MOS" »

Posted by sr at 9:53 AM | Permalink

SWATS helps Marines zero in on enemy sniper fire

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Feb 6, 2011 8:20:00 EST

The Marine Corps is ordering several hundred gunfire detection devices for use in Afghanistan, at pre-deployment training sites and at bases throughout the Corps.

Continue reading "Gunfire detection devices heading to the fleet" »

Posted by sr at 9:41 AM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | DVIDS Hub | Date: 02.04.2011

ATLANTA - The Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) will conduct its first live, high-definition satellite feed with U.S. Marines stationed at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, during FOX’s coverage of Super Bowl XLV. Through the use of cutting-edge video streaming technologies combined with Ku-band ground satellite terminals, DVIDS will bring crystal-clear, HD live footage of U.S. service members in Afghanistan enjoying Sunday’s big game. FOX will air the footage of the forward-deployed Marines during their game-day coverage, taking place Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Continue reading "DVIDS premiers HD live from Afghanistan during Super Bowl XLV on FOX" »

Posted by sr at 10:17 PM | Permalink

2/2/2011

There are now more than 2,000 ground robots operating in Afghanistan, and troops are demanding more.

Continue reading "'Robot Army' in Afghanistan Surges Past 2,000 Units" »

Posted by sr at 4:29 PM | Permalink

New system will ease burden at all levels

By Tony Lombardo - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 31, 2011 6:10:52 EST

Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. — The Corps’ Training and Education Command is introducing a new electronic system to track training requirements and completions in an effort to help ease strain on Marines across the board.

Continue reading "Electronic records to help track training" »

Posted by sr at 9:37 AM | Permalink

Defense attorney wants to present testimony about post-traumatic stress disorder.

By Sarah Millard | January 28, 2011

The defense attorney for Steven P. Osburn, 24, an Army veteran who is accused of killing his friend, 23-year-old Zachary S. Gallenberg, in a south Waukesha neighborhood said Friday that the evidence will not support a mental-based plea of not guilty in the crime.

Continue reading "Special Insanity Plea Withdrawn in Waukesha Homicide Case" »

Posted by sr at 2:35 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 27, 2011 5:08:40 EST

The Marine Corps is preparing to field a new mobile kitchen designed to deliver hot chow to grunts downrange.

Continue reading "Corps signs contract for mobile kitchens" »

Posted by sr at 10:34 AM | Permalink

10:18 PM PST on Wednesday, January 26, 2011
By DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
The Press-Enterprise

Leaders at the sprawling Marine base in Twentynine Palms have unveiled their latest training ground: a mock city the size of downtown San Diego with hotels, markets, a hospital, tunnels and a soccer stadium large enough to land four helicopters.

Continue reading "Marines unveil city-size urban warfare training at Twentynine Palms" »

Posted by sr at 5:44 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Salvador Moreno | I Marine Expeditionary Force | Date: 01.26.2011

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A new online course has replaced the Marine Corps Institute printed version of Leading Marines. According to Marine Administrative Message 640/10, lance corporals must complete the Marine Net version, called the Leading Marines Distance Education Program, to be promotion eligible.

Continue reading "Leading Marines requirements" »

Posted by sr at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Shawn Coolman | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 01.26.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – A United Service Organization facility opened here, Jan. 25.

Continue reading "USO opens at Camp Leatherneck" »

Posted by sr at 8:56 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Damany Coleman | Camp LeJeune Base Public Affairs | Date: 01.25.2011

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- For avid athletes, routine visitors or base personnel who just want to hit the treadmill or pump some iron the old-fashioned way, the French Creek Fitness Center is open while work continues on the heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Continue reading "Fitness center expand hours, keep patrons in mind" »

Posted by sr at 5:38 PM | Permalink

New York Times
By The Associated Press
Published January 25, 2011

A mock city roughly the size of downtown San Diego has risen in a remote Southern California desert to train military forces to fight in urban environments.

Continue reading "California: Another Mock City for Marines Rises in the Desert" »

Posted by sr at 5:15 PM | Permalink

Iconic memorial may be showing its age

By CAITLIN O'BRIEN
Updated 10:42 PM EST, Tue, Jan 25, 2011

One of the country’s most iconic images may be getting a makeover. The Marine Corps War Memorial -- often referred to as the Iwo Jima Memorial -- is in need of a little sprucing, according to a memorial foundation.

Continue reading "Iwo Jima Monument May Get a Makeover" »

Posted by sr at 8:44 AM | Permalink

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 24, 2011 5:52:08 EST

It’s one of the most iconic images of World War II — the flag-raising by five Marines and a sailor on Mount Suribachi in 1945 on the island of Iwo Jima.

Continue reading "Repairs considered for Iwo Jima memorial" »

Posted by sr at 8:51 AM | Permalink

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2011 – Additions to the TRICARE military health plan’s website are giving beneficiaries easier access to their personal health data, more convenient appointment scheduling and better communication with their health care providers, the top TRICARE official reported.

Continue reading "TRICARE Improves Online Communication, Access" »

Posted by sr at 5:46 PM | Permalink

Increased demand taxes current cadre

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jan 15, 2011 9:49:07 EST

A recent review of the Marine Corps’ and Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps revealed a community strained by heavy workloads and in need of more personnel.

Continue reading "Panel: More judge advocates needed" »

Posted by sr at 5:23 PM | Permalink

Beyond 2014

1/13/2011 6:24 AM ET

(RTTNews) - United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has dismissed reports that American troops could stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014 in a combat capacity.

Continue reading "Clinton Rules Out American Combat Mission In Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:29 AM | Permalink

by LINDA BYRON / KING 5 News
KING5.com
Posted on January 12, 2011 at 10:49 PM

Imagine fighting for your country in a war zone. It's lonely and dangerous and your computer is your only link to the outside world. The KING 5 Investigators have found that computer lifeline makes U.S. troops vulnerable to online scammers. We go inside a scam that targets military service members and find an Internet romance that reaches all the way from Western Washington to Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marine in war zone becomes online scam target" »

Posted by sr at 8:38 AM | Permalink

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

11 January 2011 VOA News U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says if the Afghan people want the United States to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, the U.S. is prepared to do so.

Continue reading "Biden: US Committed to Afghanistan Beyond 2014" »

Posted by sr at 1:16 PM | Permalink

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2011 – Vice President Joe Biden today spoke with Afghan national and local leaders as he continued what White House officials described as a visit to assess progress and reinforce the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Biden Meets Karzai, Visits Troops in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 1:11 PM | Permalink

01.10.11

Photo gallery of the Iwo Jima monument depicting the work needed to be done.

Continue reading "Iwo Jima monument in dire need of a rescue mission" »

Posted by sr at 5:11 PM | Permalink

How the media inflated a minor moment in a long war.

by Peter Maass
January 10, 2011

On April 9, 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Bryan McCoy, commander of the 3rd Battalion 4th Marines, awoke at a military base captured from the Iraqis a few miles from the center of Baghdad, which was still held by the enemy. It had been twenty days since the invasion of Iraq began, and McCoy had some personal chores to take care of—washing his socks, for one. Afterward, he walked over to a group of marines under his command who were defacing a mural of Saddam Hussein. As I watched, he picked up a sledgehammer and struck a few blows himself. The men cheered. Then he began preparing for the serious business of the day: leading the battalion into the heart of the city. He expected a house-to-house brawl that would last several days.

Continue reading "The Toppling" »

Posted by sr at 1:57 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Heidi Agostini | I Marine Expeditionary Force | Date: 01.07.2011

You want to show off your new car and you take a picture with your smartphone. Then, you post it to Picasa or Flickr, both location-based social-networking services.

Continue reading "Geotags invade privacy and OPSEC" »

Posted by sr at 4:36 PM | Permalink

Veterans' Advocacy Groups Urge Families to Check Government Records

By SUSANNA KIM
Jan. 5, 2011
abc GMA

Veterans and their families may be eligible to receive unclaimed funds totaling at about $33 million, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans' advocacy groups say many veterans' families have no idea the money is there.

Continue reading "$33 Million in Unclaimed Money for Veterans Dating Back to World War I" »

Posted by sr at 8:52 AM | Permalink

January 04, 2011 5:13 PM
By Drew C. Wilson
Havelock News

Cherry Point Marines, who have been active in the War on Terror, will once again be on the frontlines in 2011 when the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) deploys to Afghanistan later this year.

Continue reading "New Year to include Cherry Point deployments, construction" »

Posted by sr at 11:08 PM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jan 4, 2011 20:34:09 EST

President Obama has signed into law a package of changes — mostly improvements — in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Continue reading "President signs into law latest GI Bill changes" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 31, 2010 9:32:46 EST

Boards designed to retain exceptional noncommissioned officers who missed their window to re-up have been delayed.

Continue reading "Boards delayed for NCOs late to re-up" »

Posted by sr at 9:19 AM | Permalink

Story by Pfc. David Flynn | Marine Corps Recruiting Command | Date: 12.29.2010

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.- Marine Corps Recruiting Command released “Graduate a Leader of Warriors,” a video detailing the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship, as well as the experiences of college students currently attending school through the program, Dec. 16.

Continue reading "New video shows off what NROTC has to offer" »

Posted by sr at 5:39 PM | Permalink

Just 69,000 of 145,000 Eligible Servicemen and Women Filed for Compensation for Serving Past Their Original Discharge Date

By Byron Pitts
Dec. 26, 2010

(CBS) Michael Pereira served his country with honor -- in Afghanistan. Four years ago, he looked forward to leaving the service to be with his wife and family. But he was forced to put his civilian life on hold, reports CBS News correspondent Byron Pitts.

Continue reading "$250M Unclaimed in Stop Loss Compensation Act" »

Posted by sr at 9:01 AM | Permalink

By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press
Dec 25, 7:57 AM EST

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) -- The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan crisscrossed the country on Saturday, visiting coalition troops on Christmas at some of the main battle fronts in a show of appreciation and support in the tenth year of the war against the Taliban.

Continue reading "Top US general visits troops in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 12:48 PM | Permalink

Marine Corps commandant visits troops, thanks them for service

December 24, 2010

News video General Amos, Marine Corps Commandant, visiting Marines in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Signs of Progress in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:58 PM | Permalink

By Barbara Barrett | McClatchy Newspapers
* Posted on Monday, December 20, 2010

WASHINGTON — Responding to heightened publicity and an uneven smattering of decisions on claims, the Department of Veterans Affairs will begin training a specialized cadre of workers this week to handle disability claims related to historic water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Continue reading "VA takes steps to deal with mounting Lejeune water claims" »

Posted by sr at 7:28 AM | Permalink

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 19, 2010 18:08:16 EST

Marine special operators are going old-school. Some have ditched their MARPAT for “NATO woodland print” which is similar to what all Marines wore more than a decade ago. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command purchased 300 sets of the uniforms for use on unspecified missions.

Continue reading "MARSOC purchases retro woodland camouflage" »

Posted by sr at 1:56 PM | Permalink

By Jeanette Steele
Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 7:31 p.m.

A much-anticipated White House report card on the Afghanistan war concludes that the Taliban are hamstrung in many regions and that al-Qaeda leaders have suffered grave losses since the American military surge began early this year.

Continue reading "White House report cites progress in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:37 PM | Permalink

By Marine Corps Capt. Timothy Patrick
2nd Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Dec. 15, 2010 – After nearly a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marine Corps has been inappropriately branded as a second land army.

Continue reading "Marines Return to Amphibious Roots" »

Posted by sr at 6:11 PM | Permalink

By Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 14, 2010

ARLINGTON, Va. — The nation’s top Marine Corps officer said he read the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” report and troop survey repeatedly, thoughtfully, and without prejudice before deciding he could not endorse a change that might bring distractions or endanger the lives of Marines in combat.

Continue reading "Marine commandant concluded DADT repeal may risk lives" »

Posted by sr at 5:30 PM | Permalink

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.14.10

Hoo-rah!
The U.S. Marine Corps has just bought two electric Newton trucks from Smith Electric. The photo above shows the prototype (which the USMC will repaint to their liking), which is a bit different from the Smith Electric Newton trucks that we're more used to see (see the other pic below). The trucks will be delivered to Camp Pendleton, CA, the Corps' largest West Coast training facility, and home of the First Marine Expeditionary Force.

Continue reading "U.S. Marine Corps Adds Electric Trucks to its Fleet" »

Posted by sr at 5:19 PM | Permalink

Published: Dec. 14, 2010 at 2:13 PM

ALGIERS, Algeria, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reported to be seeking "expressions of interest" in building a military airbase in a "North African country," indicating the Americans may be planning to take a more active role in the regional war against al-Qaida.

Continue reading "Report: U.S. mulls African base" »

Posted by sr at 8:44 AM | Permalink

12/12/2010 By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Brofer , 1st Marine Logistics Group (FWD)

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Marines and family members who find themselves battling stress can talk to a trained counselor for free through the “DSTRESS” Line, a Marine Corps-sponsored phone hotline staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Continue reading "New counseling hotline aims to 'DSTRESS' Marines, families" »

Posted by sr at 2:15 PM | Permalink

Susy Raybon
*Military Community Examiner
*December 11, 2010 8:17 am ET

Army snipers are training with the new XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle at an undisclosed facility in Arkansas and according to the Remington Arms Company and the Department of Defense U.S. soldiers will have it in their hands shortly after the first of the year.

Continue reading "Army to Deploy XM2010 Sniper Rifle to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 1:36 PM | Permalink

Story by Kristen Wong | Marine Corps Base Hawaii – Kaneohe Bay | Date: 12.10.2010

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii - With a clear sky and a bright morning sun, the base remembered its eighteen sailors and two civilian contractors lost on “the date which will live in infamy,” in front of the Kaneohe Klipper Monument, Dec. 7.

Continue reading "Remembering Dec. 7 at site of first attacks" »

Posted by sr at 10:45 PM | Permalink

Published: Friday, December 10, 2010, 11:22 AM
By Times-Picayune Staff

Melvin Clay, 37, and Heliana Amrine, 21, were arrested Thursday night in connection to the stabbing death of 23-year-old Marine Corps sergeant Ryan Lekosky, a Texas native who was stationed in Belle Chasse, in October.

Continue reading "2 suspects arrested in stabbing death of Marine in French Quarter" »

Posted by sr at 10:36 PM | Permalink

By Susanne M. Schafer - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Dec 9, 2010 20:33:35 EST

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The military plans to put 400 of the Marine Corps’ new vertical take-off F-35B fighter jets at four installations in North Carolina, South Carolina, California and Arizona.

Continue reading "4 bases selected to host Marine F-35Bs" »

Posted by sr at 10:31 PM | Permalink

By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 – For the past 10 years, the word “Marine” in the Marine Corps has seemed a misnomer: combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have left the majority of Marines land locked, with little or no experience in amphibious operations.

Continue reading "Navy, Marine Corps Prepare for Amphibious Training" »

Posted by sr at 5:12 PM | Permalink

By Jian DeLeon
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 – Following the counterinsurgency tenet of supporting civilians, the Army and Marines have deployed women-focused teams to gain insight into Afghanistan’s mostly silent female population.

Continue reading "Women-led U.S. Teams Work With Afghan Women" »

Posted by sr at 5:08 PM | Permalink

December 09, 2010 5:03 PM
BY JAMES GILBERT - SUN STAFF WRITER

In his first tour of West Coast installations since becoming the 35th commandant of the Marine Corps., Gen. James F. Amos addressed the Marines and sailors at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and toured the facility Thursday.

Continue reading "Marine commandant speaks at MCAS Yuma" »

Posted by sr at 8:40 AM | Permalink

Marines need vertical landing jet, he says in San Diego visit

By Gretel C. Kovach
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 7:04 p.m.

Gen. James Amos, the new commandant of the Marine Corps, said Wednesday during a visit to San Diego that impending budget constraints will likely force him to make tough trade-offs between comforts for Marines on the home front and the weapons they need in battle.

Continue reading "Commandant calls Joint Strike Fighter essential" »

Posted by sr at 10:41 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Dec 8, 2010 16:12:16 EST

The Marine Corps is moving forward with a plan to field at least 100,000 new packs beginning in 2012, replacing the existing Individual Load Bearing Equipment system that Marines have humped since 2004.

Continue reading "Corps looks to field 100,000 new packs" »

Posted by sr at 10:35 PM | Permalink

Story by C. Todd Lopez | Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs | Date: 12.07.2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - For the first time, America officially recognizes the contributions and dedication of military widows with ''Gold Star Wives Day.''

Continue reading "Senate Resolution Designates Gold Star Wives Day" »

Posted by sr at 11:31 PM | Permalink

By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Afghanistan today for troop visits and meetings with key U.S. leaders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Continue reading "Gates Visits Afghanistan Bases" »

Posted by sr at 8:52 AM | Permalink

From the Scrapbook
Dec 6, 2010, Vol. 16, No. 12

What follows are excerpts from remarks by Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Kelly to the Semper Fi Society of St. Louis on November 13. Kelly’s son, Marine 1st Lt. Robert Michael Kelly, 29, had been killed in action four days earlier in Sangin, in southern Afghanistan, while leading his platoon on a combat patrol:

"Those with less of a sense of service to the nation never understand it when men and women of character step forward to look danger and adversity straight in the eye, refusing to blink, or give ground, even to their own deaths.  .  .  . No, they are not victims but are warriors, your warriors, and warriors are never victims regardless of how and where they fall. Death, or fear of death, has no power over them. Their paths are paved by sacrifice, sacrifices they gladly make .  .  . for you. .  .  .

Continue reading "Giving Thanks for Our Warriors" »

Posted by sr at 4:30 PM | Permalink

By Gregg Zoroya • USA TODAY • December 6, 2010

Military servicemembers are fighting what would be their lowest pay raise in decades as the nation wages two wars, including a 10th year of combat in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Proposed military pay raise panned" »

Posted by sr at 9:35 AM | Permalink

Susy Raybon
* Military Community Examiner
* December 5th, 2010 6:30 pm ET

Air Force Senior Airman Jordan Gunterman did the right thing when he suspected a buddy was in serious trouble. He phoned a friend and got online.

Continue reading "Deployed Airman saves stateside buddy with Internet connections" »

Posted by sr at 12:25 PM | Permalink

Operational demands in Afghanistan call for more fluency

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 5, 2010 8:44:35 EST

Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C. and Camp Pendleton, Calif., now have the option of pursuing intermediate and advanced language study before deploying to Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Language training at major bases expanded" »

Posted by sr at 10:18 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 5, 2010 19:10:24 EST

Five units will soon deploy with the new M27 infantry automatic rifle, a 5.56mm weapon that may one day replace the M249 squad automatic weapon. A total of 458 rifles will be delivered by the gun’s maker, Heckler and Koch, and meted out to five battalions working up for deployments to Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Infantry automatic rifle is Afghan-bound" »

Posted by sr at 9:29 AM | Permalink

Camp Pendleton handlers tout results

By Gretel C. Kovach
Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 11 p.m.

The Marine Corps is greatly expanding its experimental program that deploys infantrymen to combat zones with bomb-sniffing dogs, declaring it a successful component of the fight against the insurgents’ most lethal killer — homemade bombs dug into roads and footpaths.

Continue reading "Marine Corps expands infantry bomb dog program" »

Posted by sr at 7:03 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Dec 4, 2010 8:38:13 EST

A broad assessment of the Marine Corps’ infantry training aimed at identifying and fixing shortcomings may loom on the horizon.

Continue reading "Infantry training in Corps faces scrutiny" »

Posted by sr at 9:12 AM | Permalink

By BEN FELLER
AP White House Correspondent
Dec 3, 11:38 AM EST

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) -- President Barack Obama slipped unannounced into dangerous Afghanistan on Friday, one year after widening an ever deadlier war and just days before a pivotal review about the 9-year-plus conflict. Plans for a face-to-face meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai were scrapped at the last minute.

Continue reading "President Obama in Afghanistan on unannounced trip" »

Posted by sr at 10:39 AM | Permalink

by Tom Gjelten
December 3, 2010

With his doctorate from Princeton, Army Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has become the prime example of a special breed of soldier: the warrior-scholar, trained in history and politics as well as how to fight wars.

Continue reading "U.S. 'Connects The Dots' To Catch Roadside Bombers" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 AM | Permalink

By Jeff Schogol
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 3, 2010

Congress has once again extended the deadline for the retroactive-stop-loss pay program, which had been set to expire on Friday but now runs through Dec. 18.

Continue reading "Deadline extended to apply for retroactive stop-loss pay" »

Posted by sr at 8:58 AM | Permalink

Half-billion-dollar facility expected to open in 2014

By Gretel C. Kovach
Originally published December 2, 2010 at 12:50 p.m., updated December 2, 2010 at 5:13 p.m.

Construction to replace Camp Pendleton’s aging hospital with a facility costing nearly half-a-billion dollars began Thursday, when military commanders and builders sunk their shovels into the ground at a ceremonial groundbreaking.

Continue reading "Camp Pendleton breaks ground on new hospital" »

Posted by sr at 4:48 PM | Permalink

By Giulia Lasagni - Medill News Service
Posted : Thursday Dec 2, 2010 15:42:00 EST

While improvised explosive devices are killing an increasing number of U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan, American officials are trying to limit the flow of one the key ingredients in the bombs.

Continue reading "U.S. cracks down on IED chemical in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 AM | Permalink

by Michael Mathes Michael Mathes – Wed Dec 1, 2:09 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – It looks and acts like something best left in the hands of Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo," but this latest dream weapon is real -- and the US Army sees it becoming the Taliban's worst nightmare.

Continue reading "US deploys 'game-changer' weapon to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:53 AM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 29, 2010 13:57:22 EST

Uniformed military personnel are exempt from a proposed two-year freeze on government salary increases — for now.

Continue reading "Troops exempt from fed pay freeze proposal" »

Posted by sr at 10:43 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 29, 2010 5:41:20 EST

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Recruiting Command is riding a high and meeting all major goals, but it faces obstacles in coming years, including potential budget cuts and projected increases in the number of recruits needed in future years, said the two-star officer overseeing the command.

Continue reading "Despite hitting 202K, Corps needs recruits" »

Posted by sr at 7:35 AM | Permalink

By PATRICK QUINN
Associated Press
Nov 26, 2:29 AM EST

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- The Soviet Union couldn't win in Afghanistan, and now the United States is about to have something in common with that futile campaign: nine years, 50 days.

Continue reading "US presence in Afghanistan as long as Soviet slog" »

Posted by sr at 10:47 AM | Permalink

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Nov 21, 2010 9:27:55 EST

The Corps’ effort to groom Marines for tours as special operators continues to benefit from a new prep course that helps candidates achieve peak conditioning before going through Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command’s Assessment and Selection process.

Continue reading "MARSOC hopefuls aided by new prep course" »

Posted by sr at 9:33 AM | Permalink

By The Associated Press,
Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 10:01 a.m.

LISBON, Portugal — President Barack Obama says it's "hard to anticipate" the exact U.S. role in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Continue reading "Obama: US role in Afghanistan unclear past 2014" »

Posted by sr at 10:39 PM | Permalink

By John Vandiver
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 20, 2010

LISBON, Portugal — NATO leaders formally agreed Saturday on a plan to end combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, and laid the groundwork for an “enduring partnership” with the Afghan government after the fighting stops.

Continue reading "NATO endorses 2014 handover of Afghan security, OKs long-term partnership" »

Posted by sr at 12:38 PM | Permalink

Nov 20, 2010

President Obama and NATO allies endorsed what they hope will be the beginning of the end of the Afghanistan war on Saturday, agreeing to start reducing troop levels next year and to hand over security of the Afghans themselves by 2014.

Continue reading "Obama, NATO discuss 2014 Afghanistan exit strategy" »

Posted by sr at 9:16 AM | Permalink

By PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press
Nov 19, 12:27 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ratcheting up U.S. combat power in Afghanistan, the Pentagon is sending Abrams tanks into the battle against insurgents at a time when the U.S. and European publics are anxious to see progress in the 9-year-old war.

Continue reading "US sending tanks to southern Afghan fight" »

Posted by sr at 10:40 PM | Permalink

11/19/2010 By Cpl. Jose O. Nava , Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The hallways of the Branch Medical Clinic here bustle with bodies moving to-and-fro. Both recruits and Marines are treated every day by U.S. Navy hospital corpsman, or as most Marines refer to as, ‘Doc’, who work arduously behind the scenes.

Continue reading "Navy ‘Docs’, important part of warrior care" »

Posted by sr at 3:01 PM | Permalink

Examining the life of Marine Lt. Gen. Victor H. 'Brute' Krulak, who was instrumental in shaping the modern Marine Corps.

By Tony Perry
Los Angeles Times
November 19, 2010

"Brute" examines the life and career of U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. Victor H. "Brute" Krulak, the complex and controversial officer whose role in shaping the modern Marine Corps was as large as his stature — 5-foot-4 — was short.

Continue reading "'Brute' by Robert Coram" »

Posted by sr at 11:04 AM | Permalink

Story by Gunnery Sgt. William Price
Date11.18.2010
Date Posted:11.19.2010 03:58

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - The Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen of Regional Command Southwest recently got "a delicious taste of home" courtesy of Outback Steakhouse Inc. Restaurant Partners LLC, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine

Continue reading "Operation Feeding Freedom VIII brings a delicious taste of home to troops in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:57 AM | Permalink

By Dianna Cahn and Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 17, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO leaders gathering for a summit in Portugal this weekend will announce plans for the gradual handover of Afghanistan to fledgling Afghan forces by 2014 and a partnership that will endure for far longer.

Continue reading "Unveiling of Afghan plan will tout transition, not conclusion" »

Posted by sr at 6:17 PM | Permalink

By Robert Seidman
– November 17, 2010
Posted in: Network TV Press Releases

“A Walk in My Shoes” Set to Air on Friday, December 3 at 8/7C on NBC

CINCINNATI (Nov. 17, 2010) – Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) and Walmart (NYSE:WMT) will premiere their third made-for-TV family movie, “A Walk in My Shoes,” starring Nancy Travis, Philip Winchester and Yara Martinez on Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 at 8/7C on NBC.

Continue reading "Made-for-TV Movie 'A Walk In My Shoes' Set to Air on Friday, December 3 on NBC" »

Posted by sr at 9:30 AM | Permalink

As NATO leaders meet in Lisbon this weekend, the U.S. is expected to endorse a plan for slow withdrawal and gradually handing over security responsibility by 2014.

By David S. Cloud, Los Angeles Times
November 17, 2010|7:34 p.m.

Reporting from Washington —
President Obama built his Afghanistan strategy around the bet that he could quickly turn around a "must win" war by narrowing his goals and sending more troops. This weekend he will make his clearest acknowledgment yet that doing so will actually take years.

Continue reading "U.S. appears ready to acknowledge a long haul in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:02 AM | Permalink

Marine Corps general speaks at chamber's military affairs council gathering

Date published: 11/16/2010

By RUSTY DENNEN

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Marine Corps has been preparing to meet evolving threats far beyond its traditional roles, Brig. Gen. John W. Bullard Jr. says.

Continue reading "Marines stay prepared on five areas of threats" »

Posted by sr at 4:57 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 15, 2010 6:03:20 EST

Operators with Marine Forces Special Operations Command could soon be packing .45-caliber semi-automatic pistols, rather than the standard 9mm pistols now used by most Marines.

Continue reading "MARSOC to purchase more powerful pistols" »

Posted by sr at 9:20 AM | Permalink

Mixed reality simulator mimics chaos of war

By Gretel C. Kovach
Monday, November 15, 2010 at 2:16 p.m.

The Marine Corps plans to unveil a $30 million expansion of its Infantry Immersion Trainer at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday.

Continue reading "Camp Pendleton expands Infantry Immersion Trainer" »

Posted by sr at 9:16 AM | Permalink

By PETER BAKER and ROD NORDLAND
Published: November 14, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has developed a plan to begin transferring security duties in select areas of Afghanistan to that country’s forces over the next 18 to 24 months, with an eye toward ending the American combat mission there by 2014, officials said Sunday.

Continue reading "U.S. Plan Envisions Path to Ending Afghan Combat" »

Posted by sr at 9:14 AM | Permalink

November 11, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Jeff Schogol

A presidential commission on reducing the deficit has recommended freezing basic military pay and housing allowances for three years starting in 2011, according to a draft report of the commission’s recommendations posted online Wednesday.

Continue reading "Presidential Panel: Freeze Military Pay" »

Posted by sr at 3:10 PM | Permalink

Third Annual Event Celebrates Country and Corps June 20-26

11/11/2010, Headquarters Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps will partner with the City of St. Louis to bring Marine Week to the Gateway City, June 20-26, 2011. The week-long celebration will showcase the unique characteristics of America's Corps through more than two dozen events where attendees can watch combat demonstrations; climb aboard aircraft and ground equipment, to include helicopters, the V-22 Osprey and amphibious vehicles; and participate in community service projects alongside Marines.

Continue reading "Marine Week 2011 Coming to St. Louis" »

Posted by sr at 8:23 AM | Permalink

11/4/2010 By Lance Cpl. Jennifer J. Pirante , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — In a message from the U.S. Postal Service to Americans in 2001, John E. Potter, postmaster general with USPS, stated the USPS places the highest priority on the safety of customers, employees and the security of the mail.

Continue reading "Signed, sealed, delivered: What to if it looks suspicious" »

Posted by sr at 5:31 PM | Permalink

Nov 3, 2010 | 9:59 AM ET | By Matt Liebowitz, SecurityNewsDaily Staff Writer

A new phishing scam is currently targeting members of the United States Military and their families.

Continue reading "U.S. Military Targeted by Phishing Scam" »

Posted by sr at 11:06 PM | Permalink

By Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 3, 2010

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Two weeks after becoming the new top Marine, Commandant Gen. James Amos laid out his vision for a “middleweight” expeditionary force responding to global hotspots and coastal cities rendered unstable by poverty, competition for resources, and ideological extremism.

Continue reading "Amos offers vision for U.S. Marine Corps' future at town hall" »

Posted by sr at 5:46 PM | Permalink

By Associated Press
Story Published: Nov 3, 2010 at 5:27 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In honor of Veterans Day, national parks will not be charging any entrance fees on Nov. 11.

Continue reading "National parks will be free on Veterans Day" »

Posted by sr at 9:38 AM | Permalink

Drone could give Marines instant air support

By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 1, 2010 15:06:36 EDT

The Air Force is working to develop a small unmanned bomber that can fit in a backpack and be deployed by infantry in seconds to annihilate enemy forces. It’s a tool that could prove useful for Marines and special operators on the frontlines of the war on terror where critical air support isn’t always moments away.

Continue reading "Unmanned bomber fits in backpack" »

Posted by sr at 5:45 PM | Permalink

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2010 – President Barack Obama has signed a proclamation designating this month as Military Family Month.

Continue reading "President Proclaims November as Military Family Month" »

Posted by sr at 9:43 AM | Permalink

10/31/2010 By Lance Cpl. Jacob D. Osborne , Headquarters Marine Corps

ARLINGTON, Va. — This year 80 charities have partnered with the 35th Marine Corps Marathon to raise approximately six million dollars from more than 6,000 runners. This year’s race will be held in the National Capital Region.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Marathon partners with charities" »

Posted by sr at 10:06 AM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 30, 2010 10:47:51 EDT

Navy hospital corpsmen will now train on advanced medical mannequins that can cost up to $240,000 before heading downrange.

Continue reading "Corpsmen training on high-tech dummies" »

Posted by sr at 9:20 PM | Permalink

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2010 – Defense Department officials are working to remind veterans and current servicemembers who were involuntarily retained in the military under the so-called “Stop Loss” program to apply for special pay before the Dec. 3 deadline.

Continue reading "‘Stop Loss’ Special Pay Application Deadline Approaches" »

Posted by sr at 10:59 PM | Permalink

By Brett Zongker - Associated Press
Published : Friday, 29 Oct 2010

VIDEO STORY BY BOB BARNARD/myfoxdc

WASHINGTON - Military officials in charge of the Marine Corps Marathon say this year's race will be safe, despite four recent shootings at military-related buildings in northern Virginia.

Continue reading "Marines Boost Marathon Security After DC Shootings" »

Posted by sr at 10:30 PM | Permalink

BRETT ZONGKER
Associated Press
October 29, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — A gunman who fired shots at a Washington-area Marine Corps museum and is believed to be responsible for three similar incidents may have a grievance against the U.S. Marine Corps, the FBI said Friday.

Continue reading "Authorities: DC-area gunman may have grievance against Marine Corps, trying not to hurt anyone" »

Posted by sr at 11:51 AM | Permalink

By Jeff Schogol
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 29, 2010

WASHINGTON — More shots were fired overnight at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., marking the second time the museum has been targeted and the fourth time a military building has been shot in the last two weeks, police said.

Continue reading "Another shooting at Marine museum, but marathon will go on" »

Posted by sr at 11:47 AM | Permalink

10/29/2010 By Sgt. Jimmy D. Shea , Headquarters Marine Corps

WASHINGTON — The 35th commandant, Gen. James F. Amos, tells Marines to prepare for what the future holds – a transformed, flexible and lighter force ready to respond to any contingency.

Continue reading "2010 Commandant's Planning Guidance" »

Posted by sr at 11:41 AM | Permalink

10/29/2010 By Lance Cpl. Heather N. Choate , Marine Corps Bases Japan

OKINAWA, Japan — Halloween is just around the corner and the December holiday season is not far behind as evidenced by the wrapping paper and ornaments already on sale in stores.

Continue reading "Postal Service offers tips for safe, timely holiday gift mailing" »

Posted by sr at 10:20 AM | Permalink

By Leo Shane III
Published: October 28, 2010

Department of Justice officials this week announced that eight states and the District of Columbia will accept military overseas ballots arriving after the Nov. 2 election because of problems surrounding when that absentee paperwork was mailed.

Continue reading "Overseas voters get extra time to submit ballots" »

Posted by sr at 5:54 PM | Permalink

By Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 28, 2010

WASHINGTON — Tasked to redefine the future of the Marine Corps, Commandant Gen. James Amos has pledged to aggressively experiment with unit sizes and the Corps’ overall structure in a rebalancing effort he says will make the Marines a lighter force, ready to fight anywhere they’re called.

Continue reading "Marine commandant vows to make Corps lighter, more mobile" »

Posted by sr at 5:50 PM | Permalink

10/28/2010 By Nathan L. Hanks Jr, Editor , Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY, Ga. — Since 1947, Toys For Tots has helped underprivileged children throughout the United States by collecting new, unwrapped toys and distributing them as Christmas gifts.

Continue reading "Toys For Tots Campaign begins" »

Posted by sr at 2:38 PM | Permalink

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 27, 2010 20:07:25 EDT

Gen. Jim Amos issued his first major communiqué as commandant Wednesday, a sweeping set of tasks that target areas of the institution for improvement, consolidation and efficiency, and direct an increase in personal and professional development opportunities for individual Marines.

Continue reading "Commandant spells out priorities for Corps" »

Posted by sr at 11:42 PM | Permalink

By Jeff Schogol
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 26, 2010

WASHINGTON – The FBI believes recent shootings at the Pentagon and National Museum of the Marine Corps are linked, and investigators are looking into a third shooting at a Marine recruiting station in a Virginia suburb of Washington to see whether it was related.

Continue reading "FBI: Pentagon, museum shooting linked, third being investigated" »

Posted by sr at 10:18 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs | Date: 10.26.2010
By Cheryl Pellerin

WASHINGTON - The needs and concerns of military spouses, whose sacrifices benefit the nation, should be of concern to all Americans, First Lady Michelle Obama said, Oct. 26

Continue reading "Military Spouses are Heroes, First Lady Says" »

Posted by sr at 5:01 PM | Permalink

October 26th, 2010

Military officials in a number of European countries are testing “blast boxers,” armored underwear that protect the groin from shrapnel, according to the garments' manufacturer.

Continue reading "'Blast boxers' aim to curb 'life-changing' wounds" »

Posted by sr at 10:16 AM | Permalink

Oct. 25, 2010
By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY
The just-retired Marine Corps commandant says he doubts the U.S. military can withdraw from Afghanistan's volatile south by a July 2011 deadline set by President Obama for the start of force reductions.

Continue reading "Former Marine chief doubts Afghan timetable" »

Posted by sr at 9:11 AM | Permalink

Oct 24, 2010

Minnesota coach Brad Childress tells Bob Kostas why...

Continue reading "Catching Up With Brad Childress" »

Posted by sr at 5:40 PM | Permalink

Plan avoids post-holiday travel back to base

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Oct 24, 2010 12:24:43 EDT

Each year, thousands of troops with end-of-active-service dates that fall during the holiday season waste time and money returning to base after spending time with family only to complete the formal separation process.

Continue reading "Some Marines eligible for holiday early-outs" »

Posted by sr at 5:35 PM | Permalink

By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press
Saturday October 23, 2010 09:19 AM

KABUL, Afghanistan – Taliban commanders dead or captured. Insurgents routed from strongholds. Stopping short of claiming it has broken the back of the insurgency, NATO is touting progress ahead of Washington's year-end review of the war — and hoping that this time, the alliance has the force and experience to keep militants from regaining momentum.

Continue reading "NATO squeezing Taliban, but no claims of victory" »

Posted by sr at 9:27 AM | Permalink

10/22/2010 By Sgt. Jimmy D. Shea , Headquarters Marine Corps

WASHINGTON — Gen. James T. Conway relinquished his position as commandant of the Marine Corps to Gen. James F. Amos during a change-of-command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington Oct. 22.

Continue reading "Taking the reins: Marine Corps welcomes new commandant" »

Posted by sr at 11:42 PM | Permalink

10/22/2010 By MCRC Public Affairs , Marine Corps Recruiting Command

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. —
Marine Corps Recruiting Command surpassed its recruiting goals for fiscal year 2010 by enlisting 33,887 Marines and accessing 1,703 officers. This is the 15th year in a row that the Marine Corps has reached its total force accessions goals.

Continue reading "Fiscal year 2010 recruiting numbers achieved" »

Posted by sr at 8:45 PM | Permalink

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
Photo by Jim Garamone
Date Taken: 10.22.2010
Photo ID:331843
VIRIN:101022-D-7203C-018
Location:WASHINGTON, DC, US

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates presents an award to Gen. James T. Conway during a Passage of Command of the United States Marine Corps ceremony at the Marine Barracks, Washington, Oct. 22.

Continue reading "Amos Succeeds Conway as Marine Commandant" »

Posted by sr at 5:57 PM | Permalink

20 Oct 2010 22:37:05 GMT
Source: Reuters
By David Alexander

WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his national security team discussed the need to ramp up pressure on extremist safe-havens in Pakistan on Wednesday before meeting with Pakistani officials participating in talks on broadening bilateral relations.

Continue reading "U.S.-Pakistan dialogue faces prickly issues" »

Posted by sr at 10:42 PM | Permalink

NATO Maritime Command Naples
Story by David Taylor
Date 10.20.2010

NAPLES, Italy – Ships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 are preparing to enter the Mediterranean to carry out surge operations in support of NATO’s anti-terrorist Operation Active Endeavour. The Group has been carrying out extensive training and exercising in the Atlantic prior to beginning this operation to deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorism.

Continue reading "NATO Maritime Group Prepares For Surge Operation In Mediterranean" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 PM | Permalink

Published: Oct. 20, 2010 at 7:33 AM

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama conducts the monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan with his national security team Wednesday, the White House said.

Continue reading "Pakistan, Afghanistan on Obama's agenda" »

Posted by sr at 11:12 AM | Permalink

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer
19 October 2010

Washington — Senior U.S. and Pakistani officials are preparing for the third round of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Washington October 20–22, and the talks, which cover a wide variety of topics ranging from health and energy to defense cooperation, are expected to include a special focus on Pakistan’s flooding disaster, according to a State Department official.

Continue reading "Pakistan Floods to Factor Highly in Strategic Dialogue with U.S." »

Posted by sr at 10:48 PM | Permalink

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
Courtesy Story
By Karen Parrish
Date 10.19.2010

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department's Federal Voting Assistance Program has a solution for overseas service members and other U.S. citizens living outside the country who haven't received an election ballot: get it online.

Continue reading "Online Ballots Can Help Overseas Votes Count" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 PM | Permalink

19 October 2010 - 16H22

AFP - Iran can help stabilise Afghanistan with US support, a top Iranian diplomat said Tuesday, after taking part in talks on Afghanistan among world powers for the first time, ANSA news agency reported.

Continue reading "Iran offers to 'help stabilise Afghanistan'" »

Posted by sr at 5:11 PM | Permalink

AFP
October 19, 2010 - 1:54PM

A Taliban return to government is inevitable if Afghanistan is to have any hope of peace, but the cost is likely to be erosion of rights and a rollback from democracy, a growing number of experts believe.

Continue reading "Peace deal with Taliban required: experts" »

Posted by sr at 11:27 AM | Permalink

19 Oct 2010 06:27:09 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Australia said on Tuesday it expected some troops and advisers would stay in Afghanistan for at least a decade more as lawmakers began a debate on involvement in the war that could test support for the minority government.

Continue reading "Australia says no early Afghan exit, holds war debate" »

Posted by sr at 7:32 AM | Permalink

Headquarters Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
Story by Master Sgt. Scott Sturkol
Date 10.18.2010

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Through the end of September, Airmen flying tanker aircraft in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility off-loaded more than 784 million pounds of fuel to more than 61,600 U.S. and coalition aircraft supporting deployed operations in 2010.

Continue reading "Air refuelers having busy year supporting deployed operations" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 PM | Permalink

18 Oct 2010 06:18:58 GMT
Source: Reuters

CANBERRA, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Afghanistan needs to make more effort to stamp out corruption and improve human rights, Australia's government said on Monday ahead of a parliamentary debate on the country's troop contribution to Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Australia wants more action on Afghan corruption, rights" »

Posted by sr at 4:39 PM | Permalink

By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 18, 2010 18:49:34 EDT

The assignment of Maj. Gen. Joe Votel to investigate the failed hostage rescue mission that cost the life of British aid worker Linda Norgrove illustrates the challenges senior leaders face in balancing independence and expertise when picking someone to investigate Joint Special Operations Command.

Continue reading "2-star to head probe of failed hostage rescue" »

Posted by sr at 11:00 AM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 18, 2010 18:25:26 EDT

Last November, President Obama announced that 30,000 additional U.S. troops, including 8,500 Marines, would deploy to Afghanistan. The troops would push the Corps’ footprint in hostile Helmand province to more than 20,000.

Continue reading "76 Marines killed in Afghanistan since May 1" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 AM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 18, 2010 5:43:24 EDT

SAN DIEGO — The Navy has a new tool to help hospital corpsmen grapple with the realities and stresses of war and combat deployments.

Continue reading "Graphic novel aims to ease stress for corpsmen" »

Posted by sr at 10:16 AM | Permalink

By Rod Nordland
New York Times
Updated: 10/18/2010 11:40:45 PM CDT

ROME — For the first time, Iran has sent a representative to a meeting of an international group that convenes regularly to discuss Afghanistan and Pakistan, a move welcomed Monday by both U.S. and international officials.

Continue reading "Iranian envoy at Afghan meeting" »

Posted by sr at 7:29 AM | Permalink

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Oct 17, 2010 10:13:36 EDT

A new Senate committee report reveals why U.S. military commanders are so concerned that private security contractors working in Afghanistan may pose a threat to U.S. troops and to the success of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Continue reading "Afghan security contractors may pose threat" »

Posted by sr at 11:21 AM | Permalink

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs
Courtesy Story
Date 10.17.2010

From USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain - Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) arrived in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) Oct. 17 after completing a transit through the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Continue reading "Lincoln Arrives in 5th Fleet, Ready to Support Afghanistan Surge" »

Posted by sr at 10:11 AM | Permalink

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs
Courtesy Story
Date 10.17.2010
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Alan Gragg

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea - Pilots assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 have trained rigorously over the past year, preparing for their turn to support Operation Enduring Freedom.

Continue reading "Carrier Air Wing 2 Pilots Train for Operation Enduring Freedom" »

Posted by sr at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Pakistani Officials Say Suspected US Missile Attacks Kills 9 In Region Bordering Afghanistan

Oct. 16, 2010

(AP) MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) - Suspected U.S. unmanned aircraft launched two missile strikes in a Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan border, killing nine people, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Continue reading "Officials: US Missile Attacks Kill 9 In Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:37 AM | Permalink

By DEXTER FILKINS
Published: October 16, 2010

KABUL, Afghanistan — After nine years of war, the endgame here has finally begun.

Continue reading "In Afghanistan, the Exit Plan Starts With ‘If’" »

Posted by sr at 10:12 AM | Permalink

15 Oct 2010 20:34:19 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Christine Stebbins

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct 15 (Reuters) - As the United States struggles to end the longest war in its history in Afghanistan, agriculture is becoming a crucial part of its long-term strategy.

Continue reading "US hopes to sow Afghan peace with farm recovery" »

Posted by sr at 11:36 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 15, 2010 11:39:38 EDT

The House Armed Services Committee has quietly received a confidential briefing about the rules of engagement used by the U.S. military in Afghanistan after numerous members expressed concern that they handcuff U.S. troops in combat.

Continue reading "Congress briefed on rules of engagement" »

Posted by sr at 11:19 PM | Permalink

15 Oct 2010 11:37:29 GMT
Source: Reuters

LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S. General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said on Friday NATO-led forces had facilitated the passage of a senior Taliban commander to Kabul to hold talks with the Afghan government.

Continue reading "ISAF allowed Taliban official to Kabul-Petraeus" »

Posted by sr at 10:35 PM | Permalink

15 Oct 2010 16:13:10 GMT
Source: Reuters

LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S. General David Petraeus said on Friday it was "disturbing" that the first account of the death of a British hostage in Afghanistan during a rescue attempt by American forces had turned out to be wrong.

Continue reading "Petraeus disturbed by confusion over hostage death" »

Posted by sr at 5:34 PM | Permalink

15 Oct 2010 20:46:33 GMT
Source: Reuters

SEATTLE, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The first of 12 soldiers accused of terrorizing unarmed civilians as part of a rogue infantry platoon in Afghanistan will face a court-martial on murder charges and other offenses, military said on Friday.

Continue reading "US soldier to face court-martial in Afghan slayings" »

Posted by sr at 5:31 PM | Permalink

Friday, October 15, 2010
By Deb Riechmann and Anne Gearan, The Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Obama administration on Thursday endorsed fragile Afghan efforts to negotiate peace with the Taliban, backing off its prior stance that talks with the Taliban were premature until the war is all but won.

Continue reading "U.S. now endorsing Afghan efforts to talk peace with Taliban" »

Posted by sr at 12:20 PM | Permalink

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 14, 2010

The Security Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to extend for a year the United Nations’ authorization for the NATO-led military force in Afghanistan, expressing concern about the increase in terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. The resolution adopted by the Security Council emphasized the need for sustained efforts by the 143,000-member force, known as the International Security Assistance Force, to assist the Afghan government in improving security and confronting threats by militants.

Continue reading "Security Council Votes to Continue Military Effort in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:21 PM | Permalink

Says readiness for transition varies

By Slobodan Lekic - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 13, 2010

BRUSSELS — NATO's top commander in Afghanistan offered a cautiously optimistic assessment of the transition of security duties to Afghan forces during a briefing with alliance representatives on Wednesday, a U.S. official said.

Continue reading "Cautiously optimistic Petraeus briefs NATO on Afghan warerations" »

Posted by sr at 4:51 PM | Permalink

Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team
Story by 2nd Lt. Christine Darius
Date 10.13.2010
Location:Forward Operating Base Farah, AF

Sailors assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah celebrated the United States Navy’s 235th birthday by cooking and serving a feast to their fellow service members on Forward Operating Base Farah in Afghanistan, Oct. 13.

Continue reading "Forward Operating Base Farah Celebrates Navy Birthday" »

Posted by sr at 4:48 PM | Permalink

By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Oct 12, 7:48 am ET

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's prime minister said Tuesday that peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban cannot succeed without Islamabad's help, a reminder of the leverage the country has because of its historical ties with the group.

Continue reading "Pakistan says it is key to Taliban peace talks" »

Posted by sr at 11:36 PM | Permalink

LAURA W. BUSH | former first lady
madison.com
Posted: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 4:30 am

The haunting portrait of a young, disfigured Afghan woman on Time magazine’s cover this summer issued a stark reminder that the stakes in Afghanistan are high -- and that the consequences of failure are brutal, especially for women.

Continue reading "Laura W. Bush: Decision time for Afghanistan on women" »

Posted by sr at 9:42 PM | Permalink

By Claire Bates
Last updated at 4:14 PM on 12th October 2010

An Afghan teenager who was horribly mutilated by her husband under Taliban rule was all smiles as she unveiled her new prosthetic nose for the first time.

Continue reading "The smile that defies the Taliban: Afghan teenager whose mutilated face shocked the world unveils her new image" »

Posted by sr at 11:40 AM | Permalink

Overturning of Hutchins’ conviction could be in jeopardy

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 12, 2010 5:44:23 EDT

The military’s highest court will hear arguments Wednesday in the government’s appeal of a decision that overturned the 2007 conviction of a Marine on charges of conspiracy and in the death of an Iraqi man.

Continue reading "Sgt. to face military’s highest court" »

Posted by sr at 12:10 AM | Permalink

Taliban demoralized and changing sides, military says

By Rowan Scarborough
The Washington Times
8:32 p.m., Monday, October 11, 2010

The U.S. military is starting to see signs that the troop surge in Afghanistan is working on a timetable similar to the Iraq reinforcement campaign in 2007, according to an outside adviser and military sources.

Continue reading "Payoff seen in Afghan surge" »

Posted by sr at 10:21 AM | Permalink

By Charley Keyes, CNN Senior Producer
October 7, 2010 5:10 p.m. EDT

Washington (CNN) -- A Senate report released Thursday rips into the Pentagon for failing to keep track of tens of thousands of private security contractors in Afghanistan, a failure that places both the mission and U.S. troops at grave risk.

Continue reading "Senate report blasts Pentagon for handling of security contractors" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 PM | Permalink

07 Oct 2010 15:21:23 GMT
Source: Reuters
By David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS, Oct 7 (Reuters) - NATO must ensure it can conduct future operations like that in Afghanistan, the alliance's chief will say on Friday, while warning that Washington will look for other allies if Europe fails to pull its weight on security.

Continue reading "NATO says must stay capable of Afghan-size missions" »

Posted by sr at 5:44 PM | Permalink

Recommended Mailing Dates for APO/FPO Destinations

United States Postal Service
Postal News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 6, 2010
Media Contact: Dave Lewin
Release No. 10-092

WASHINGTON — Ensuring care packages arrive in time for the holiday season is a priority for friends and family members of military personnel serving around the world. To help get packages on their way, the U.S. Postal Service offers a discount on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate Box.

Continue reading "Shipping Out the Holidays to Military Heroes" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Border town business booms, especially as dispute stalls NATO supply trucks

By CHRIS BRUMMITT
The Associated Press
updated 10/6/2010 7:15:31 PM ET

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — In a rundown market here along the road to Afghanistan, you can buy U.S. Army gear stamped with soldiers' names, booklets marked "for official use only," even a manual that illustrates how "jammers" can stop remote-controlled bombs.

Continue reading "Looted U.S. Army gear for sale in Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Oct. 6, 2010
By Joan Biskupic, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices expressed empathy Wednesday for a father whose Marine Corps son was killed in Iraq and whose funeral was protested by fundamentalist pastor Fred Phelps and his anti-gay followers.

Continue reading "Supreme Court struggles with free speech question" »

Posted by sr at 10:45 PM | Permalink

By Chris Brummitt - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 6, 2010 17:15:35 EDT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — In this town along the road to the Afghan border, you can buy U.S. Army gear, computers and manuals instructing soldiers how to avoid roadside bombs. Traders are coy about where their stock comes from, but much is stolen from trucks carrying military supplies into Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Spoils of war for sale in Pakistan border town" »

Posted by sr at 10:10 AM | Permalink

Posted: 10.06.2010

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The father of a Marine killed in Iraq is asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a $5 million verdict against members of a fundamentalist church who picketed his son's funeral.

Continue reading "High court to hear military funeral protest case" »

Posted by sr at 9:12 AM | Permalink

Published: Oct. 5, 2010 at 8:22 AM

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash., Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. soldier who told the Army about soldiers linked to killings of Afghan citizens has been moved to solitary confinement for his safety, officials said.

Continue reading "Afghan slayings whistle-blower in solitary" »

Posted by sr at 1:32 PM | Permalink

From Nic Robertson and Paul Cruickshank,
CNN October 5, 2010 7:54 a.m. EDT

Hamburg, Germany (CNN) -- Ahmed Sidiqi, the man allegedly at the heart of an al Qaeda plot to target European cities, was detained by a group of unidentified men in Afghanistan three months ago, his family has told CNN.

Continue reading "Sidiqi's father: My son is not a killer" »

Posted by sr at 1:27 PM | Permalink

(AFP) – Oct. 05, 2010

WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama and his war cabinet held a video conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, focusing on the drive to put Afghan forces in charge of security by 2014.

Continue reading "Obama, war cabinet hold video conference with Karzai" »

Posted by sr at 8:42 AM | Permalink

05 Oct 2010 04:19:44 GMT
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has told congressional leaders he has no plans for any major changes in his Afghanistan war strategy for now, a letter released by the White House showed on Monday.

Continue reading "Obama says no big shift now in Afghan war strategy" »

Posted by sr at 7:43 AM | Permalink

By MELISSA EDDY,
Oct. 4, 2010

BERLIN – An American missile strike killed five German militants Monday in the rugged Pakistan border area where a cell of Germans and Britons at the heart of the U.S. terror alert for Europe — a plot U.S. officials link to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden — were believed in hiding.

Continue reading "US strike kills 5 German militants in Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:13 PM | Permalink

10/2/10 | ISAF Public Affairs Office
Internation Security Assistance Force Headquarters
By U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. LuCelia Ball
ISAF Public Affairs

KABUL, Afghanistan – Gen. Ann Dunwoody, the commander of U.S. Army Materiel Command, met with her female Afghan counterparts during a women’s roundtable event hosted at the U.S. Embassy here Sept. 29.

Continue reading "First Female U.S. 4-Star General Meets with Female Afghan Troops" »

Posted by sr at 4:26 PM | Permalink

October 1, 2010 - 8:29AM
AAP

The latest advice to the government indicates that Australia's 1550-strong commitment to Afghanistan is appropriate for the job, Defence Minister Stephen Smith says.

Continue reading "Smith says enough troops in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 PM | Permalink

October 2010
By Grace V. Jean

MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA-BELLOWS, HAWAII — Most of the services are embracing robots faster than companies can manufacture them.

Continue reading "Move Over Fido: Marines’ New Best Friend Could be A Robotic ‘Mule’" »

Posted by sr at 4:47 PM | Permalink

01 Oct 2010 20:48:38 GMT
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden and top al Qaeda leadership are likely behind the latest European terror plot, U.S. officials said on Friday.

Continue reading "Bin Laden role eyed in latest European terror plot" »

Posted by sr at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Friday, October 1, 2010 at 11:16AM
By Kyle LaFleur - Talk Radio News Service

US Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Carl Levin expressed great support Friday morning to the Council on Foreign Relations for President Obama’s strategy to begin reducing US forces in Afghanistan and transfer in responsibilities to the Afghan government in July 2011.

Continue reading "Levin Backs Obama's Troop Reduction Date In Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:04 AM | Permalink

Paul Richter
October 1, 2010 - 8:14AM
AAP

Millions of dollars in US taxpayer funds may have been paid to Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan to provide security for a US development project, a US government audit has found.

Continue reading "US report alleges payoffs to Taliban" »

Posted by sr at 10:25 PM | Permalink

Staff. Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, a central figure in the Afghanistan war-crimes case against Western Washington-based soldiers, also talked about killing a family while he served in Iraq, according to a sworn statement from a fellow soldier obtained by The Seattle Times.

By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
Originally published September 29, 2010 at 9:54 PM | Page modified September 30, 2010 at 9:32 AM

Staff. Sgt. Calvin Gibbs, a central figure in the Afghanistan war-crimes case against Western Washington-based soldiers, talked about killing a family while he served in Iraq, according to a sworn statement from a fellow soldier obtained by The Seattle Times.

Continue reading "Army to investigate claims about man portrayed as ringleader in Afghan war-crimes case" »

Posted by sr at 5:26 PM | Permalink

From: AFP September 30, 2010 11:49PM

PAKISTAN says that visiting CIA chief Leon Panetta promised to respect its sovereignty and examine reports that NATO helicopters conducted deadly cross-border raids from Afghanistan.

Continue reading "CIA chief promises to 'respect' Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:25 PM | Permalink

30 Sep 2010 14:09:28 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities blocked a vital supply route for NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan on Thursday after the killing of three soldiers in two NATO cross-border incursions, officials said.

Continue reading "Pakistan halts NATO supplies after border attack" »

Posted by sr at 5:21 PM | Permalink

By Paul Woolverton
Staff writer
Published: 06:13 AM, Thu Sep 30, 2010

With Marines wounded in the battlefield in southern Afghanistan, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jay Hanshaw flew Black Hawk helicopters low and fast into enemy fire three times in 12 hours to perform rescue missions.

Continue reading "Fort Bragg pilot receives Distinguished Flying Cross medal" »

Posted by sr at 5:01 PM | Permalink

By ISMAIL KHAN and JANE PERLEZ
Published: September 30, 2010

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistan closed the most important border crossing for trucks supplying NATO-led coalition troops in Afghanistan on Thursday in apparent retaliation for an attack by coalition helicopters on a Pakistani security post hours earlier.

Continue reading "Pakistan Halts NATO Supplies to Afghanistan After Attack" »

Posted by sr at 5:01 PM | Permalink

By AARON FAVILA
Associated Press Writer
Originally published Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 9:34 PM

SHIKARPUR, Pakistan —
Suspected militants in southern Pakistan set ablaze more than two dozen tankers carrying fuel for foreign troops in Afghanistan on Friday, highlighting the vulnerability of the U.S.-led mission a day after Pakistan closed a major border crossing.

Continue reading "Dozens of NATO oil tankers attacked in Pakistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:07 AM | Permalink

By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer
Posted: Sep 29, 2010 10:08 PM PDT
Updated: Sep 30, 2010 4:28 AM PDT

YORK, Pa. — One thing Al Snyder wants to make clear: His boy fought and died for freedom in Iraq, but not for the right of some "wackos" to spew hate at soldiers' funerals under the protection of the Constitution.

Continue reading "High court looks at military funeral protests" »

Posted by sr at 8:06 AM | Permalink

Published: Sept. 29, 2010 at 11:11 AM

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Iranian authorities freed a spokesman for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden held under house arrest since 2002, an intelligence review found.

Continue reading "Bin laden aide leaves Iran" »

Posted by sr at 10:51 PM | Permalink

September 29, 2010 - 4:12PM

The federal government has foreshadowed a wide-ranging parliamentary debate on Australia's involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan before the end of 2010.

Continue reading "MPs to debate if Australia should stay in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:40 PM | Permalink

By: Kimberly Lankford
Kiplinger’s Money Power
September 29, 2010

If you are in the armed services, you may qualify for special protection that caps the interest rate on credit cards, mortgages and other loans at 6 percent while you are on active duty.

Continue reading "Military personnel land lower loan rates" »

Posted by sr at 2:52 PM | Permalink

29th September 2010

Poland's armed forces will stay in Afghanistan until 2014 at the latest, Polish Foreign Minister Rados Sikorski said on Wednesday during a meeting with Musa Khan, the governor of Ghazni province.

Continue reading "Poland would stay the course in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 2:23 PM | Permalink

By Joanne Kimberlin
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 29, 2010
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

Bill "Mac" McCullough tugs one side of his iPod headphones free from his ear. The dangling earbud emits a tinny sound of classic rock as he slides his pistol from its holster and quietly cocks it.

Continue reading "Part 2: American muscle proves futile in land of extremes" »

Posted by sr at 2:23 PM | Permalink

By Joanne Kimberlin
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 29, 2010
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN

Amy Bursell climbs out of a bulletproof car in front of an Afghan police station. Strapped to the back of her flak vest: the Mission Monkey, a stuffed animal she brings along for nearly every meeting with the locals.

Continue reading "Part 3: Building trust amid fear, one mission at a time" »

Posted by sr at 2:20 PM | Permalink

By Joanne Kimberlin
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 29, 2010
MARJAH, AFGHANISTAN

This part of the country is about as tough as it gets: a sun-scorched poppy belt in Helmand province, the heart of Taliban territory.

Continue reading "Part 4: In the enemy's lair, fighting for Afghanistan's future" »

Posted by sr at 2:17 PM | Permalink

By Joanne Kimberlin
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 29, 2010

Boom! Heads snap toward the blast. Feet detect the shock wave, rolling beneath the hot sand like a writhing snake. In its wake, there's a hush, a silence suspended between heartbeats.

Continue reading "Part 1: New weapon in an old war" »

Posted by sr at 2:02 PM | Permalink

By MARK VIERA
Published: September 28, 2010

At Maritime College in the Bronx, Coach Clayton Kendrick-Holmes has tried to build a football program around the military ideals of accountability, responsibility and character. Those words appear on the backs of the players’ alternate home jerseys, in place of their surnames, and the team is reminded to play for those principles before taking the field.

Continue reading "Without Hesitation, Football Coach Prepares for Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:41 PM | Permalink

Chris Brummitt and Kimberly Dozier - The Associated Press
Tuesday Sep 28, 2010

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan has told NATO leaders it will stop protecting U.S. and NATO supply lines to Afghanistan if foreign aircraft stage further cross-border attacks against fleeing militants, security officials said Tuesday.

Continue reading "Pakistan warns against more NATO raids" »

Posted by sr at 10:36 PM | Permalink

US steps up effort to find British aid worker snatched on Sunday along with her Afghan co-workers

James Meikle and Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk
Monday 27 September 2010 20.56 BST

US special forces are understood to have joined the hunt for a British aid worker who was kidnapped with three colleagues in north-eastern Afghanistan on Sunday.

Continue reading "US forces join search for British woman kidnapped in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 2:14 PM | Permalink

27 Sep 2010 03:54:17 GMT
Source: Reuters

SYDNEY, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Three former Australian soldiers will be charged with manslaughter after six civilians were killed and four wounded in an Afghan operation last year, Australia's chief military prosecutor said on Monday.

Continue reading "Australian soldiers face Afghan manslaughter charges" »

Posted by sr at 9:09 AM | Permalink

ADAM ASHTON; Staff writer
Published: 09/26/1012:05 am | Updated: 09/26/10 3:57 am

The charges stacked up against five soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord sound as if they rank among the worst war crimes in the past nine years of combat in the Middle East: killing Afghan civilians and keeping gruesome souvenirs from the attacks.

Continue reading "Afghan slayings: First Article 32 hearing Monday at JBLM" »

Posted by sr at 9:32 AM | Permalink

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 25, 2010; 9:42 PM

A 30 percent rise in the planting of improvised explosive devices by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan this year has resulted in more wounded American and coalition troops, according to newly compiled Pentagon statistics. But fewer of them are dying from the attacks.

Continue reading "IEDs killing fewer troops in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:30 AM | Permalink

Jacksonville Daily News
September 24, 2010
By: HOPE HODGE

The first Fisher House on a Marine Corps installation opened quietly to family members aboard Camp Lejeune on Thursday.

Continue reading "First Fisher House on a Marine Base" »

Posted by sr at 10:30 PM | Permalink

September 24, 2010

NEW YORK (AFP) – President Barack Obama said Friday that the United States would stay in Afghanistan until "the job is done," despite his July 2011 deadline for some American troops to start coming home.

Continue reading "Obama: US will stay in Afghanistan until the 'job is done'" »

Posted by sr at 2:42 PM | Permalink

By Patricia Hurtado and Bob Van Voris - Sep 23, 2010 9:35 AM PT

Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist convicted of trying to kill U.S. soldiers and federal agents in Afghanistan in 2008, was sentenced to 86 years in prison.

Continue reading "Pakistani Scientist Siddiqui Gets 86 Years for Attacking U.S. Personnel" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 PM | Permalink

Associated Press
– Thu Sep 23, 12:51 pm ET

PRAGUE – The Czech Defense Ministry says it's planning to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by 200 next year.

Continue reading "Czechs to send more troops to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 4:09 PM | Permalink

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 23, 2010; 8:58 PM

Four senators have asked President Obama to remove Arnold Fields as the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, saying a recent government review had found major deficiencies in audits carried out by Fields's office.

Continue reading "4 senators seek removal of special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction" »

Posted by sr at 9:04 AM | Permalink

22 Sep 2010 22:07:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday sought to limit any fallout from a new book that chronicles bitter infighting among President Barack Obama's aides who helped craft his Afghan war strategy, with some doubting it can succeed.

Continue reading "W.House seeks to limit fallout from Afghan war book" »

Posted by sr at 10:44 PM | Permalink

FBI: Man who shot 2 at Fort Bliss store was retired Army sergeant; 1 victim dies at hospital

FORT BLISS, Texas September 21, 2010 (AP)
The Associated Press

The FBI is investigating why a retired Army sergeant walked into a Fort Bliss convenience store and shot two employees, one fatally, before he was gunned down by responding officers, the agency said Tuesday.

Continue reading "FBI: Fort Bliss Gunman Was Retired Army Sergeant" »

Posted by sr at 6:53 AM | Permalink

Sep 19, 2010

It's the dream of any American service member serving in dangerous Afghanistan -- a vehicle impervious to roadside bombs. The other plus? It can fly.

Continue reading "Defense agency developing 'flying Humvee'" »

Posted by sr at 11:06 AM | Permalink

September 18, 2010

"Three Cups of Tea," a book detailing village customs and traditions in Afghanistan is now mandatory reading among American military commanders. Jeff Glor reports.

Continue reading "Teacup Diplomacy in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:04 AM | Permalink

By Catherine Field
5:30 AM Friday Sep 17, 2010

Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged New Zealand to stand by its commitment to the international alliance in Afghanistan as he called for help at a crucial stage in the nine-year-old war.

Continue reading "Plea for more NZ help in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 4:55 PM | Permalink

1 SOSFS/S2I Intelligence Bulletin 10-001
Date: 15 Sep 10

(U) Background:Recently there has been a rash of calls to military personnel from individuals (NFI) who claimed to be with DoD and
requested information under the guise of it being a TRICARE national survey.

Continue reading "Tricare Suspicious Calls" »

Posted by sr at 5:10 PM | Permalink

15 Sep 2010 15:50:56 GMT
Source: Reuters
By David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - NATO invited Russia on Wednesday to attend talks with leaders of alliance countries during a summit in Lisbon in November, hoping to boost cooperation on security issues, including Afghanistan and Iran.

Continue reading "NATO invites Russia to join talks in Lisbon in November" »

Posted by sr at 4:54 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 15, 2010 21:19:02 EDT

The House Armed Services Committee will soon examine the rules of engagement used by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Military Times has learned.

Continue reading "Congress to scrutinize rules of engagement" »

Posted by sr at 10:37 AM | Permalink

September 15, 2010, Wednesday

Bulgarian military servicemen detained a civil person attempting to breach the security line at Kandahar airport, reported the Ministry of Defense.

Continue reading "Bulgarian Army Stop New Attempt to Breach Kandahar Airport" »

Posted by sr at 10:06 AM | Permalink