Marine Corps News Room

By TIM STANLEY World Staff Writer | Updated 11/1/2016

SAND SPRINGS — He’s “still the same ol’ Sam.”

Continue reading "World War II veterans remember: Sam Ward fought with the Marines at Saipan, Okinawa" »

Posted by KC at 9:10 PM | Permalink

As reported by JD News

"Fighting Fourth," 4th Marine Division Association Deactivation Ceremony at Camp Lejeune Thursday morning, August 6, 2015.

Continue reading "FIGHTING FOURTH DEACTIVATION CEREMONY" »

Posted by KC at 4:36 PM | Permalink

By Cpl. Cuong Le, Defense Media Activity
1 Aug. 2015

CHANTILLY, VA -- The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight conducted its first flight August 1962 and on August 1, 2015 the Sea Knight made its final flight to the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, in Chantilly, Virginia.

Continue reading "SEA KNIGHT’S FINAL FLIGHT" »

Posted by KC at 7:28 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn, Staff writer 1:33 p.m. EDT July 25, 2015

Some company-grade officers from any component who fill certain Reserve billets are going to cash in on $20,000 bonuses next year. In return, they will have to stay in those billets for at least three years, under guidelines laid out for fiscal year 2016. That incentive is part of a suite of officer bonuses announced by the Selected Marine Corps Reserve for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Continue reading "Corps details FY16 Reserve officer affiliation bonuses" »

Posted by KC at 1:56 PM | Permalink

July 22nd, 2015
by Shelly Bradburyin Local Regional News Read

The Marines of Mike Battery rolled into Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park early Monday morning in T-shirts and polos, shorts and jeans, unsure of exactly why they'd been called to the park.

Continue reading "Mike Battery is here': After loss, Marines regroup, move forward" »

Posted by KC at 9:48 PM | Permalink

by LCpl Issac Velasquez
Date Taken:02.13.2015 | Date Posted:02.19.2015 13:43

U.S. Marines of 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve participate in Exercise Frozen Riley II which is a multinational exercise between the Canada and the United States military to promote interoperability and train for cold weather crisis response.

Continue reading "Images: Cold weather training" »

Posted by KC at 12:29 AM | Permalink

by LCpl Issac Velasquez
Date Taken:02.13.2015 | Date Posted:02.19.2015 13:43

U.S. Marines of 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve participate in Exercise Frozen Riley II which is a multinational exercise between the Canada and the United States military to promote interoperability and train for cold weather crisis response.

Continue reading "Images: Cold weather training" »

Posted by KC at 12:29 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl Ricardo Hurtado
Date Posted:02.17.2015 10:51

LOP BURI, Thailand - Exercise Cobra Gold has taken place in Thailand for the past 33 years. During its 34th iteration, Cobra Gold 2015 focuses on humanitarian civic action, community engagement and medical activities to support the needs and humanitarian interests of civilian populations in the region. This year, the 24 participating nations are working together to advance regional security and practicing effective responses to crises in the area.

Continue reading "American –Thai U.S. Marine builds community in Thailand during CG 15" »

Posted by KC at 6:52 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl Drew Tech
Date Posted:12.09.2014 00:46

KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE, Japan — U.S. Marines participating in exercise Forest Light 15-1 visited with high school students Dec. 5 in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.

Continue reading "US Marines visit Japanese high schools, share culture" »

Posted by KC at 7:22 PM | Permalink

Story by Hope Hodge Seck | Staff writer
Sep. 28, 2014 - 03:56PM

Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, commander of Marine Forces Reserve, doesn’t intend to let the close of a ground war lead to the atrophy of the reservists in his charge.

Continue reading "Five-year dwell standard eyed for Marine Reserves" »

Posted by KC at 10:46 PM | Permalink

Story by Hope Hodge Seck
Aug. 30, 2014 - 06:00AM

Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command put out a call for enlisted reservists to join the ranks of critical skills operators.

Continue reading "MARSOC offers operator spots to reservists" »

Posted by KC at 8:38 PM | Permalink

By 1st Lt. Michael Hopkins | 4th Marine Division | August 20, 2014

PICHIDANGUI, Chile -- Just as the local population evacuates their small beach town, the waves of a tsunami come crashing into their homes. Houses are flooded, windows are shattered, and lives are ruined. Some of the locals could not get to safety in time. There is limited food, water, medical care, and shelter, but there is relief on the horizon. The simulation of these scenarios allows Marines realistic training with partner nations.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines Participate In Partnership of the Americas 2014 In Support Of MARFORSOUTH" »

Posted by sr at 10:20 PM | Permalink

By Lance Cpl. Sara Graham | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | August 12, 2014

NEW ORLEANS --

Marine Administrative Message 378/14 announced the start of the fiscal year 2015 Selected Marine Corps Reserve Early Release Program. The program is effective Aug. 1, 2014 through Sept. 30, 2015, and focuses on cost saving and sustainment for the Marine Corps.

Continue reading "Marines Eligible For Selected Early Release Program FY15" »

Posted by sr at 2:16 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. John McCall | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 06.10.2014

FORT POLK, La. – The trait of being always ready has been a part of the Marine Corps’ ethos for more than 238 years. 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment held true to this standard during their annual training here, June 1 – 11.

Continue reading "“Lone Star” battalion maintains readiness during annual training" »

Posted by sr at 11:11 PM | Permalink

By Cpl. Kirstin Rodgers | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | May 20, 2014

NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas --

A Marine was awarded the nation’s second highest award Sunday for a life-threatening act of heroism, in a ceremony here.

Continue reading "Marine Corps awards medal for heroism to local Reserve Marine" »

Posted by sr at 10:39 PM | Permalink

By Lance Cpl. Joshua R. Heins | Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point | April 25, 2014

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. --

Marines from across Cherry Point attended the career transition road show at Miller’s Landing April 15.

Continue reading "Marines explore Reserve options during road show" »

Posted by sr at 10:04 AM | Permalink

By Sgt. Michael Ito | U. S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | January 21, 2014

BRIDGETON, Mo. --

As any Marine can tell you, earning and upholding the title is no small feat. No matter what a Marine does in life or how long they serve in their beloved Corps, they will always uphold the honor and respect for the Marines that went before them

Continue reading "Marine recognized for providing honors to more than 1,000 fallen Marines" »

Posted by sr at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Top commanders discuss stakes, prospects in last year of NATO campaign

By Gretel C. Kovach
8:13 a.m.Jan. 11, 2014

SANGIN, Afghanistan — The NATO campaign in Afghanistan may be ending late this year, but the war is not. Insurgent strongholds will remain — 13 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks prompted a U.S. invasion — inspiring anxiety about prospects for long-term stability and a newfound urgency among Afghan national security forces.

Continue reading "Afghan war reaches endgame" »

Posted by sr at 7:54 PM | Permalink

Story by PFC Brandon Thomas
Date Taken: 09.28.2013. | Date Posted: 09.30.2013 09:43

ELLINGTON, Conn. - Sgt. Greg Caron, a Marine veteran, was presented with a house Sept. 28 by Building Homes for Heroes, a national non-profit organization that supports men and women who have been wounded or disabled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Wounded Marine veteran makes house a home" »

Posted by KC at 1:18 AM | Permalink

By Lance Cpl. Bradley Carrier | 9th Marine Corps District | September 09, 2013

Sept. 9, 2013 -- The 24th Marine Regiment unit colors along with its prestigious history were cased to pave the way for Combat Logistics Regiment 4 during a deactivation and activation ceremony at the unit’s headquarters Sept. 8. The actions resulted from the three year Force Structure Review Group which announced the decision in 2012, in order to accomplish the best realignment and utilization of forces within the Marine Corps, said Lt. Col. Michael Myers, regimental inspector-instructor of the new unit.

Continue reading "A History That Will Live On: 24th Marines" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

August 29th, 2013
Posted by Gina Harkins

A group of Marine reservists are leading a three-day, 81 mile hike in Florida this weekend to honor those who died in the Battle of Fallujah in 2004.

Continue reading "Marines to hike 81 miles over Labor Day weekend to honor Fallujah heroes" »

Posted by sr at 11:53 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Tiffany Edwards | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 08.13.2013

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – In the misty, pre-dawn light of the Indiana morning, Marines marched onto the rifle range. Covered and aligned, each platoon from Companies F and G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, grounded their packs and began setting up two-man tents.

Continue reading "Back to basics: Marines of Co. F and G, 2/24 practice crucial marksmanship fundamentals" »

Posted by sr at 10:04 PM | Permalink

By Karla Peterson
6 p.m.June 18, 2013

They are separated by many years and multiple wars, but when 26-year-old Michael Contee presented 96-year-old Imel Willis with a pin and a plaque to commemorate his years of service, the young Marine Corps reservist and the World War II Army vet were a united front. One nation under the call of duty.

Continue reading "Saluting a soldier’s last march" »

Posted by sr at 11:00 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe
Staff writer
Jun. 8, 2013 - 12:09PM

A recent Silver Star recipient has earned another major award, becoming the first Marine reservist to receive the Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone Award for Courage and Commitment.

Continue reading "Basilone Award winner honored to join 'reconnaissance legends'" »

Posted by sr at 9:09 AM | Permalink

Story by Staff Sgt. David Carbajal
06.06.2013 16:04

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – Marines of Marine Aircraft Group 49 departed their home station at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst May 30-31, 2013, for a deployment to the Pacific as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ resumption of the Unit Deployment Program.

Continue reading "MAG-49 Marines ‘hustle’ 53s to Pacific" »

Posted by KC at 4:04 PM | Permalink

The Herald Bulletin/AP
Published: May 11, 2013

ANDERSON, Ind. -- Family and friends of a U.S. Marine from Indiana who died in a 2003 Humvee crash in Kuwait marked the 10th anniversary of his death by gathering for a somber memorial at his gravesite

Continue reading "Ind. Marine's family mark decade since his death" »

Posted by sr at 7:03 PM | Permalink

By Cpl Marcin Platek
April 24, 2013

KOTZEBUE, Alaska - A small group of uniformed men made their way across what seemed to be an endless white desert, their gloves and beanies did little to break the bitter-cold wind hitting their already pink faces and blue fingers. In front of them was a massive body of frozen water; behind them, a long workday.

Continue reading "Marines Ice Fish With Inupiaq Native Alaskans" »

Posted by sr at 2:12 PM | Permalink

By Kent Miller, Staff writer
Apr. 17, 2013 - 02:22PM

Hundreds of Marines with Task Force African Lion have suddenly been left with a lot less to do after Morocco abruptly canceled the huge annual exercise on Tuesday, just days after the Marines arrived.

Continue reading "Canceled Moroccan exercise upends Marines’ deployment" »

Posted by sr at 8:22 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Marcin Platek | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 04.10.2013

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - 1st Sgt. Anthony J. Velarde, the first sergeant with 1st Civil Affairs Group, Force Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with combat distinguishing device during a ceremony here, March 11.

Continue reading "Marine awarded Bronze Star Medal for actions during OEF" »

Posted by sr at 6:01 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Jackeline Perez Rivera | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune | Date: 03.08.2013

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The parade deck outside of 2nd Longshoreman Platoon’s home at Stone Bay, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, became a Moroccan port for a short time on the weekend of Feb. 8. Vehicles carrying minor or feigned cargo passed through the gates and, with the help of Marines, soldiers and sailors, navigated checkpoints and obstacles the service members could face in the upcoming US African Command and Morocco annual training exercise, African Lion 2013.

Continue reading "Marines, soldiers, sailors prepare for African Lion 2013" »

Posted by sr at 9:58 PM | Permalink

By Sgt. Christopher Duncan | Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton | March 05, 2013

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Unmanned Vehicle Squadron 4 conducted its first field training exercises at Camp Talega since the unit’s official move here from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The unit held its first change of command between Lt. Col. Kyle J. Moore and Lt. Col. Matthew C. Shortal on Feb. 22, symbolizing the squadron's official move from Yuma to Camp Talega, here.

Continue reading "Unmanned aerial vehicle squadron starts training at Pendleton" »

Posted by sr at 9:58 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 02.28.2013

NEW ORLEANS - What makes Sgt. Delshayne John stand out from his fellow Marines at Marine Corps Support Facility New Orleans isn’t the fact that he rose through the ranks to be meritoriously promoted to sergeant in less than three years.

Continue reading "Inspired by a WWII Hero" »

Posted by sr at 10:15 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Demetrius Morgan | 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit | Date: 02.22.2013

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - "Translate this for me," is what Marines and Sailors often said when working with members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force during Exercise Iron Fist 2013.

Continue reading "Translators help Marines, JGSDF understand each other for Exercise Iron Fist 2013" »

Posted by sr at 10:27 AM | Permalink

February 8, 2013 3:59 PM
By Steve Tawa

FOLSOM, Pa. (CBS) — About two dozen local members of the US Marine Forces Reserve got a big welcome home today from their families and friends at the Marines Recruiting Center in Folsom (Delaware County).

Continue reading "Delco-Based US Marine Battalion Returns Home From Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:04 AM | Permalink

By Staci Sturrock

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted: 12:00 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012

Meet Staff Sgt. Bryan Kauffman, unlikely Santa Claus.

Beardless and buff, the Marine with the shaved head and serious demeanor keeps what he calls “all the moving parts” of Palm Beach County’s busiest gift-giving machine in motion.

Continue reading "The few, the proud, the very busy Marines behind Toys for Tots" »

Posted by JAA at 10:38 AM | Permalink

By Cpl. Jessica Ito | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | November 28, 2012

NEW ORLEANS --

More than 130 Marines from 32 different Reserve training centers came together at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. last month to get to know each other and prepare to face the unique challenges presented by operating independently in Africa.

Continue reading "Marines prepare to deploy and train African partner nations" »

Posted by sr at 4:52 PM | Permalink

By Cpl. Nana Dannsa-Appiah | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | November 21, 2012

FORT KNOX, Ky. --

The Marines of Company E, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, returned home to their friends and families Nov. 15 after a six-month deployment to Afghanistan, marking the end of an era for the 4th Marine Division and the Marine Corps Reserve.

Continue reading "Kentucky Marines return home from Afghanistan deployment" »

Posted by sr at 4:59 PM | Permalink

By Pfc. Norman Eckles | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | November 13, 2012

BARSTOW, Calif. -- In December 1947, Maj. Bill Hendricks, United States Marine Corps Reserve, and a group of Marine reservists collected and distributed more than 5,000 toys to children in low income families throughout the city of Los Angeles, thus sparking the idea of the Toy for Tots program.

Continue reading "Toys for Tots putting smiles on the faces of children since 1947" »

Posted by sr at 9:41 AM | Permalink

By Cpl. Nana Dannsa-Appiah | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | November 05, 2012

BILLINGS, Mont. --

Marines from 2nd and 3rd Platoon, Company D, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division, listened to their future options to continue serving in the Marine Corps. Their infantry company is being transformed into a military police company.

Continue reading "My unit is going away... Now what?" »

Posted by sr at 1:33 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Michael Ito | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 10.31.2012

NEW YORK - Winds, close to 80 mph, whipped the 14-foot floodwaters through the streets of New York Monday night as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the city. During the height of the storm, a detective from the New York Police Department approached the duty noncommissioned officer of 6th Communications Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group in Brooklyn, N.Y., and requested assistance for a rescue operation.

Continue reading "Marines help save 14 New Yorkers trapped by Hurricane Sandy" »

Posted by sr at 5:40 PM | Permalink

By Cpl. Michael Ito | U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve | October 29, 2012

NEW ORLEANS --

Gunnery Sgt. Raoul P. Sheridan has deployed before. He’s been to the cities and deserts of Iraq, where he provided fire support for Marines. But his last deployment was unlike any other.

Continue reading "Unit Deployment Program provides Marines with valuable skills" »

Posted by sr at 3:55 PM | Permalink

By Mark Wineka - The Salisbury Post via AP
Posted : Saturday Oct 13, 2012 11:55:46 EDT

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (AP) — Lynn White Polasit never knew her Uncle Olin. He lost his young life with 163 other crew members who went down with the USS Drexler May 28, 1945, just northwest of Okinawa.

Continue reading "WWII Purple Heart presented to family" »

Posted by sr at 4:27 PM | Permalink

Story by Master Sgt. Chris Cox | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 09.09.2012

CAMP BLANDING, Fla. - What do you get when you take hundreds of professionals from 9 different countries and put them in the same location? In the military, it’s called “multi-lateral partnership.”
Officially, it’s called Partnership of the Americas 2012.

Continue reading "More than 1,400 US, allied Marines, soldiers build legacy in Florida" »

Posted by sr at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Journal Star
Posted Aug 27, 2012 @ 10:05 PM

PEORIA —
Dozens of Peoria County U.S. Marine Corps reservists who deployed earlier this year to Afghanistan are scheduled to return home Wednesday.

Continue reading "Marine Corps reservists returning Wednesday from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:23 PM | Permalink

Written by
Drew Schmenner
The Desert Sun
1:09 AM, Aug 12, 2012

Every year, approximately 44,500 troops train in the stark, sweltering desert at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. Many have been Marines preparing for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marines given tragic lessons on desert" »

Posted by sr at 5:57 PM | Permalink

Conduct exercise called Javelin Thrust exercise at Twentynine Palms

Written by
Nathan Max
12:01 a.m., July 15, 2012

The Marine Corps couldn’t have picked a more challenging environment for one of its largest and most important exercises of the year.

Continue reading "Active-duty and reserve Marines storm the desert for war games" »

Posted by sr at 10:19 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. D. J. Wu | Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms | Date: 07.13.2012

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - More than 5,000 Marines came to in the Combat Center’s training area from Marine Forces Reserve and I Marine Expeditionary Force to participate in Large Scale Exercise-1/Javelin Thrust 2012 from July 2 through July 12.

Continue reading "Reservists visit MCAGCC for Javelin Thrust" »

Posted by sr at 5:52 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi | Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms | Date: 07.13.2012

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - The roar of the propellers above the helicopter was deafening. A screech rang throughout the hull, where eight Marines and the flight crew sat. Their only form of communication was hand signals, but those sitting side-by-side had the luxury of screaming into each other’s ears, hoping the message was comprehended down the row of seats.

Continue reading "TRAP mission prepares reservists for combat" »

Posted by sr at 5:47 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Tatum Vayavananda | U.S. Marine Forces Africa | Date: 07.12.2012

THÍES, Senegal – Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment are spending the next couple of weeks with joint forces from various West African nations to train and exchange their shared experiences of non-lethal weapons and crowd-control tactics as part of Exercise Western Accord 2012, July 11.

Continue reading "Marines teach riot control techniques to West African nations" »

Posted by sr at 11:34 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Tatum Vayavananda | U.S. Marine Forces Africa | Date: 07.09.2012
Date Posted:07.10.2012 07:06

THIES, Senegal - Approximately 600 U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen, along with about 600 African partner-nation troops, officially kicked off Exercise Western Accord 2012, with a combined-forces opening ceremony, July 9.

Continue reading "Marines, West African partners kick off Exercise Western Accord 2012" »

Posted by sr at 12:56 PM | Permalink

6/22/2012 By Sgt .Ray Lewis , Marine Forces Reserve

ADAZI, Latvia — Marine mortarmen of 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment worked with the Latvian army during a recent mortar firing training exercise at Saber Strike 2012.

Continue reading "US Marines work with Latvians during mortar missions at Saber Strike 2012 " »

Posted by sr at 5:34 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 06.20.2012

CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados – Twenty seven-year-old Sgt. Andrew Mercer spoke loudly, gesturing with his hands as he fluctuated between two groups of students. The two platoons that flanked him, law enforcement and defense veterans from various Caribbean islands, directed their attention to the lead instructor, Mercer, and his five assistant instructors.

Continue reading "Reserve Marine instructs Caribbean veterans in Barbados" »

Posted by sr at 7:40 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 06.19.2012

CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados - On a grassy hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a handful of Marines from Headquarters Company, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, participated in training with a coalition of law enforcement and defense personnel from a host of Caribbean nations June 16 during Exercise Tradewinds 2012.

Continue reading "Training the trainer: Reserve Marines share proven tactics with Caribbean troops" »

Posted by sr at 7:50 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Chelsea Flowers | Marine Week | Date: 06.17.2012

CLEVELAND - Chloe Knight is almost 8 years old. She has her father’s eyes, a contagious smile and will talk your ear off. Like most little girls, her daddy is her hero. But unlike most kids, Chloe has never met her dad.

Continue reading "Military families the focus of fallen Marine family brunch" »

Posted by sr at 5:04 PM | Permalink

By Hana Engroff
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 14, 2012

Ashley Owens burst into tears when she saw U.S. Marine Sgt. Arthur Ramirez on Thursday. She hadn’t seen him in seven months — and any doubts the 14-year-old from Jupiter had about seeing him again were gone.

Continue reading "Sixteen Marines come home from Afghanistan, joyful to see family and remembering one who didn’t return" »

Posted by sr at 11:23 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. John Jackson | 1st Marine Logistics Group | Date: 05.24.2012

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – “Whenever anybody sees the PX truck, that is all you hear about – people saying ‘Oh, the PX truck is here,’” said Lance Cpl. Cody Turner, a combat engineer with 9th Engineer Support Battalion. “It’s definitely a morale booster for all the Marines at the [Forward Operating Bases].”

Continue reading "One stop morale shop: Warfighter Exchange Services Team travels throughout Helmand Province " »

Posted by sr at 8:30 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Marcin Platek | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 04.27.2012

TRONDHEIM, Norway—Of the U.S. Cold War assets, six caves and two storage facilities in central Norway exist as if a part of an action-movie film set. However, they are part of a remote Marine Corps program known as the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway.

Continue reading "Marines and Norwegians open caves to test Marine Corps Prepositioning Program during Exercise Cold Response" »

Posted by sr at 11:41 AM | Permalink

4/18/2012 By Sgt. Justin J. Shemanski , 2nd Marine Logistics Group

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A portion of the New River adjacent to Camp Lejeune was home to an afternoon of raft operations hosted by the Marines of 8th Engineer Support Battalion’s Bridge Company, April 17.

Continue reading "8th Engineer Support Battalion mentors reservists during raft operations " »

Posted by sr at 7:12 PM | Permalink

Texan awarded medal posthumously at Ellington Field

By Lindsay Wise
Updated 10:00 p.m., Saturday, April 14, 2012

Rows of Marines snapped to attention at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base Saturday afternoon to honor the bravery of a 26-year-old staff sergeant from Arlington who lost his life in Afghanistan last year.

Continue reading "Family accepts Bronze Star for fallen Marine" »

Posted by sr at 10:58 PM | Permalink

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 11, 2012 6:11:14 EDT

Marine reservists have taken the lead in Morocco for African Lion, a 10-day joint exercise that partners Moroccan military forces with their American counterparts.

Continue reading "Morocco trip a boon for Reserve Marines" »

Posted by sr at 8:59 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 1, 2012 10:57:57 EDT

The looming drawdown in Afghanistan spells uncertainty for reservists on active duty. Their deployments will become increasingly unpredictable, and they could find themselves with a new mission or unexpected demobilization orders, according to Marine administrative message 146/12.

Continue reading "Drawdown could mean change for some reservists" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 AM | Permalink

By Chris Vaughn
[email protected]
Posted Sunday, Mar. 25, 2012

FORT WORTH -- The Fort Worth-based 14th Marine Regiment, on a steady diet of Iraq and Afghanistan deployments for eight years, is readying itself for yet another deployment to a Muslim country.

Continue reading "Fort Worth-based 14th Marine Regiment to train with Moroccan military" »

Posted by sr at 10:32 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 24, 2012 9:45:12 EDT

A group of reservists recently trekked into the Arctic Circle to prepare for international conflict. Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, out of Terre Haute, Ind., deployed to Norway for exercise Cold Response 2012.

Continue reading "Norway exercise preps Marines for cold combat" »

Posted by sr at 4:42 PM | Permalink

3/24/2012 By Sgt. John Jackson , 1st Marine Logistics Group (FWD)

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Of the more than 200 Marines that make up General Support Motor Transport Company, Marine Air-Ground Task Force Support Battalion 11.2, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), all but six are Reserve Component Marines.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines come together, accomplish mission in Afghanistan " »

Posted by sr at 4:34 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Lucas Vega | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 02.18.2012

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - At the archery range for the 2012 Marine Corps Trials, Lance Cpl. Christopher Crump straddles the firing line on a leg that once shattered, finds his natural respiratory pause with lungs that were once collapsed, sights in on his bow with an eye that was once dangling from its socket, and speaks and writes words that he could not temporarily say and scribe, due the tragic event of Aug. 16, 2011.

Continue reading "2012 Marine Corps trials prove to be a milestone in 1/23 Marine’s road to recovery" »

Posted by sr at 8:34 PM | Permalink

Marines are welcomed back after six months in Afghanistan

By Winston Ross
The Register-Guard
February 9, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — Twin fire engines sat on opposite sides of Pierce Parkway on Wednesday, their ladders outstretched, a giant American flag draped from a wire strung between them and flapping in the drizzle.

Continue reading "Happily home" »

Posted by sr at 5:13 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Jeff Drew | 2nd Marine Division | Date: 02.09.2012

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Extensive improvements in Nawa district and exceptional Afghan leadership has transformed the once improvised explosive device-laden area into a peaceful paragon of progress during the last year. Residents walk casually along roads and waterways, confident in local Afghan security forces to keep them safe. The growth of illegal drugs has been nearly eradicated as citizens have begun to see the benefits of growing legal crops. Interest in education is on the rise, ensuring a brighter future for the people of Nawa. The people are happy, healthy and hopeful.

Continue reading "Nawa: the essence of progress" »

Posted by sr at 4:48 PM | Permalink

73 members of Bridge Company Alpha

By Marc Thompson
Updated: Tuesday, 07 Feb 2012, 11:18 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 07 Feb 2012, 4:38 PM EST

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) - After being deployed for almost a year, 73 members of the Marine Corps Reserve returned to Battle Creek Tuesday afternoon.

Continue reading "Marines welcomed home from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 12:07 PM | Permalink

By BILL LEUKHARDT, [email protected] The Hartford Courant
12:24 a.m. EST, January 13, 2012
CHICOPEE, Mass.—

— The sight of a young man with a USMC tattoo on his right forearm, standing with the help of two canes next to a wheelchair, was the big treat Thursday night for a group of Connecticut-based Marines returning from Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Wounded Marine Surprises Comrades As They Return Home From War" »

Posted by sr at 9:49 PM | Permalink

01/12/2012 4:30 PM
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- About 550 Marines based at Fort Devens will be returning three months early from Afghanistan tonight as part of the gradual drawdown of American forces.

Continue reading "Marines to return early to Devens from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:54 PM | Permalink

By O’Ryan Johnson
Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas will be another work day for local U.S. Marines deployed in Afghanistan — driving supplies, standing watch or patrolling the deadly Helmund province that has been their home since May.

Continue reading "... And another day on the job in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 1:19 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Timothy Solano | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 12.23.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Maintaining an area of operations comparable to the size of New York City and neighboring boroughs is a full time job for the service members of Task Force Belleau Wood, who have held down Camp Leatherneck and its surrounding area since the unit arrived in early 2011.

Continue reading "What is Task Force Belleau Wood" »

Posted by sr at 8:37 PM | Permalink

By Cynthia Roldan
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 7:52 a.m. Friday, Dec. 16, 2011
Posted: 6:13 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011

Two U.S. Marines knocked on Kathleen Bischoff's door in Jupiter Wednesday morning, there to inform her that her only son, Maj. Sam Griffith, had been shot and killed in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Jupiter mother: Marine reservist killed in Afghanistan 'lived by faith'" »

Posted by sr at 5:54 PM | Permalink

Published: 12/01 2:08 pm

From Dunkin Donuts:

The Marine Corps Reserves’ Dunkin’ Donuts Toys for Tots Train, presented by Canadian Pacific Railway, will make its annual run across New York to deliver gifts to thousands of children in need. The train’s run is the result of a $25,000 contribution from Dunkin’ Donuts to the Toys for Tots Foundation.

Continue reading "Marine Corps Reserves’ Dunkin’ Donuts Toys for Tots Train Hits the Rails for 2011 Run" »

Posted by sr at 8:44 AM | Permalink

By Robert Burns - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 30, 2011 17:33:50 EST

PUZEH, Afghanistan — In this dusty village in southern Afghanistan a small team of elite U.S. Marines is nudging Afghans toward rejection of the Taliban insurgency, a mission that is emerging as central to the U.S. and NATO exit strategy but is little known beyond the rugged brown hills of the upper Helmand River Valley.

Continue reading "Elite Marines crucial to 2014 Afghanistan exit" »

Posted by sr at 11:35 AM | Permalink

By RENÉE C. LEE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Published 07:21 p.m., Tuesday, November 29, 2011

A mutt rescued this summer in Afghanistan by a Houston-based Marine reserve platoon won't be reunited with his adoptive family as planned.

Continue reading "Pup adopted by Marines in Afghanistan dies" »

Posted by sr at 5:00 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Katherine Keleher | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 11.26.2011

PATROL BASE BOLDAK, Afghanistan – In the barren desert of Helmand province, Marines with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, thought their Thanksgiving was going to be just another day. It was not.

Continue reading "New England’s Own delivers Thanksgiving dinner to Patrol Base Boldak" »

Posted by sr at 10:53 AM | 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

Story by Lance Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez | Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division | Date: 11.10.2011

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Around this time of the year, most Marines are shining their shoes, taking their ‘Blues’ to the cleaners and making sure they have their ticket and date to the ball.

Continue reading "RCT-5 command delivers birthday tradition to southern Helmand" »

Posted by sr at 8:24 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez | Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division | Date: 10.25.2011

CAMP DWYER, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Maintaining a Marine’s warfighting skills requires rigorous practice and steadfast dedication. Training doesn’t stop, not even in a combat zone.

Continue reading "Detection team sharpens skills, protects Marines from IED threat" »

Posted by sr at 7:16 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 10.23.2011

PATROL BASE BOLDAK, Afghanistan – A horde of flies swarms above Cpl. James Baker’s head. They repeatedly swoop down and buzz around his face. He quickly swats one away, only to swat another moments later.

Continue reading "Life on Patrol Base Boldak: The routine of Weapons Co., 1st Bn., 25th Marines" »

Posted by sr at 10:40 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe and Tony Lombardo - Staff writers
Posted : Thursday Oct 20, 2011 11:18:49 EDT

A 130-man team of Force Reconnaissance Marines deploying to Africa this month will not be involved in a high-profile mission to advise Ugandan troops as they push to stamp out the violent Lord’s Resistance Army.

Continue reading "Marines bypassed on LRA mission in Africa" »

Posted by sr at 7:38 PM | Permalink

10/18/2011 By Cpl. Bryan Nygaard , II MEF (FWD)

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — On the northern end of Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, just outside of the perimeter, sits a shantytown by the name of “Soak City.” This hub of tents surrounding a gas station consists of several hundred Afghans who have moved there so they can sell various wares to Afghan contractors and civilians visiting Camp Leatherneck.

Continue reading "Marines accompany Afghan district governor during meeting at Camp Leatherneck bazaar " »

Posted by sr at 7:20 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 10.15.2011

PATROL BASE BOLDAK, Afghanistan – The sound of diesel engines fills the morning air at Patrol Base Boldak. Several Marines rush into a large metal storage container used to store food. They grab a handful of packaged muffins, Pop Tarts, energy drinks and bottles of Gatorade and stuff them into backpacks. They then throw on their body armor and climb into armored vehicles. In a few moments they will drive several miles to a nearby village. There, a long day of foot patrols through irrigated fields and dusty farmland awaits them, but for now – breakfast.

Continue reading "On patrol with New England’s own" »

Posted by sr at 3:55 PM | Permalink

By Eloísa Ruano González, Orlando Sentinel
8:43 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2011

A hundred people gathered at the Orlando International Airport on Saturday to celebrate the safe return of seven U.S. Marine reservists returning from duty in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "OIA crowd greets Marines returning from war in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 2:08 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 10, 2011 7:23:21 EDT

While the Marine Corps faces fiscal uncertainty and a drawdown looms for the active-duty force, the Reserve is poised to continue offering opportunity and adventure. And it’s actively seeking non-commissioned officers and junior officer in several career fields.

Continue reading "Reserve mission expands, despite the drawdown" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 AM | Permalink

By NEWS SENTINEL EDITORIAL BOARD
Posted October 6, 2011 at 4 a.m.

Frankie Watson could have been any young East Tennessean.

Continue reading "Marine's death touched region, reminds all of military's sacrifice" »

Posted by sr at 4:56 PM | Permalink

By RENÉE C. LEE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Published 07:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 4, 2011

An orphaned puppy turned Marine mascot soon will make his way from Afghanistan to the United States to be reunited with his platoon - just in time for the Marine Corps ball in November.

Continue reading "Pup adopted by Marines bound for Houston ball" »

Posted by sr at 11:36 PM | Permalink

Her husband didn’t return from Afghanistan, 
but his platoon made sure the symbol of their love did

By LINDSAY WISE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Updated 10:59 p.m., Saturday, October 1, 2011

Sgt. Jared Hammonds frantically scanned an Afghan poppy field, searching for a glint of silver in the soil.

Continue reading "Marine's widow eternally grateful for ring's return" »

Posted by sr at 9:21 PM | Permalink

11:27 PM, Sep. 28, 2011
Written by
From Staff Reports

Local Marine reservists who deployed to Afghanistan late last year will return home Saturday, spokesmen for the local unit say.

Continue reading "Marines to return Saturday" »

Posted by sr at 10:12 PM | Permalink

21-year-old Lance Corporal Franklyn Watson, from Vonore, was killed in action in Afghanistan.

Posted: 6:14 PM Sep 25, 2011
Reporter: Kate Burgess

VONORE, Tenn. (WVLT)--A local Marine from Vonore is dead, killed in action in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Franklyn "Frankie" Watson was with the 1/6 Alpha Company 2nd Marine Division sweeping for IED's when his unit was attacked. Watson was 21 years old.

Continue reading "Family and friends remember Monroe County Marine killed in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 12:20 PM | Permalink

9/22/2011 By Cpl. Brian Adam Jones , 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd)
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan —

Military experts have long-deemed limiting the enemy’s movement as vital to an effective campaign.

Continue reading "Coalition forces deny insurgency movement, money in Afghanistan " »

Posted by sr at 11:15 AM | Permalink

9/19/2011 By Aquita Brown , Wounded Warrior Regiment

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va., (Sept 19, 2011) — Marine reservists who are combat wounded, injured stateside or fall ill while in a duty status can be assured that they will have someone on their side. Mark Brokaw, who works at the Wounded Warrior Regiment here, wants reserve Marines to know this. Brokaw works at the Regiment as the program manager for the Reserve Medical Entitlements Determination section. Unique to the Marine Corps, the Wounded Warrior Regiment has an RMED section that tracks and manages the non-medical and medical care of wounded, ill and injured reserve Marines.

Continue reading "Program aids wounded reserve Marines " »

Posted by sr at 10:57 PM | Permalink

9/13/2011 By Cpl. Bryan Nygaard , II MEF (FWD)
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province — During the first week of September, Marines with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, a reserve infantry battalion based out of the New England area, conducted integration training aboard Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Continue reading "'New England’s Own’ arrives in Afghanistan, prepares for operations " »

Posted by sr at 7:14 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Sep 3, 2011 9:56:22 EDT

Marine Forces Reserve has a new $1 million motorcycle safety training center in New Orleans, complete with a track, 12 motorcycles, and state-of-the-art simulators.

Continue reading "New center to train Marine motorcyclists" »

Posted by sr at 11:56 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. David Flynn | Marine Corps Recruiting Command | Date: 08.31.2011

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. - With more and more Marines opting to remain in the Corps, the re-enlistment process is becoming increasingly competitive. Marine Corps Recruiting Command’s Active-Reserve Program offers Marines another chance to stay in and experience a side of the Corps that many don’t know exists.

Continue reading "More Active-Reserve billets open for Marines" »

Posted by sr at 11:54 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Adam Leyendecker | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 08.09.2011

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Marines with the Houston-based 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, also known as the Lone Star Battalion, provided security and guidance to Afghan National Army soldiers traveling through Helmand province, Aug. 5

Continue reading "Lone Star Marines guide Afghan soldiers to new battlespace" »

Posted by sr at 7:26 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Frans Labranche | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 08.07.2011

NEW ORLEANS – Once a year, Reserve Marines from across the country are sent to America’s deserts and mountains to train and remain ever-ready for deployment to the barren lands of countries overseas.

Continue reading "Javelin Thrust 2011 comes to another successful close" »

Posted by sr at 4:52 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Adam Leyendecker | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 08.04.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Through the course of the recent Iraq wars, and now in Afghanistan, Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, has literally grown up together, using their experiences from back home to unite and strengthen them on the battlefield.

Continue reading "Latin roots help ‘Carlos’ Company Marines succeed in Helmand" »

Posted by sr at 9:34 AM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Tyler Hlavac | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 08.03.2011

NEW ORLEANS – When a humanitarian crisis occurs overseas, many Americans contribute to disaster relief by writing a check. Cpl. Adam Marlatt contributes by strapping a pack on his back, gathering his team and plunging headfirst into the disaster zone.

Continue reading "In the ‘DIRT’: Reserve Marine’s ‘extreme humanitarianism’ takes him around the world" »

Posted by sr at 9:20 AM | Permalink

Story by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Ross | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 07.30.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Marines and sailors with the Houston-based Lone Star Battalion, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, have been conducting security and counterinsurgency operations in the vicinity of the Camp Leatherneck-Camp Bastion complex since deploying to Afghanistan in January.

Continue reading "Texas battalion’s good neighbor policy helps keep Helmand base secure" »

Posted by sr at 9:07 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Jad Sleiman | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 07.27.2011

GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa - Just about every night around dusk, two opponents meet in the open fog.

Continue reading "Where the Marines and the antelope play: Marines share South African training area with herds of blesbok, springbok" »

Posted by sr at 5:14 PM | Permalink

July 27, 2011

The future of the Marine Corps may be playing out in the mountains of Bridgeport, Calif., and the flatlands of nearby Hawthorne, Nev.

Continue reading "Marines adapt for the future in Javelin Thrust exercise" »

Posted by sr at 10:03 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Jad Sleiman | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 07.26.2011

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - There’s the English spoken in South Africa, and then there’s the English spoken in Southern California.

Continue reading "Jo’burg born Marine returns to South Africa for exercise" »

Posted by sr at 4:51 PM | Permalink

7/24/2011 By Cpl. Andrew Thorburn , Marine Forces Reserve

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif. — With today’s technology, most people can flip out a cell phone and find their position in a minute, but when the batteries die, Marines pull out the compasses and paper maps to complete their missions.

Continue reading "Marines of 3/23 navigate mountainous terrain during Operation Javelin Thrust " »

Posted by sr at 3:12 PM | Permalink

By Amy Norton
NEW YORK | Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:03pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Reservists returning from Iraq or Afghanistan may have more trouble adjusting to life at home than full-time soldiers do -- and that can take a toll on their mental well-being, a UK study finds.

Continue reading "After tour, Reservists' mental health may suffer" »

Posted by sr at 3:42 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Adam Leyendecker | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 07.16.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Marines with the Houston-based Lone Star Battalion, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Task Force Belleau Wood, pushed through south Habib Abad in Nad’ Ali District, Helmand province, and linked up with troops from Task Force Helmand during Operation Frank Jr., July 13

Continue reading "Lone Star Battalion probes for enemy during Operation Frank Jr." »

Posted by sr at 10:44 AM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 07.15.2011

NEW ORLEANS - More than 5,000 Marines from Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Corps active component units will participate in the largest Marine Corps Reserve exercise of the year at several locations throughout the Western United States July 17-31.

Continue reading "Largest Marine Corps Reserve exercise of the year scheduled to commence" »

Posted by sr at 8:21 AM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Marcy Sanchez | I Marine Expeditionary Force | Date: 07.08.2011

Two Marines with 3d Civil Affairs Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, received Bronze Stars during an awards ceremony, July 1.

Continue reading "3d CAG Marines awarded Bronze Star" »

Posted by sr at 4:18 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Katherine Keleher | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 07.08.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Whether Sgt. Sean Castaneda is recording an album in Hollywood, Calif., or providing imagery intelligence to troops on the ground in the desert of southern Afghanistan, serving his country while pursuing his music dreams are just another day.

Continue reading "Marine puts Hollywood music career on hold to serve in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 4:13 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 06.27.2011

NEW ORLEANS – Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North’s new 411,320 square-foot home on the west bank of the Mississippi River officially dedicated during a ribbon cutting ceremony here June 27.

Continue reading "Marines move into new home in New Orleans" »

Posted by sr at 7:01 PM | Permalink

6/27/2011 By 1st Lt. Megan Greathouse , II MEF (FWD)

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Every Marine has a story. For one Reservist currently serving in Helmand province the story is of a rocket scientist who answered the call to serve his country as a third generation Marine.

Continue reading "World War II to Afghanistan: Rocket scientist, third generation Marine serves in Helmand province" »

Posted by sr at 7:38 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Marco Mancha | 2nd Marine Division | Date: 06.22.2011

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GERONIMO, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – The typical American may wake up, drink their coffee along with a small nutritious breakfast, and then head out the door to their nine to five job, with expectations of being home by six p.m. every evening. Life is much different for two Marines attached to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment.

Continue reading "Marine Duo Powers Up Area of Operations" »

Posted by sr at 9:26 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Marco Mancha | 2nd Marine Division | Date: 06.22.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Once you get past the humor of “ballistic underwear,” the threat it helps mitigate is real and the protection is necessary.

Continue reading "Ballistic Underwear Make Their Way to Marines in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:16 PM | Permalink

June 13th, 2011
by Gina Cavallaro

Patrol Base Boldak, Afghanistan – A casual conversation with an infantryman, who’s had a few deployments here and in Iraq, reveals a happy history of heat, cold and general discomfort along the lines of “I lived in my vehicle for seven months.”

Continue reading "Tent liners bring cool relief" »

Posted by SP at 11:41 AM | Permalink

11:05 PM, Jun. 8, 2011
Written by
Derek Redd

Members of Echo Company, Antiterrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division sat with family and loved ones around tables outside the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center on Roberts Avenue. The mood was quiet, with laughter sometimes breaking through the hot June air.

Continue reading "Marines say goodbyes before heading to the Middle East" »

Posted by sr at 11:33 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Katherine M. Solano | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 06.08.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Thousands of people rely on the security parameters in place on Camp Leatherneck to keep them safe as they go about their daily business of running units, planning sustainment missions for Afghan communities, holding shuras with Afghan government figures and maintaining a sense of normalcy in a battle-ridden area of operation.

Continue reading "BDAF Marines protect Leatherneck, declare 'Protect This House or Die Trying: Not on our Watch'" »

Posted by sr at 9:09 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Katherine M. Solano | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 06.06.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- Training does not stop just because Marines are forward deployed. It is the goal of many companies to continue to hone their Marines’ skills on various weapons systems in between operational commitments and offensive missions.

Continue reading "Task Force Belleau Wood Marines Hone Shotgun Skills During Range Training" »

Posted by sr at 11:40 AM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 23, 2011 8:30:23 EDT

Marine reservists are at the helm of what is the largest multinational training exercise in Europe — and it’s still growing, with future opportunities for half-year stints overseas.

Continue reading "Reserve leads growing Black Sea mission" »

Posted by sr at 8:05 AM | Permalink

5/16/2011 By Lance Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah , Marine Forces Africa

AGADIR, Morocco — Marines of Headquarters Battery, 14th Marine Regiment, a reserve unit from Fort Worth, Texas, assumed command of American forces participating in Phase II of Exercise African Lion 2011 during a ceremony here May 15.

Continue reading "14th Marines arrive in Morocco, take lead of U.S. participation in Exercise African Lion 2011" »

Posted by sr at 8:09 AM | Permalink

5/12/2011 By Lance Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah , Marine Forces Reserve

PARK CITY, Ky. — For some Reserve Marines’ travel opportunities can be limited as they have to spend one weekend a month drilling at their local base. Additionally, their opportunities to practice marksmanship can be even more limited having to pack all their annual training into one weekend a month and two weeks a year.

Continue reading "Top Shot: What it takes to be among the best shooters in the Reserves" »

Posted by sr at 12:32 PM | Permalink

Friday, May 6, 2011
By JAKE BERRY
Staff Writer

LONDONDERRY – Dozens of unopened presents line the rafters in the garage of Abbie Finn’s Hudson home.

Continue reading "Marines get sendoff to Afghanistan - with video" »

Posted by sr at 5:22 PM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Nana Dannsaappiah | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 04.20.2011

NEW ORLEANS – The 4th MAW Marine Corps Reserve Flight Instructor Program Selection Board is aimed at employing the most qualified Reserve or active duty naval aviators and naval flight officers as flight instructors.

Continue reading "4th MAW in search of qualified flight instructors" »

Posted by sr at 5:16 PM | Permalink

By Marine Corps Cpl. Jad Sleiman
Marine Forces Reserve

NEW ORLEANS, April 18, 2011 – Marine Corps Sgt. Daniel Evans didn’t see himself working in a kitchen when he first became interested in the Marines, but food service specialist was the only job available.

Continue reading "Face of Defense: Marine Becomes Top Cook" »

Posted by sr at 8:53 AM | Permalink

By Bob Okon [email protected] Apr 17, 2011 02:29AM

JOLIET — Forty-six Marines left Joliet on their way to Afghanistan on Friday knowing they had support back home.

Continue reading "U.S. Marine Reserves leave Joliet for Afghanistan deployment" »

Posted by sr at 10:24 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Apr 15, 2011 17:31:56 EDT

The Marine Corps plans to stand up specialty Reserve battalions including one dedicated to law enforcement, said Commandant Gen. Jim Amos during a speech Friday in downtown Washington.

Continue reading "Amos touts Reserve law enforcement unit" »

Posted by sr at 5:32 PM | Permalink

Published: Sunday, April 10, 2011, 10:32 AM

GRAND RAPIDS - The local Marine Corps League organized a welcome-home breakfast this morning for some 150 Marine Reserve members of Grand Rapids-based Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines.

Continue reading "Grand Rapids Marine Reserve members, likely bound for Afghanistan, greeted with breakfast after training" »

Posted by sr at 10:46 PM | Permalink

4/8/2011 By Lance Cpl. Zach Altemus , Marine Forces Reserve

NEW ORLEANS — Two Marines and one squadron from 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve are scheduled to receive awards from the Marine Corps Aviation Association May 19-21 for outstanding achievements conducted during 2010.

Continue reading "4th MAW Marines and VMGR-452 recognized for outstanding achievement" »

Posted by sr at 5:01 PM | Permalink

5:38 AM, Apr. 5, 2011
Written by
L.B. Whyde
Advocate Reporter

NEWARK -- A Newark Marine has many reasons to be thankful for his homecoming after a first tour of duty in Afghanistan, but his return also meant getting to hold his son for the first time.

Continue reading "Marine comes home from Afghanistan, meets son for first time" »

Posted by sr at 10:52 AM | Permalink

Story by 2nd Lt. Lindsay Pirek | III Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs | Date: 03.28.2011

NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan – Marines from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 (VMGR-234), Marine Aircraft Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, the “Rangers,” assisted the Marines of III Marine Expeditionary Brigade Aviation Command Element in support of Operation Tomodachi here March 11-27.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines assist 1st MAW in support of Japan aid" »

Posted by sr at 9:36 AM | Permalink

3/25/2011
By 1/23 March Newsletter , 1st Battalion (1/23)

March 25, 2011 —
On March 2, 1836, men from around Texas gathered at Washington-on-the-Brazos to formally sever ties with Mexican dictator Santa Anna by signing Texas’ Declaration of Independence.

Continue reading "1/23 March Newsletter" »

Posted by sr at 8:33 AM | Permalink

Published : Wednesday, 23 Mar 2011, 6:31 PM EDT
* George Richert
* Posted by: Eli George

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Military families have waited a year for this day. Marines have just returned home to the Porter Avenue naval station from a long tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marine platoon returns from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:28 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Brian Gabriel Jr. | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 03.19.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – The Marines of 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment officially took over a wide variety of operations throughout Helmand province from 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment during a transfer of authority ceremony here, March 19.

Continue reading "3/25 hands over widespread authority to 1/23" »

Posted by sr at 7:20 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | ISAF Joint Command | Date: 03.18.2011

KABUL, Afghanistan – The civil affairs team, from 4th Civil Affairs Group attached to Regimental Combat Team 8, are investigating a way to produce green energy for the citizens of Now Zad District, Helmand province.

Continue reading "Civil Affairs Group looks to alternative power in Now Zad" »

Posted by sr at 1:40 PM | Permalink

3/16/2011 By Lance Cpl. Fenton Reese, Marine Forces Reserve

CAMP BLANDING, Fla. — A common reference among Marines is they are “lean, mean war fighting machines.” So, it is appropriate that one Marine would take that a step further.

Continue reading "War fighter by day, Ground fighter by night:Reserve Marine is Professional MMA fighter." »

Posted by sr at 10:24 PM | Permalink

Story by Pfc. Joseph Altemus | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 03.14.2011

Six Marines from Marine Forces Reserve Headquarters participated in the Dr. Seuss Day celebration at Sarah T. Reed Elementary School, March 2.

Continue reading "Marines attend Dr. Seuss Day celebration at elementary school" »

Posted by sr at 8:59 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Fenton Reese | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 03.10.2011

CAMP BLANDING, Fla. - Expended brass casings littered the ground giving an illusion that the dirt was paved gold.

Another day on the range had come to an end for the Marines of 4th Tank Battalion, Headquarters and Service Company, Detachment 4.

Continue reading "Here Comes the Boom: Marines of 4th Tank Battalion pull, push, engage their way through four final qualification tables of .50-caliber machine gunnery" »

Posted by sr at 5:34 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Tyler Hlavac | Tradewinds 2011 | Date: 03.06.2011
Date Posted: 03.07.2011 11:50

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda – When the rioters first hit the defender’s lines, there is a brief moment of disorder and confusion as dozens of screaming protestors throw bottles, kicks, punches and taunts at the defenders. The defenders step back, quickly reorganize their lines and begin to slowly move forward, pushing the aggressors back with shields, batons and oleoresin capsicum spray. The confrontation is loud, messy, aggressive, chaotic and over within minutes as the defenders snatch up the riot leader, bringing an end to the hostilities.

Continue reading "Riot Games: Richcreek vs. Sylvain" »

Posted by sr at 10:21 PM | Permalink

3/4/2011 By Lance Cpl. David Flynn , Marine Corps Recruiting Command

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Some Marines discovered this year that they were unable to reenlist and retain their military occupational specialty. There is an option for Marines who want to stay in the Marine Corps besides changing their MOS. The Active Reserve (AR) program is looking for highly qualified active component Marines that want to reenlist and serve full-time.

Continue reading "Active Reserve program offers options for Marines" »

Posted by sr at 5:30 PM | Permalink

Posted by Lindsay Wise with the Houston Chronicle
February 28, 2011 10:14 AM

Houston's 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment has begun the long journey to Afghanistan.

Last week, more than 800 Marines and Navy corpsmen who serve in 1/23 -- also known as 'The Lone Star Battalion' -- started to depart Camp Pendleton in California, where they've been training since November, and headed overseas on the first leg of their trip. They will spend seven months in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Houston's Lone Star Battalion heads to Afghanistan" »

Posted by SP at 2:01 PM | Permalink

Story by Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson | Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul | Date: 02.28.2011

ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Part 1: In-Processing

As the recruits stepped off the bus in Zabul province, five Afghan Uniform Police officers were there to great them.

Continue reading "Police training in Zabul: The first six weeks" »

Posted by SP at 10:30 AM | Permalink

Story by 2nd Lt. Timothy Irish | Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division | Date: 02.25.2011
Date Posted: 02.26.2011 04:02

NOW ZAD, Afghanistan - When a new unit rotates into Afghanistan much of the turnover of information can be placed neatly into a book for easy reading. However, personal relationships forged by time cannot simply be signed over. This is the challenge a new civil affairs unit faces.

Continue reading "3/2 Civil Affairs rolls in heavy" »

Posted by sr at 9:29 AM | Permalink

February 15, 2011 - By DAVE EMKE Special to the OBSERVER

JAMESTOWN - Aaron Swanson had a smile that could light up any room, brighten any day and bring joy to everyone he knew.

Continue reading "Remembering a hero" »

Posted by sr at 1:01 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Jeremy Ross | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 02.11.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Every Marine is expected to have at least a basic knowledge of the standard U.S. military arsenal, but after a hands-on session with foreign weapons at the Joint Security Academy Southwest, Feb. 11, about a dozen Marines from various units based here now know a little bit about AK-47 assault rifles, PKM machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, too.

Continue reading "Deployed Marines go hands-on with foreign weapons" »

Posted by sr at 8:27 AM | Permalink

2/10/2011 By Lance Cpl. Fenton Reese , Marine Forces Reserve

NEW ORLEANS — An aroma of meats, sauces, spices and seasonings filled the air. With wide eyes and grumbling stomachs, Marines and civilians of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing gathered here for the second annual 4th MAW Chili Cook-Off, Jan. 26.

Continue reading "4th MAW Chili Cook-Off Heats Up" »

Posted by sr at 9:19 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Megan Sindelar | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 02.06.2011

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MARJAH, Afghanistan – With the planned delivery of 70,000 saplings, Marines from team 1, detachment 3, 3rd Civil Affairs Group, are offering farmers around Marjah, Afghanistan, an alternative to growing illegal crops.

Continue reading "Marines, USAID offer alternatives to farmers in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 9:09 AM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Megan Sindelar | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 02.05.2011

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Marines working at the Civil Military Operations Center in Marjah have improved Afghan lives during the few short months they have been in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marjah CMOC making a difference in Afghan’s lives" »

Posted by sr at 9:10 AM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | 1st Marine Division | Date: 02.03.2011

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- In late 1944, based on casualty estimates and the inevitable need for replacement officers in the war against Japan, the U.S. Marine Corps convened a special Officer Candidates School at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Four hundred officers were trained, commissioned, and rushed to the Pacific Theater of Operations. Half would be sent to Iwo Jima in Feburary 1945, the remainder would serve on Okinawa beginning in April 1945.

Continue reading "Iwo Jima veteran visits Afghan-bound battalion" »

Posted by sr at 4:50 PM | Permalink

2/1/2011 By Cpl. Lucas Vega , Marine Forces Reserve

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Ten Marines with 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment were given the opportunity to shine in the spotlight when a CNN crew visited Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 25.

Continue reading "Bloodlines strong within 1/23" »

Posted by sr at 5:38 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Lucas Vega | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 01.27.2011

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - “Charlie” is the letter C in the proper military phonetic alphabet, and is used by all other units throughout the Marine Corps for Company C. But for years one unit has been commonly referred to as Carlos Company. This common Hispanic name has been unofficially adopted by Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment.

Continue reading "Hispanic roots strong in 1/23" »

Posted by sr at 8:25 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Reece Lodder | Marine Corps Base Hawaii – Kaneohe Bay | Date: 01.19.2011

MARINE CORPS TRAINING AREA BELLOWS, WAIMANALO, Hawaii — The gentle whirr of F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft motors cuts through the wind as it moves across the unsettled waters off Oahu’s coast. Relentless rains have turned the water a murky gray, yet its emerald glow slowly reappears as the sun breaks through the clouds.

Continue reading "Polishing perishable skills: 4th Force Recon Marines dive to train, increase proficiency" »

Posted by sr at 10:36 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | 1st Marine Division | Date: 01.11.2011

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Marines and sailors with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment took part in infantry immersion training Jan. 11-12, as the battalion continues preparations for an upcoming six-month deployment to Afghanistan.

Continue reading "1/23 prepares for Afghanistan deployment" »

Posted by sr at 9:21 PM | Permalink

Story by Cpl. Steven Posy | Marine Corps Air Station Miramar | Date: 01.11.2011

SAN DIEGO -- Approximately 50 runners from Marine Corps installations around the world raced on a five-mile course for the All-Marine Cross Country championship, held here, Jan. 8.

Continue reading "Marines' fitness means endurance on battlefield" »

Posted by sr at 5:25 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | 1st Marine Division | Date: 01.10.2011

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Behind the screens of virtual simulators sit Marines equipped not with M4 semi-automatic rifles or M203 grenade launchers, but a video game controller, designed to train the Marines of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, on countering improvised explosive devices Jan. 10 at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Continue reading "1/23 trains to counter IED’s" »

Posted by sr at 9:16 PM | Permalink

Monday, January 03, 2011

The pictures speak for themselves......

Continue reading "Faces and Places - Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:04 PM | Permalink

Updated: Saturday, 01 Jan 2011, 8:24 AM CST
Published : Saturday, 01 Jan 2011, 8:24 AM CST

(NewsCore) - Two US Marines exchanged wedding vows during Friday night's New Year's celebrations in the heart of New York's Times Square, as thousands of screaming revelers looked on.

Continue reading "Marines Marry At Times Square New Year's Eve" »

Posted by sr at 2:29 PM | Permalink

Hardest-Hit Unit From Iraq War Deploys to Afghanistan, Leaving Families Behind Again

By CHRISTINE ROMO, TERI WHITCRAFT and JENNIFER METZ
Dec. 23, 2010

The Marines of Lima Company, a reserve unit from Columbus, Ohio, understand war is not just fought on the front lines. Their unit was the hardest hit in the Iraq War -- in 2005, they lost 23 men and over 40 were wounded. Now, five years later, Lima Company has been called to serve again, deploying this time to Helmand Province, Afghanistan -- a Taliban stronghold -- leaving their families behind.

Continue reading "For Lima Company, Holidays Away From Home Are Bittersweet" »

Posted by sr at 11:01 AM | Permalink

12/21/2010
By 1stLt Jeffrey L. Williford ,
1st Battalion (1/23)
Camp Pendleton, Ca.
NEWSLETTER #2

For the second time since terrorists ruthlessly attacked our homeland on September 11, 2001, the Marines of 1st Battalion, 23d Marines have left behind their civilian jobs, their college textbooks, beloved family members to again answer the call of a grateful nation, and to stand up against those who would threaten democracy and our very way of life.

Continue reading "For the Families News Letter #2" »

Posted by sr at 11:49 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Shawn Coolman | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 12.21.2010

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Spending the holidays away from family is a routine occurrence for many service members, but during the holiday season, receiving a package from a loved one is a welcomed distraction.

Continue reading "I MEF receives ‘tons’ of mail during holiday season" »

Posted by sr at 3:07 PM | Permalink

Sgt. Artur Shvartsberg / Marine Corps

Marines with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines evacuate an Afghan National Army soldier out of Forward Operating Base Jackson in Sangin, Afghanistan, on Dec. 6.

Continue reading "Frontline photos 12/16/2010" »

Posted by sr at 3:09 PM | Permalink

Story by Sgt. Shawn Coolman | Regional Command Southwest | Date: 12.15.2010

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Staff Sgt. Cary Anderson is a Marine who shows devotion to both the community and the Marine Corps, by his actions home and abroad.

Continue reading "Marine helps less fortunate in U.S., Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:01 AM | Permalink

Michael Daly
Tuesday, December 14th 2010, 4:00 AM

War is when 24-year-old Brooklyn Marine Sgt. Nicholas Aleman is killed in Afghanistan the same day his fiancée gets the flowers he sent for her 23rd birthday.

Continue reading "Love for a 'shelter dog' eases family's, fiancée's pain over dead Marine Sgt. Nicholas Aleman" »

Posted by sr at 5:22 PM | Permalink

by Megan Eckstein @ The Frederick News-Post
December 11, 2010 - 8:10am

For Maj. Lawrence Lowman, taking command of the Marine company in Frederick was not only a good opportunity to advance his career but also a much-appreciated break from deployments to take care of his young family.

Continue reading "Job gives marine more family time, less deployment risk" »

Posted by sr at 1:49 PM | Permalink

Courtesy Story | Marine Corps Air Station Miramar | Date: 12.09.2010

Faces in a squad of Marines seated in a CH-53E “Super Stallion” broke into smiles as the helicopter chopped through the sky. This was the first flight in a helicopter for many of the Texas-based reserve Marines onboard

Continue reading "HMH-462 gives 1/23 a lift" »

Posted by sr at 5:19 PM | Permalink

BY Jake Pearson and Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Wednesday, December 8th 2010, 4:00 AM

A Brooklyn-born Marine sergeant was killed during combat operations in Afghanistan, leaving his devastated family to face Christmas without their beloved hero.

Continue reading "Family mourns death of Sgt. Nicholas Aleman, 24, a Brooklyn Marine killed in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 6:37 PM | Permalink

By KATE SHEEHY
December 8, 2010

A young Marine who grew up in a military family in Brooklyn was killed by a suicide bomber — ambushed while sleeping in an encampment in Afghanistan, said US officials and the man’s stunned family yesterday.

Continue reading "Marine from B'klyn killed" »

Posted by sr at 6:31 PM | Permalink

By ANDY KRAVETZ ([email protected])
Journal Star
Posted Dec 07, 2010 @ 11:09 PM
Last update Dec 08, 2010 @ 12:29 AM

PEORIA —

A handful of Peoria County-based U.S. Marine Corps reservists are expected to return home Wednesday after spending several months in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Peoria-based Marines returning from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 2:17 PM | 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

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 – First Lady Michelle Obama today welcomed Marine Corps families to the White House for an event that highlighted the Toys for Tots charity and allowed military children to make holiday crafts with the first lady.

Continue reading "First Lady Welcomes Marine Families to White House" »

Posted by sr at 10:25 PM | Permalink

By LARRY HIGGS • STAFF WRITER • December 1, 2010

MIDDLETOWN — The sound of a lone bagpiper cut through the night along with the soft slapping sound of canvas duffle bags being loaded by Marines into a bus bound for Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Continue reading "Marines, families prepare for deployment in Middletown" »

Posted by sr at 12:03 PM | Permalink

11/30/2010 By Lance Cpl. Jad Sleiman , Marine Forces Reserve

NEW ORLEANS — Lance Cpl. Matt McGuiness’ lowest point wasn’t the day his left lung sprung a leak and deflated inside his chest as he waited outside a chow hall during recruit training. It wasn’t the day he watched his platoon graduate without him as he waited on an evaluation board that would eventually medically discharge him. It wasn’t the day he woke up screaming in agony and alone in a Virginia intensive care unit after his pain killers failed post-surgery.

Continue reading "Breathless: Marine medically discharged after lung collapses in boot camp returns to earn the title" »

Posted by sr at 10:41 AM | Permalink

The Plumstead woman is part of a special unit serving in Afghanistan.

By: CHRISTINA KRISTOFIC
Bucks County Courier Times
November 29, 2010 02:07 AM

Most nights this year, Angela Pacheco has slept in her clothes and combat boots on a cot in a small plywood cabin or other makeshift shelter.

Continue reading "Marine doing 'something great' with her life" »

Posted by sr at 5:08 PM | Permalink

Injured Friday while collecting for charity at Augusta Best Buy

By Susan McCord
Staff Writer
Monday, Nov. 29, 2010

A Marine stabbed while collecting Toys for Tots said he thought of all the people inside Best Buy on crowded Black Friday when he tried to intercept a fleeing shoplifter.

Continue reading "Marine lauded for heroic act" »

Posted by sr at 9:12 AM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Nov 27, 2010 8:53:07 EST

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Marine reservist collecting toys for children was stabbed Friday when he helped stop a suspected shoplifter in eastern Georgia.

Continue reading "Marine reservist stabbed while collecting toys" »

Posted by sr at 9:47 AM | Permalink

Delta Company thankful to be back in time for holidays

* By Matt Lakin
* Knoxville News Sentinel
* Posted November 23, 2010 at midnight

Maj. Nathan Opie held his month-old son Dominic for the first time Monday night.

Continue reading "Knox Marines welcomed home after seven months in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:27 AM | Permalink

By Kelly Koopmans / KVAL News
Story Published: Nov 14, 2010 at 6:00 PM PST

EUGENE, Ore. -- It’s a rare moment, but when the battlefield goes quiet, Marines in Marjah, Afghanistan wonder when the enemy will strike.

Continue reading "Embedded: Life outside of the wire" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 PM | Permalink

By Kelly Koopmans KVAL News
Story Published: Nov 12, 2010 at 10:49 PM PST

EUGENE, Ore. -- When a mission ends and the sun sets, Marines 7,000 miles from the Unites States call Camp Marjah in Marjah, Afghanistan, home.

Continue reading "Embedded: 'I did the best I could to show you what is going on there'" »

Posted by sr at 10:26 PM | Permalink

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2010 – Just in time for Veterans Day, a new, state-of-the-art Web portal is being rolled out tomorrow to help veterans – as well as reserve-component members, their families and wounded warriors – land jobs with civilian employers who value their military experience.

Continue reading "Portal Helps Vets, Reserves, Guardsmen Land Jobs" »

Posted by sr at 12:05 PM | Permalink

By Natalie Sherman
Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Boston man who spent nine months leading Marines in building Afghan infantry units capable of standing up to the Taliban was awarded the Bronze Star on Friday as the Marine Corps celebrated its 235th birthday at Fort Devens.

Continue reading "Hub Marine earns Bronze Star for Afghan work" »

Posted by sr at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force

Story by Cpl. Daniel Negrete
Date: 11.07.2010

USS IWO JIMA, At Sea – On the morning of Nov. 6, Marines and sailors aboard the USS Iwo Jima flew over Haitian soil to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Tomas in support of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti and the government of Haiti.

Continue reading "CP10 Marines, Sailors assess Hurricane Tomas impact" »

Posted by SP at 9:25 AM | Permalink

'Lone Star Battalion' to train first in California, then go to Afghanistan

By LINDSAY WISE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Nov. 5, 2010, 8:09AM

A Marine Reserve battalion headquartered in Houston has been mobilized for deployment to Afghanistan, Marine officials announced Thursday.

Continue reading "Area Marine Reserve unit saddling up" »

Posted by sr at 9:42 AM | Permalink

11/4/2010 By Lance Cpl. Lucas Vega , Marine Forces Reserve

MARINE FORCES RESERVE, New Orleans — Family, service members and fellow Marines gathered at the Belle Chasse chapel to pay respect to the late Sgt. Ryan Lekosky Nov. 3.

Continue reading "Slain Marine remembered at memorial service" »

Posted by sr at 5:23 PM | Permalink

From Staff Reports • November 3, 2010

Monday will be bittersweet for members of Bravo Co., 1/23rd Marines, the reserve unit headquartered in Bossier City.

Continue reading "Bossier City Marine reservists to leave next week" »

Posted by sr at 10:35 AM | Permalink

* November 2nd, 2010 9:23 am ET

Deployed for a year to Al Asad, Iraq, with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron-29, Sgt. Ryan Lekosky was murdered in the French Quarter of New Orleans early Sunday morning.

Continue reading "Marine Sgt. stabbed to death after Marine Corps Ball, in NOLA" »

Posted by sr at 1:06 PM | Permalink

He was fatally stabbed after a formal Marine Corps ball

By DANE SCHILLER
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Nov. 1, 2010, 8:01PM

A Marine from Texas survived combat in Iraq only to be murdered in the French Quarter — stabbed to death even as he wore his dress-blue uniform complete with battle commendations pinned to his chest.

Continue reading "Texas Marine dies defending his wife in French Quarter" »

Posted by sr at 12:56 PM | Permalink

As a Marine reservist disarming roadside bombs in Afghanistan, Joshua Cullins knew he had one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth. He died just two days before he was to be reassigned.

By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times
October 27, 2010

He was only two days away from being reassigned to a base camp administrative job after spending six months in Afghanistan disarming roadside bombs.

Continue reading "Parents of LAPD officer killed by bomb had feared for his safety" »

Posted by sr at 9:47 AM | Permalink

Story by Lance Cpl. Lucas Vega | Marine Forces Reserve | Date: 10.26.2010

FORT WORTH, Texas - Nine multi-tasking Marines scurry back and forth between food preparation tables and burners in the field mess kitchen. The stoves are filled to the brim with enough Creole chicken, rice and cornbread to feed nearly 150 Marines with Headquarters Battery, 14th Marine Regiment. Each food service Marine, assigned a different task, works against the clock to prepare enough food to satisfy the Marines’ hungry stomachs.

Continue reading "The Recipe for High Morale" »

Posted by sr at 5:08 PM | Permalink

By Cali Bagby for KVAL.com
Story Published: Oct 25, 2010 at 5:13 PM PDT

EN ROUTE TO COMBAT OUTPOST SHIR GHAZAY, Afghanistan - “Everyone make sure their helmets and seatbelts are on," says Cpt Ryan Bumgardner, 29, of Hood River, Ore., "and the doors are locked.”

Continue reading "Oregon Marines hit by IEDs in Taliban hotspot" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 PM | Permalink

By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2010 – Though the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program has eased the post-deployment process for thousands of Guard and Reserve members and their families over the past two years, officials are hoping thousands more take advantage of the Defense Department program in the coming months, the program’s executive director said.

Continue reading "Program Fills Gap for Returning Guard, Reserve" »

Posted by sr at 8:27 AM | Permalink

By Cali Bagby for KVAL.com
Story Published: Oct 18, 2010

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - “It’s like 'Field of Dreams' - build it and they will come,” says LtCol Ted Adams to Oregon Marines as they sit on benches - and in the dirt - of Afghanistan.

Continue reading " 'More grunts are going home alive because of what you are doing'" »

Posted by sr at 5:19 PM | Permalink

October 14, 2010|By Rebecca Gannon | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(WICHITA, Kan.) — Eight Marines deployed for seven months arrived in Kansas just after five Thursday evening.

Continue reading "Kansas marines return from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:51 PM | Permalink

October 07, 2010 6:02 PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF

A Camp Lejeune-based Marine died this week in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Continue reading "Lejeune-based Marine dies in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:36 PM | Permalink

By Cali Bagby for KVAL.com with KVAL.com staff
Story Published: Oct 7, 2010

Multimedia reporter Cali Bagby caught up with the 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon of Alpha Company of the 6th Engineer Support Battalion based out of Springfield, Ore., in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Duck fan in Afghanistan: 'Keep it up, Chip Kelly'" »

Posted by sr at 5:55 PM | Permalink

By Michel Moutot
(AFP) – Oct. 7, 2010

RED BANK, New Jersey — On an open field in this suburb of New York City, scores of men in military fatigues are put through their combat paces, hurling fake grenades and dodging imaginary bullets.

Continue reading "Reserve US marines drill for frontlines of Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:39 PM | Permalink

By SCOTT CANON
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Sat, Oct. 02, 2010 10:15 PM

Through the songs and the speeches about fallen Marines and sailors, through a moment of silence filled by the sounds of flags snapping in the wind and fighter jets thundering overhead, Mary Donahue dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

Continue reading "Fallen sailors and Marines honored at dedication of eagle statue memorial" »

Posted by sr at 11:27 PM | Permalink

9/30/2010 By Cpl. Austin Hazard , Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. — The Corps’ newest unmanned aerial vehicle squadron debuted its capabilities with the maiden flight of one of its RQ-7B Shadow aircraft at the Barry M. Goldwater Range east of the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Ariz., Sept. 29, 2010.

Continue reading "VMU-4 casts Shadow over Yuma" »

Posted by sr at 5:40 PM | Permalink

September 28, 2010

COSHOCTON -- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dennis R. Matthews, a 2004 graduate of Coshocton High School, Coshocton, alongside 800 fellow Marines attached to the 3rd Battalion 25th Marines(3/25), stationed in Moundsville, W.Va., recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Continue reading "MATTHEWS DEPLOYS TO AFGHANISTAN" »

Posted by sr at 2:21 PM | Permalink

September 26, 2010

MOUNDSVILLE, W. Va. -- Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Hallman, Pfc. Adam C. Smith and Lance Cpl. Jonathan C. Walker are among 800 Marines attached to the 3rd Battalion 25th Marines stationed in Moundsville that have recently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Continue reading "Three Marines deployed" »

Posted by sr at 9:40 AM | Permalink

Judge David Johnson took off his black robe Friday and for the last time in an official capacity donned one of the garments he has loved even more for the past 27 years — in this instance it was the green-and-khaki service uniform of a United States Marine.

By: Mark Stodghill , Duluth News Tribune
Published September 25 2010

Judge David Johnson took off his black robe Friday and for the last time in an official capacity donned one of the garments he has loved even more for the past 27 years — in this instance it was the green-and-khaki service uniform of a United States Marine.

Continue reading "Judge honored for his 27 years in the Marines" »

Posted by sr at 1:52 PM | Permalink

Regional Command Southwest
Story by Sgt. Shawn Coolman
Date09.16.2010
Date Posted:09.17.2010 04:27

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan— Third Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion turned over responsibilities to 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, in a transfer of authority ceremony here, Sept. 16.

Continue reading "3rd LAAD transfers authority to 3/25" »

Posted by sr at 5:11 PM | Permalink

NORTH VERSAILLES (KDKA)
Sep 15, 2010 11:03 pm US/Eastern

The family of a Marine killed in combat traveled to the Pittsburgh area to be on hand when his company returned home.

Continue reading "Emotions Run High During Marines' Homecoming" »

Posted by sr at 10:47 AM | Permalink

By Gretel C. Kovach
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 7:17 p.m.

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Capt. Stan Lee patrols his corner of Helmand Province with a loaded rifle like every other Marine. But he has never had to use it. Here in one of the most combative areas of southern Afghanistan, Lee has another weapon — U.S. dollars.

Continue reading "Marines focus on building new Afghan nation" »

Posted by sr at 10:38 AM | Permalink

110th Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Sgt. Peter Ramaglia
Date 09.11.2010

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Members of the 6th Communication Battalion, a Marine Corps Reserve unit out of Brooklyn, N.Y., participating in Combined Endeavor, remembered, Sept. 11, with a ceremony at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Grafenwoehr, Germany today.

Continue reading "Combined Endeavor Sept. 11 Remembrance Ceremony" »

Posted by sr at 8:36 PM | Permalink

8/23/2010
By Lance Cpl. Michelle S. Mattei,
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. —
Four Marines were added to the Purple Heart’s list of heroes injured during battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Four Marines awarded Purple Heart for their sacrifice" »

Posted by sr at 10:41 PM | Permalink

Marines offer Afghans what the Taliban cannot, but security is top priority

By Gretel C. Kovach, UNION-TRIBUNE
Originally published August 21, 2010 at 6:23 p.m

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Dust billows from the roads of this military base at all hours, during sun-baked desert days and hot windy nights.

Continue reading " Remote camp is Marines' key toehold in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:50 AM | Permalink

by JOSHUA SUDOCK
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Aug. 15, 2010
Updated: Aug. 16, 2010 1:09 a.m.

Motivated by a love for the men and women of the armed forces and a passion for rock n' roll, more than 100 people gathered at Tortilla Jo's restaurant in Anaheim Sunday to support the families of Sgt. Maj. Robert Cottle and Lance Cpl. Rick Centanni, two Yorba Linda Marines who lost their lives in Afghanistan earlier this year.

Continue reading "Rocker's gift is music to Marines families' ears" »

Posted by SP at 3:43 PM | Permalink

BY NAOMI R. PATTON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Posted: Aug. 15, 2010

Twenty-two U.S. Marines from the 1st Battalion 24th Marine Reserve, based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, who died during their seven-month tour in Iraq were honored Saturday with a granite memorial bearing their names dedicated in Canton's Heritage Park.

Continue reading "Remembering the bravery of Selfridge's 22 Marines" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 PM | Permalink

A Knoxville-based Marine has died after being wounded in Afghanistan.

Reporter: Nick Bona
Email Address: [email protected]
Aug 14, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A Knoxville-based Marine has died after being wounded in Afghanistan.

Continue reading " Knoxville-based Marine killed in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 AM | Permalink

By Darrell Clem • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • August 12, 2010

In a somber, patriotic tribute to fallen U.S. Marines who died in Fallujah, Iraq, a new memorial will be dedicated during a ceremony set for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Canton Veterans Memorial Wall in Heritage Park.

Continue reading "New memorial honors fallen Marines" »

Posted by sr at 10:52 PM | Permalink

Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Date Posted:08.12.2010
Story by Staff Sgt. Luis Agostini

MARJAH, Afghanistan – A memorial service for Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard was held at the Marjah District government center in Marjah, Afghanistan, Aug. 12.

Continue reading "Fallen Marine remembered as jokester, athlete, friend" »

Posted by sr at 3:50 PM | Permalink

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. • The reading of Sophocles' classic drama "Ajax" was polished and powerful.

Continue reading "'Ajax' strikes chord with Marine veterans" »

Posted by sr at 1:40 PM | Permalink

LOUDON - The striped fishing wasn't great in the waters just below Ft. Loudoun Dam.

Continue reading "Marines get an extra 'thank you' with fishing trip" »

Posted by sr at 1:27 PM | Permalink

Staff report
Posted : Thursday Jul 29, 2010 14:24:48 EDT

A reserve Marine died Tuesday in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Defense Department has announced.

Continue reading "Reserve lance cpl. dies in Helmand province" »

Posted by sr at 11:00 PM | Permalink

By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 28, 2010 17:18:55 EDT

Time is running out for current and former troops involuntarily held on active duty beyond their service commitments to apply for retroactive $500 monthly payments.

Continue reading "Oct. 21 is deadline to apply for stop-loss pay" »

Posted by sr at 5:05 PM | Permalink

NELSON ISLAND, Alaska — Marines with 6th Engineer Support Battalion, Battle Creek, Mich., are spending their summer building a future for the isolated villagers of Newtok, Alaska.

Continue reading "Arctic Construction: Marines build road for new village over Alaskan tundra" »

Posted by sr at 3:17 PM | Permalink

USS NEW ORLEANS, At Sea - Naval traditions run deep in the Marine Corps. In fact, the 1775 resolution establishing the Continental Marines specifically directed recruiting efforts to focus on “good seamen, those acquainted with maritime affairs, and those who would be willing to serve at sea when requested”—those first recruits boarded the Alfred in Philadelphia to man the guns, protect the vessel and serve as infantrymen from the sea.

Continue reading "Life on Bourbon Street" »

Posted by sr at 8:23 AM | Permalink

ANCON, Peru - The parade deck was an elaborate mixture of both ceremonial dress and battle dress uniforms. Desert tans and woodland green camouflage patterns were each as unique as the culture and country they came from: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the United States. Although their backgrounds, culture and uniforms are different they all have one thing in common—they are Marines.

Continue reading "Marine Reserves Kickoff Exercise in Peru" »

Posted by sr at 3:30 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - [email protected]
Posted : Sunday Jul 4, 2010 11:21:13 EDT

Marine Forces Reserve is now offering $15,000 re-enlistment and affiliation bonuses for Marines in selected, in-demand fields who are willing to sign a three year contract with the Selected Marine Corps Reserve.

Continue reading "Marine Forces Reserve ups bonuses to $15,000" »

Posted by sr at 3:51 PM | Permalink

NEW ORLEANS — Second Lt. Christopher Banweg walked out of his staff platoon commander’s office in a state of shock in November 2000.

Continue reading "Reserve Marine officer finds niche civil affairs" »

Posted by sr at 7:48 PM | Permalink

ZANESVILLE -- Look into Lance Cpl. Nicholas W. B. Bloem's eyes and you see trust.

Continue reading "Lima Company Memorial 'very powerful'" »

Posted by sr at 10:40 PM | Permalink

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Waiting outside a conference room in the Regional Command Southwest headquarters building, Cpl. Paul A. Spies passes the time by glancing at the wall adorned with wood-framed pictures of fallen brethren, many of whom were killed by improvised explosive device blasts. A few moments later, Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, commander of RC (SW), walks into the conference room already full of unit commanders. Spies waits patiently for his name to be called.

Continue reading "Reserve Engineer Hopes to ‘Spark Some Innovation’ Against IED Threat" »

Posted by sr at 1:00 PM | Permalink

Chillicothe Marine among those honored

ZANESVILLE -- The Lima Company Memorial, a powerful display of paintings honoring the fallen heroes of Lima Company, including one from Chillicothe, will be in Zanesville beginning on Friday. Twenty-two Marines and a Navy Corpsman from Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, lost their lives while serving in Iraq in 2005. Among them was Lance Cpl. Aaron Reed, of Chillicothe.

Continue reading "Lima Company memorial to go on display" »

Posted by sr at 5:05 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Calif. — In the mountains, the temperatures vary hourly, from hot to cold, depending on the time of day. The terrain can work against Marines; the thin air and peaks tire them and provide cover and concealment for the enemy. Communications can become spotty and they never know what is exactly waiting behind the next peak or hill.

Continue reading "Mountain Men: 1/25 Marines use Mountain Warfare Training Center to train for future Afghanistan deployment" »

Posted by SP at 12:06 PM | Permalink

TAN TAN, Morocco — In close tandem with three others, the tank rocks back on its haunches as a massive ball of flame leaps from the barrel. A split second later, the tank lurches forward, settling, as a “BOOM!” reaches the ears of bystanders, the press of the concussion is felt, and a slow cloud of dust appears in the wake of the shell. Grins cover the sunburned faces of Marines from Fox Company, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division.

Continue reading "Tankers train tenaciously in Moroccan desert during AFRICAN LION 2010 combined exercise." »

Posted by sr at 11:08 PM | Permalink

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – It was a bit of a bumpy ride for Cpl. Thomas Hornor when he sat atop the turret of his Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle during a nearly eight-hour combat logistics patrol across the unpredictable terrain of the scorching Afghanistan desert.

Continue reading "'You Can't Beat the View:' Reserve Gunner Helps Resupply Forward Troops" »

Posted by sr at 5:23 PM | Permalink

KENITRA, Morocco —

Reserve Marine aircrews flying KC-130 Hercules aircraft moved about 300 Marines and sailors of Task Force African Lion from the coastal Moroccan city of Agadir to a training area several hundred miles south May 28.

Continue reading "Hercs move Marines to southern Morocco, prepare for 2nd phase of AFRICAN LION" »

Posted by sr at 5:55 PM | Permalink

A group of South Bend area Marine reservists are coming home from Afghanistan this week. 44 members of Engineering Company 'B' will arrive at the South Bend airport Friday.

Continue reading "Marine reserves returning from Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 5:42 PM | Permalink

Frederick 's Marine reservists are back on American soil.

Continue reading "Marine reservists return to the US" »

Posted by sr at 8:00 AM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Marines at Quantico rolled toward a foreign town on 7-ton trucks. As they approached the perimeter an improvised explosive device took out one of the vehicles and insurgents opened fire on the Marines. The Marines dismounted and stormed the town in fire teams. Methodically they broke in and controlled each building, until the town was secure.

Continue reading "Strike, stabilize, rebuild: Quantico Viper trains reserve Marines for deployment" »

Posted by sr at 10:53 PM | Permalink

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An Ohio Marine Reserve unit devastated by losses in Iraq in 2005 has left for its first large-scale deployment since returning from that ill-fated mission.

Continue reading "Hard Hit Marine Unit Deploys Again" »

Posted by sr at 4:53 PM | Permalink

May 11, 2010 · More than 100 Marines and U.S. Navy Reservists based in Moundsville will soon head to Afghanistan. Family, friends and community members gathered at the Marine Forces Reserve for a special send-off.

Continue reading "Marshall County Marine reserves deploying to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:44 AM | Permalink

AVON -- A proud father of a recently-deployed Marine Reservist will stand in for his son in a unique way -- graduating from law school.

Continue reading "Avon: Father finishes journey for Marine Reservist son" »

Posted by sr at 5:18 PM | Permalink

Under a blazing North African sun, U.S. Marines and Soldiers worked to offload 276 vehicles and pieces of equipment from the USS Arc in preparation for AFRICAN LION 2010 here. AFRICAN LION, a U.S. Africa Command-sponsored exercise which commences May 15, will include various types of military training to include a command post exercise, intelligence capacity building, a field training exercise with live-fire, peace operations training, aviation training, medical exchange training, as well as humanitarian civic assistance programs.

Continue reading "Equipment offload kicks off Exercise African Lion ‘10" »

Posted by sr at 10:00 PM | Permalink

BOSTON —

The Marines are planning a full on assault at Carson Beach May 8.
They will be combining their combat elements from the air and on the ground when storming the South Boston waterfront, just to show the city how strong their force is when flexing their muscle.

Continue reading " Boston beach to be stormed by Marines" »

Posted by sr at 6:07 PM | Permalink

BOSTON —

The New England Center for Homeless Veterans received a helping hand as part of Marine Week Boston’s community outreach program this week.

Continue reading "Volunteers bridge a generational gap" »

Posted by sr at 5:49 PM | Permalink

Bostonians driving past Marines painting a mural showcasing the Corps’ proud values displayed their support by waving, honking and shouting motivation toward the Marines at an intersection in Hyde Park, May 5.

Continue reading "Marines paint mural, display Corps to Boston" »

Posted by sr at 5:25 PM | Permalink

BOSTON —

If there’s one thing Marines are no stranger of, it’s a “working party.”

Continue reading "Marines assist Habitat for Humanity’s mission in Boston" »

Posted by sr at 3:27 PM | Permalink

Tour Will Last 7 Months

Fifty Marines left Orlando for Afghanistan Monday morning.

Continue reading "Marines Say Goodbye To Deploy To Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 PM | Permalink

BOSTON —

The Marines took to the land, skies to storm the city of Boston.

Continue reading "The Marines have landed … in Boston" »

Posted by sr at 2:54 PM | Permalink

BOSTON —

A ruptured water main in the city Saturday evening shutdown all drinking water in the Boston Metropolitan area, causing city officials to reactivate Chestnut Hill Reservoir as an emergency backup supply of water.

Continue reading "Marines support reservoir cleanup during water emergency" »

Posted by sr at 2:44 PM | Permalink

Local Reservists brush up on rifle skills before leaving for seven months in Afghanistan

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. - Pop. Pop. Pop.

Continue reading "Savannah-based Marines prepare for deployment to Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 8:40 AM | Permalink

The day Jeremy Kane's friends and family laid him to rest in January was cold and snowy. On Sunday, when the weather was chilly and misty, they gathered once more to run two miles in his memory.

Continue reading "Rain doesn’t hamper memorial run for Cherry Hill Marine" »

Posted by sr at 10:12 AM | Permalink

The Marine Corps Active Reserve program is looking for qualified applicants for their upcoming officer accession board, which is scheduled to convene May 17.

Continue reading " Marine Corps Active Reserve program seeks applicants for upcoming board" »

Posted by sr at 5:59 PM | Permalink

Marine Maj. Gus Biggio will run 26.2 miles in Monday’s Boston Marathon with a friend.

Continue reading "Marine’s running marathon to honor his fallen friend" »

Posted by sr at 12:44 PM | Permalink

The Marines of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, focused on the cornerstone of infantry leadership during a field exercise here, April 10.

Continue reading "N.J. Marines Train Junior Leaders" »

Posted by sr at 5:53 PM | Permalink

SWAT Officer Robert J. Cottle was on Marine Reserve duty when he died March 24 in an explosion. He was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star in services at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

A somber procession on Tuesday morning snaked its way through downtown Los Angeles as thousands honored LAPD SWAT Officer Robert J. Cottle, who was killed March 24 in Afghanistan while on Marine Corps Reserve duty.

Continue reading "LAPD officer killed in Afghanistan is honored in somber memorial" »

Posted by sr at 5:51 PM | Permalink

The last training week before the Landing Force, participating in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2010, will start its embarkation on ship and set sail to their first CARAT exercise, April 12-16.

Continue reading "Landing Force Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2010 Prepares for Embarkation" »

Posted by sr at 5:48 PM | Permalink

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Ten Afghan national soldiers, armed with M-16's, lie in the prone position shooting downrange while their company commander barked orders for muzzle awareness.

Continue reading "Augments Depart Iraq Early to Mentor Afghan Army" »

Posted by sr at 5:38 PM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST CASTLE, Afghanistan- The U.S. dollar is a powerful ally in improving the local Afghan economy and the Marines quality of life.

Continue reading "Local Bazaar Stimulated by Marines" »

Posted by sr at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Since stepping on the yellow foot prints at recruit training, every Marine has formed a habit of firing rifles. It's ingrained in every Marine, no matter what military occupational specialty, that knowing basic combat marksmanship fundamentals is a requirement to be in the Corps – those fundamentals must be maintained.

Continue reading " More than 145 Marines from LF CARAT-2010 aim for black" »

Posted by sr at 8:46 AM | Permalink

Deep in the sands of Afghanistan, a Marine reservist who is also a volunteer firefighter carries out the missions placed upon him.

Continue reading "Marine Fights Fires and Terrorism" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST CASTLE, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan -When used, military working dogs and their trainers are an immense asset to troops on the ground.

Continue reading "Military Working Dogs Aid Marines, Find Explosives" »

Posted by sr at 5:39 PM | Permalink

On Christmas Day 2009, Lance Cpl. Ruben Wright awoke in a hospital bed in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Det. 2 Marine returns from war with Purple Heart Medal" »

Posted by sr at 10:54 PM | Permalink

Slots expected to fill soon, though

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 29, 2010 7:35:12 EDT

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Marine Forces Reserve is in the midst of a major recruiting drive, targeting active-duty lieutenants, captains, sergeants and staff sergeants in select career fields and offering $5,000 bonuses to some who make at least a three-year commitment.

Continue reading "MarForRes seeks select junior officers, NCOs" »

Posted by sr at 4:15 PM | Permalink

SWAT team member Robert J. Cottle, a Marine Corps reservist, is the department's first member to die in post-9/11 combat. He previously had served two tours in Iraq.

The Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday mourned its first officer to be killed in combat in Afghanistan after a roadside bomb took the life of a highly regarded SWAT team member.

Continue reading "LAPD officer serving in Afghanistan is killed by roadside bomb" »

Posted by sr at 7:17 PM | Permalink

he recent Marine operations in and near Marja brought into sharp relief a fact that contradicts much of what people think they know about the Afghan war. It is this: Forget the fables. The current ranks of Afghan fighters are crowded with poor marksmen.

Continue reading "Afghan Marksmen — Forget the Fables" »

Posted by sr at 5:43 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Mar 25, 2010 21:58:29 EDT

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles SWAT team officer, who was on active duty as a Marine, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, police officials said Thursday.

Continue reading "Pendleton E-9 killed in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 9:11 AM | Permalink

By Heidi Vogt - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 21, 2010 8:43:10 EDT

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Explosions rumble through this former Taliban stronghold three or four times a day — an ominous sign that the insurgents have not given up despite losing control of this town to U.S. and Afghan forces about two weeks ago.

Continue reading "Newest Taliban tactic in Marjah: IED blasts" »

Posted by sr at 12:28 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan -- Explosions rumble through this former Taliban stronghold three or four times a day - an ominous sign that the insurgents have not given up despite losing control of this town to U.S. and Afghan forces about two weeks ago.

Continue reading "Taliban adjust, wage bomb attacks in Afghan town" »

Posted by sr at 3:40 PM | Permalink

-- EDITOR'S NOTE - Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder was embedded with U.S. forces during the offensive in Marjah, Afghanistan. Here is his account of some of the photos he made of the soldiers' daily lives.

---

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) - For months, the U.S. military had been openly saying it was getting ready to crush the Taliban in its last stronghold in Afghanistan's Helmand province - the world's opium bazaar.

Continue reading "An up close look at the military life in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 10:06 AM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan -- The first shots came from the north, sending Marines ducking into the nearest ditch - some filled with putrid water. More shots rang out from the southwest: a possible ambush from two sides.

Continue reading "Marine patrols still meet snipers in Afghan town" »

Posted by sr at 10:00 AM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan -- U.S. Marine Sgt. Brad Vandehei stood on the edge of the small opium poppy field that serves as a central helicopter landing zone for the new military compound that's rising nearby.

Continue reading "Afghan poppy harvest is next challenge for U.S. Marines" »

Posted by sr at 9:50 AM | Permalink

DELARAM, AFGHANISTAN -- Home to a dozen truck stops and a few hundred family farms bounded by miles of foreboding desert, this hamlet in southwestern Afghanistan is far from a strategic priority for senior officers at the international military headquarters in Kabul. One calls Delaram, a day's drive from the nearest city, "the end of the Earth." Another deems the area "unrelated to our core mission" of defeating the Taliban by protecting Afghans in their cities and towns.

Continue reading "At Afghan outpost, Marines gone rogue or leading the fight against counterinsurgency?" »

Posted by sr at 11:06 AM | Permalink

EDITOR'S NOTE: Alfred de Montesquiou, an Associated Press correspondent embedded with U.S. Marines in the battle for the Afghan town of Marjah, was able to observe some of the lessons of the fighting and hear from the officers in command how they are being absorbed.

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — After a day spent pinned down in gunbattles or caught in a maze of roadside bombs, with little hope of air support and an erratic Afghan army to coax along, Lance Cpl. Travis Anderson reflected on the frustrations of the campaign U.S. forces were fighting.

Continue reading "Marjah push: Ups and downs are lessons for future" »

Posted by sr at 9:17 PM | Permalink

The impetus for the U.S.-led assault on Marjah began one moonless night last May when a squad of American and Afghan anti-narcotics agents, backed by U.S. Marines, slipped through the town's empty streets and raided the Lachoya opium bazaar.

Continue reading "Afghan Drug Trade Complicates U.S. Task in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 1:53 PM | Permalink

Despite Rehab, the Yellow Lab Won't Sniff For Bombs in Combat; He's 'a Lover'

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan—When the Marines cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war, one remains in his kennel. Quivering.

Continue reading "Even His Red Squeak Toy Can't Get First Sgt. Gunner, USMC, to Fight" »

Posted by sr at 7:54 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Even by Afghan standards, it was a startling find: An opium packaging workshop, buried under donkey dung and old hay in a stable that U.S. Marines turned into a patrol base in southern Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Taliban, not drugs, focus of US-Afghan offensive" »

Posted by sr at 10:34 AM | Permalink

MARJA, AFGHANISTAN -- The initial phase of the military offensive in southern Afghanistan to wrest Marja from insurgent control has largely ended, but the more daunting task of building a credible government in the place of Taliban rule has just begun, according to senior U.S. and Afghan officials.

Continue reading "McChrystal, others visit Marja, Afghanistan, as offensive enters governing phase" »

Posted by sr at 11:39 PM | Permalink

MARJA, AFGHANISTAN -- The initial phase of the military offensive in southern Afghanistan to wrest Marja from insurgent control has largely ended, but the more daunting task of building a credible government in the place of Taliban rule has just begun, according to senior U.S. and Afghan officials.

Continue reading "McChrystal, others visit Marja, Afghanistan, as offensive enters governing phase" »

Posted by sr at 7:37 AM | Permalink

In southern Afghanistan, U.S. Marines and their Afghan counterparts are tightening their hold on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. Each day, troops are uncovering weapons caches left behind by Taliban fighters who ran away or are hiding among the local population.

Continue reading "Taliban Flees Marjah, Threat Remains For Marines" »

Posted by sr at 11:27 PM | Permalink

FORWARD OPERATING BASE CAFERETTA, Nimruz province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – As improvised explosive devices continue to be a threat in the region as the Taliban's weapon of choice, coalition forces continue to adapt their ways of dealing with them.

Continue reading "Improvised Explosive Device Detection Program for the Dogs" »

Posted by sr at 11:23 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan -- One by one, the men of Marjah tentatively approached the high-ranking Afghan official with their complaints.

Continue reading "Residents of Marjah wary of U.S. after Taliban ouster" »

Posted by sr at 8:27 PM | Permalink

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 1, 2010 19:25:26 EST

The Marine Corps’ footprint in Afghanistan has expanded to include 15,000 Marines, the service’s top general said, and another battalion is expected to deploy soon.

Continue reading "MEB in Afghanistan grows to 15,000" »

Posted by sr at 7:47 AM | Permalink

SEMITAY BAZAAR, Afghanistan — After the declaration this weekend that the battle for the Taliban enclave of Marja had been won, for the Marines standing behind sandbags and walking patrols, the more complicated work has begun. With it will be a test of the strategy selected by President Obama and the generals now running the Afghan war.

Continue reading "With Marja Largely Won, Marines Try to Win Trust" »

Posted by sr at 11:20 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan — More than 2,000 U.S. Marines and about 1,000 Afghan troops who stormed the Taliban town of Marjah as part of a major NATO offensive against a resurgent Taliban will stay for the next several months to help ensure insurgents don't return, Marine commanders said Sunday.

Continue reading "Marines, Afghan troops to be stationed in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 12:25 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan - Marines and Afghan troops who fought through the centre of Marjah linked up Saturday with American soldiers on the northern edge of the former Taliban stronghold, clearing the town's last major pocket of resistance.

Continue reading "Insurgents disappear as US, Afghan forces clear last areas of former Taliban stronghold Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 11:07 PM | Permalink

By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times
Stars and Stripes online edition, Saturday, February 27, 2010

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Just a few dozen yards from the bullet-riddled government building, Marine Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson found more proof Saturday that the battle for Marjah was over.

Continue reading "Normalcy takes root in Marjah after allied offensive" »

Posted by sr at 12:29 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) -- U.S. and Afghan forces say they have cleared the last major pocket of resistance from the former Taliban stronghold of Marjah.

Continue reading "US, Afghan forces clear last parts of Taliban area" »

Posted by sr at 10:40 AM | Permalink

Two days before launching the most ambitious military campaign of the Obama Administration, General Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, convened a meeting in Kabul of 450 tribal elders and scholars from Helmand province. The general's objective: to build support for Operation Moshtarak, a massive offensive on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. McChrystal ran through the military phase of the plan, which would involve 6,000 U.S. Marines and British soldiers and 4,500 Afghan troops and police. Then he described how these troops would protect the town while a "government in a box" — a corps of Afghan officials who had been training for this moment for months — would start administering the town. The elders all signed off on the plan, but not before one of them warned the American general, "You have to understand that if you don't do what you say, we'll all be killed."

Continue reading "Taking It to the Taliban" »

Posted by sr at 11:11 PM | Permalink

WILMINGTON – Chaplains deployed to Afghanistan have provided support for Marines dealing with the loss of their own in recent battles. After two weeks of intense fighting in Afghanistan, an Afghan flag now flies over Marjah, a former Taliban stronghold.

Continue reading "Chaplains help Marines cope with offensive in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:11 PM | Permalink

Flag-raising ceremony held as troops mop up last pockets of resistance

MARJAH, Afghanistan - The Afghan government took official control of the southern Taliban stronghold of Marjah on Thursday, installing an administrator and raising the national flag while U.S.-led troops worked to root out final pockets of militants.

Continue reading "Afghan government claims Taliban stronghold" »

Posted by sr at 11:03 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan : US-led troops were inching closer to declaring victory over a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan as a senior commander said Wednesday militant resistance had fallen dramatically.

Continue reading "US-led troops inch close to victory in Afghan assault" »

Posted by sr at 11:37 AM | Permalink

At least 24,000 people have fled since the assault on the Taliban began. Each passing day is a countdown to ruin for farm families.

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan - In wind-whipped tents, makeshift shelters and overcrowded family compounds, Afghans who fled the battleground town of Marja are asking themselves and one another: When will it be safe to go home?

Continue reading "Afghans displaced by Marja offensive fret in a cold limbo" »

Posted by sr at 11:25 AM | Permalink

More than 100 Marines and their Afghan counterparts are pushing into a neighborhood they say is the last significant stronghold of insurgents.

Marines are starting a push to clear the last pockets of Taliban insurgents from Marjah.

Continue reading "Marines Clearing Last Taliban Pockets In Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 11:18 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan -- Bouwudin courteously greeted the Afghan and American officers who came to meet him, offering tea and eventually a meal as the meeting lingered on. No amount of invitations could get him to walk a few hundred yards to the Marines base.

Continue reading "US offensive yet to persuade Afghans in key town" »

Posted by sr at 12:34 PM | Permalink

It's the second week of a major U.S.-led offensive in southern Afghanistan to expel the Taliban from a key stronghold in Helmand province.

Continue reading "Taliban Resistance Strong In Southern Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:22 PM | Permalink

A year ago, the mention of Marja, a speck on the map in southern Afghanistan, would have drawn befuddled stares in the Pentagon.

Continue reading "Battle for Marja not only militarily significant" »

Posted by sr at 11:08 PM | Permalink

US-led forces fighting to clear a Taliban stronghold in south Afghanistan are making "steady progress", the most senior US military commander says.

Adm Mike Mullen said the operation in the town of Marjah in Helmand province was "messy... but that doesn't mean that it's not worth the cost".

Continue reading "US-led troops make 'steady progress' in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 10:58 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan—Ten days into the fight for Marjah, U.S. and Afghan troops continue to seize ground, often battling the Taliban from one mud-walled compound to the next. But progress has been slower in winning over local civilians, many of whom are unsure which side will make life safer for their families.

Continue reading "Progress in Marjah, But Civilian Trust Elusive" »

Posted by sr at 11:45 AM | Permalink

For more than a week, CNN International Correspondent Atia Abawi has been embedded with U.S. Marines who are working alongside Afghan soldiers to rout out Taliban forces from the southern Afghan province of Marjah. Abawi filed this inside look at Operation Moshtarak:

It's been over a week now since Operation Moshtarak began here in southern Afghanistan. The city of Marjah shakes with the sound of improvised explosive devices, most of them set off by controlled explosions. Between IED blasts, the air is filled with the sounds of whizzing bullets, booming mortars, clacking helicopters, and other noises of war that I can't even express in writing.

Continue reading "Reporter's diary: Inside Operation Moshtarak" »

Posted by sr at 11:33 AM | Permalink

MARJA, Afghanistan — Since the American-led offensive into the last large Taliban enclave in Helmand Province began nine days ago, local Afghans have faced a dangerous and uncertain world.

Continue reading "Afghans Voice Their Fears Amid Marja Campaign" »

Posted by sr at 11:28 AM | Permalink

Fighter jets, drone and attack helicopters focus on part of city

MARJAH, Afghanistan - Outnumbered and outgunned, Taliban fighters are mounting a tougher fight than expected in Marjah, Afghan officials said Sunday, as U.S.-led forces converged on a pocket of militants in a western section of the town.

Continue reading "Marines target Taliban holdouts in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 11:18 AM | Permalink

Marines and Afghan troops fight to clear holdout insurgents from one corner of the city in southern Afghanistan. NATO says there is another casualty among Western troops, bringing the total to 13.

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Nawa, Afghanistan -- Backed by fighter jets and attack helicopters, U.S. Marines and Afghan troops closed in on an insurgent-ridden sector of Marja on Sunday, the ninth day of a coalition bid to wrest control of the southern Afghan town from the Taliban.

Continue reading "Military sweep of Marja focuses on pocket of 'determined resistance'" »

Posted by sr at 10:37 AM | Permalink

Nawa's district governor, upset by the unresponsive provincial government, pleads with residents not to become disenchanted and ally with insurgents.

Reporting from Nawa, Afghanistan — Haji Abdul Manaf, the district governor for this region of Helmand Province, was incensed.

Continue reading "Afghans frustrated in bid to remake Taliban-free towns" »

Posted by sr at 10:30 AM | Permalink

NATO Forces Face 'Determined Resistance'

MARJAH, Afghanistan -- Marines and Afghan units converged Sunday on a dangerous western quarter of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, with NATO forces facing "determined resistance" as their assault on the southern town entered its second week.

Continue reading "Marines Converge On Taliban Holdouts In Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 10:23 AM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan—The Taliban grenade that whizzed overhead was John Kael Weston's first indication that this town might not be ready for an influx of diplomats, agriculturalists and economic-development specialists.

Continue reading "Taliban Resistance Stalls New Rule in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 11:56 PM | Permalink

ARJA, Afghanistan — As American Marines and Afghan soldiers have fought their way into this Taliban stronghold, the performance of the Afghan troops has tested a core premise of the American military effort here: in the not-too-distant future, the security of this country can be turned over to indigenous forces created at the cost of American money and blood.

Continue reading "Marines Do Heavy Lifting as Afghan Army Lags in Battle" »

Posted by sr at 7:53 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan police were deployed on Saturday in an area recaptured from the Taliban by U.S. Marines this week, in the early phase of a plan to put the country firmly under the control of Afghan authorities.

Continue reading "Afghan police deployed in wake of NATO offensive" »

Posted by sr at 9:49 AM | Permalink

MARJA, AFGHANISTAN -- They had slogged through knee-deep mud carrying 100 pounds of gear, fingers glued to the triggers of their M-4 carbines, all the while on the lookout for insurgents. Now, after five near-sleepless nights, trying to avoid hypothermia in freezing temperatures, the grunts of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment finally had a moment to relax.

Continue reading "In Marja, it's war the old-fashioned way" »

Posted by sr at 9:40 AM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan—The Taliban grenade that whizzed overhead was John Kael Weston's first indication that this embattled town might not be ready for an influx of diplomats, agriculturalists and economic-development specialists.

Continue reading "Troops Face Pockets of Resistance in Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 5:36 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan – After a fierce gunfight, U.S. Marines seized a strongly defended compound Friday that appears to have been a Taliban headquarters — complete with photos of fighters posing with their weapons, dozens of Taliban-issued ID cards and graduation diplomas from a training camp in Pakistan.

Continue reading "US Marines seize Taliban headquarters, IDs, photos" »

Posted by sr at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan — Following the deadliest day yet for coalition forces seeking to drive the Taliban from the town of Marja in southern Afghanistan, U.S. Marines took aim Friday at the threat posed by insurgent snipers.

Continue reading "Marines in Marja focus on sniper threat" »

Posted by sr at 8:47 AM | Permalink

The Marines have been ordered not to treat Afghans roughly. When making an arrest, they are instructed to ask their suspect to voluntarily go with them. Most do.

Reporting from Spin Ghar, Afghanistan - The three men were blindfolded, their hands bound in front of them with plastic flex cuffs, and each was in the firm grip of a Marine. Their loose-fitting clothes were faded and dusty, their thick beards beginning to show gray.

Continue reading "In Afghanistan, Marines handling detainees by the book" »

Posted by sr at 8:42 AM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan - Two U.S. helicopters dropped elite Marine recon teams behind Taliban lines before dawn Friday as the U.S.-led force stepped up operations to break resistance on the seventh day of fighting in the besieged militant stronghold of Marjah.

Continue reading "Marines dropped behind Taliban lines; NATO now controls key roads in Marjah but progress slow" »

Posted by sr at 11:40 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan (Reuters) - It's only been six days since NATO launched a major assault against the Taliban and some Afghans are already asking Marines when they can reopen their shops.

Continue reading "Marines still looking over shoulder for Taliban" »

Posted by sr at 12:06 AM | Permalink

MARJA, Afghanistan — In five days of fighting, the Taliban have shown a side not often seen in nearly a decade of American military action in Afghanistan: the use of snipers, both working alone and integrated into guerrilla-style ambushes.

Continue reading "Snipers Imperil U.S.-Led Forces in Afghan Offensive" »

Posted by sr at 11:44 PM | Permalink

US Marines moving from the north of Marjah have joined up with US troops who were dropped into the area by helicopter four days ago, helping to increase their control over a crucial area known as the “Pork Chop”.

Continue reading "US forces move swiftly to take control of region north of Marjah" »

Posted by sr at 5:01 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters holding out in Marjah are increasingly using civilians as human shields, firing from compounds where U.S. and Afghan forces can clearly see women and children on rooftops or in windows, Afghan and U.S. troops said Wednesday.

Continue reading "Embattled Afghan Taliban rely on human shields" »

Posted by sr at 12:25 AM | Permalink

Lt Col Cal Worth, who commands one of two Marine battalions leading the offensive against Taliban fighters here, set off at 7am on Wednesday for the return journey to his battalion headquarters from a combat outpost less than four miles away.

Continue reading "Marjah inroads slowed by new bombs" »

Posted by sr at 12:10 AM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan – Marines moving by land from the north linked up Tuesday with U.S. units that have faced nearly constant Taliban attack in the four days since they were dropped by helicopter into this insurgent stronghold in southern Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marines link up in Afghan Taliban stronghold" »

Posted by sr at 5:12 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan—U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers seized the site of Marjah's government offices, setting the stage for Kabul to attempt to resume its authority in a town long run by the Taliban.

Continue reading "Site of Marjah Government Offices Seized" »

Posted by sr at 5:06 PM | Permalink

MARJAH, Afghanistan — U.S. and Afghan forces traded gunfire with insurgents shooting from haystacks in poppy fields in the Taliban stronghold of Marjah as they pressed ahead in NATO's assault on the militants' heartland in southern Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marines: Taliban resistance more disorganized" »

Posted by sr at 4:49 PM | Permalink

MARJA, Afghanistan — Ten minutes after walking out of the small outpost on Monday morning, the Marines of Company K were ambushed again.

Continue reading "Soldiers Keep Up Push in Taliban Stronghold" »

Posted by sr at 9:04 AM | Permalink

KABUL — The Taliban vowed on Thursday to fight back with a "hit and run" guerrilla campaign against Western and Afghan forces preparing to storm one of their key strongholds in southern Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Taliban vow guerrilla warfare against NATO troops" »

Posted by sr at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Marines Test Taliban Defenses Before Attack on Key Militant Stronghold

(CBS/ AP) U.S. Marines fired smoke rounds Wednesday and armored vehicles maneuvered close to Taliban positions to test insurgent defenses ahead of an anticipated attack on the biggest militant-controlled town in southern Afghanistan.

Continue reading "U.S. Inches Closer to Major Afghan Assault" »

Posted by sr at 5:47 PM | Permalink

By James K. Sanborn - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 8, 2010 8:31:29 EST

By mid-February, Marines will be out of Iraq.

Continue reading "Marines quietly wrap up ops in Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 9:20 AM | Permalink

Family plans to bury Frederick High graduate at Arlington National Cemetery

Kristen Forse will always remember her brother's bravery — on and off the battlefield.

Continue reading "Frederick Marine remembered for bravery" »

Posted by sr at 6:39 PM | Permalink

The attack will be aimed at Marja, the last community held by the militia in Helmand province.

Reporting from Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan - The U.S. Marines and Afghan army plan a massive assault on Taliban fighters in Marja, the last community under Taliban control in a sprawling, lawless region once dominated by the insurgency, a top Marine said Wednesday.

Continue reading "Marines, Afghan army plan massive assault on Taliban" »

Posted by sr at 11:43 PM | Permalink

A U.S. Navy Sailor and former University of Texas student was killed in Afghanistan Saturday. According to the Department of Defense, Petty Officer Second Class Xin Qi, 25, died in combat.

Continue reading "Former UT student, Navy sailor died in combat" »

Posted by BR at 7:21 PM | Permalink

Staff report
Posted : Monday Jan 4, 2010 17:02:04 EST

Marines and Afghan border police recently seized more than six tons of illegal drugs during operations in southern Afghanistan.

Continue reading "6 tons of illegal drugs seized in Afghanistan" »

Posted by BR at 9:18 PM | Permalink

By Sebastion Abbot - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jan 3, 2010 8:40:21 EST

KHAN NESHIN, Afghanistan — The arrival of Marines has disrupted the illegal drug trade in opium-rich Helmand province — and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Continue reading "Marines grope with complex Afghan drug woes" »

Posted by BR at 8:59 PM | Permalink

By Sebastian Abbot - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 21, 2009 13:55:15 EST

KHAN NESHIN, Afghanistan — The governor of this remote district in southern Afghanistan has employees he can't afford to pay, a school he struggles to staff with teachers, a clinic where doctors are scarce and a police force of mostly illiterate farmers.

Continue reading "Troops, Taliban race to build up governments" »

Posted by sr at 10:52 PM | Permalink

By Trista Talton - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Dec 20, 2009 11:08:43 EST

The last Marine infantry battalion will leave Iraq in January, closing a long, complicated chapter in the Corps’ history as combat intensifies on another front in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Last grunts in Iraq prepare to come home" »

Posted by sr at 10:29 PM | Permalink

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Combat Logistics Battalion 46 officially took over for Combat Logistics Regiment 27 (Forward) as the logistics combat element during a Transfer of Authority ceremony aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 16.

Continue reading "From group to regiment, regiment to battalion: Marines continue to drawdown in Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 10:33 AM | Permalink

Surge troops will allow some to be stationed, but Taliban still may be able to move across freely

By Sebastian Abbot - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 16, 2009 8:07:18 EST

KHAN NESHIN, Afghanistan — Only a few hundred American troops are policing the southern border of one of Afghanistan’s major smuggling areas, leaving open a vast expanse of desert that the Taliban use to shuttle in weapons and fighters from Pakistan.

Continue reading "Stretched Marines largely ignore Afghan border" »

Posted by sr at 11:01 PM | Permalink

The dusty bazaar in this remote town in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province was once teeming with Taliban fighters and drug smugglers who used it as a central transit point in their journeys to and from nearby Pakistan.

Continue reading "Jobs, Not Taliban, Are The Worry In Afghan Town" »

Posted by sr at 10:56 PM | Permalink

As the clouds and drizzle of the rainy winter season roll into Iraq, many Marines with Multi National Force - West are rolling out. The gradual drawdown of Marines aboard Al Asad Air Base has sparked the idea for Operation Blue Spoon.

Continue reading "Operation Blue Spoon underway aboard Al Asad" »

Posted by BR at 2:55 PM | Permalink

About 145 Marine reserves from Fort Detrick are preparing to deploy to Helmand province in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Marine reserves from Detrick heading to Afghanistan" »

Posted by BR at 8:38 PM | Permalink

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2009 – Marines here have brought new meaning to the expression “goat rope” by helping local farmers with free veterinary care for their goats, sheep and cows.

Continue reading "Marines Spread Good Will With Vet Care" »

Posted by BR at 8:55 PM | Permalink

Sgt. Doug Osborn, 27, has already earned a Purple Heart
MUNCIE -- A Purple Heart recipient from Delaware County has volunteered to return to Iraq for his fourth deployment there.

Continue reading "Marine readies for 4th Iraq tour" »

Posted by BR at 4:10 PM | Permalink

ANDERSON, SC — Law enforcement officials from across the state will be coming to Anderson on Wednesday to pay their respects to Lance Cpl. Jonathan S. Nash, a graduate of the city’s Oakwood Christian Academy.

Continue reading "Funeral set in Anderson for Highway Patrol trooper" »

Posted by BR at 3:38 PM | Permalink

Marine Sgt. Bill Cahir, 40, a former Washington-based journalist and congressional staffer who joined the Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 13, his unit and friends reported. He was an Alexandria resident.

Continue reading "Journalist Joined Marines After 9/11" »

Posted by BR at 7:01 PM | Permalink

Former Express-Times correspondent and U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Bill Cahir has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, family and friends said Thursday.

Continue reading "Bill Cahir, Express-Times reporter-turned-Marine sergeant, killed in Afghanistan" »

Posted by BR at 6:50 PM | Permalink

Express-Times correspondent Bill Cahir wrote this front page account of his U.S. Marine boot camp experience that appeared in the newspaper July 4, 2004. Our valued co-worker, friend and journalist was killed in active duty in Afghanistan.

Continue reading "Bill Cahir, journalist, soldier, great American, killed in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 6:26 PM | Permalink

CAMP WILLIAMS -- As the United States intensifies its military mission in Afghanistan, Utah Marines prepare to deploy. We caught up with Charlie Company at the crack of dawn as the Marines trained for their mission.

Continue reading "Marines ready as they prepare for Afghanistan" »

Posted by BR at 3:28 PM | Permalink

KSDK -- Dozens of marines from across the Midwest, including the St. Louis area, have been called to duty.

Continue reading "Marines deploy to Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 2:59 PM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq —
When Lt. Cmdr. Kobena Arthur arrived in Iraq for the first time in September 2008, he pledged to make an impact in the far reaches of the western Al Anbar desert.

Continue reading "Coalition forces focus on helping victims of war" »

Posted by sr at 9:55 AM | Permalink

Staff report
Posted : Monday Mar 9, 2009 8:39:39 EDT

The reservists with Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marines, had been at Camp Barber only three weeks in February when they conducted a successful field test of their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, a first for any Marine unit operating in Afghanistan and a sign of what’s in store for the insurgency there, officials said in a news release.

Continue reading "2/14 touts advanced artillery system" »

Posted by at 2:51 PM | Permalink

By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, March 7, 2009

Reserve and National Guard members deserve a better retirement plan, one that pays an annuity earlier than age 60 at least for those willing to serve longer than 20 years, Reserve leaders have told Congress.

Continue reading "Reserve chiefs: Our people deserve better retirement" »

Posted by sr at 11:22 AM | Permalink

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 16, 2009 8:38:24 EST

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — When the Corps hands you lemons, a good CO won’t settle for lemonade — he’ll bake a lemon soufflé.

Continue reading "Iraq-bound 2/23 has packed training schedule" »

Posted by sr at 8:40 AM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq —
For the past five months, the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment have been conducting operations in the Iraq’s Rutbah district, which covers nearly 4,000 square miles of open desert terrain interspersed with towns, villages and nomadic-shepherd communities in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province.

Continue reading "Reservists help reconstruct a nation, one line at a time" »

Posted by sr at 11:35 AM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq —
When the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8 arrived at al Asad Air Base in western Iraq in early September, they were faced with an immediate challenge: transportation.

Continue reading "Reserve motor transportation Marines keep the mission rolling" »

Posted by sr at 10:18 AM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST AKASHAT, Iraq —
Local Iraqi Police teamed up with Marines and sailors from Company G, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8, Jan. 14 to give students something to look forward to after finishing their annual standardized tests at Akashat Primary School.

Continue reading "IP, Marineshelp change perceptions in rural al-Anbar province" »

Posted by sr at 7:45 AM | Permalink

RUTBAH, Iraq — A patrol of Reserve Marines, soldiers and sailors, led by Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, showed their support for local schools and introduced children to the role that women serve in the U.S. armed forces when visiting the Houran Primary School in Rutbah, Iraq, Dec. 2.

Continue reading "Iraqi children receive an education" »

Posted by at 12:00 PM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq — Reserve Marines from 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5 based here received an honored guest at their remote desert outpost Nov. 26.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines Host Distinguished Visitor" »

Posted by sr at 9:37 AM | Permalink

By Joe Bush - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 24, 2008 20:06:47 EST

At first, fellow Marines might have thought Staff Sgt. Daniel Stranahan was nuts for carrying a plaque with him into outhouses in the middle of Iraq — and photographing it.

Continue reading "War tour plays role in firehouse prank" »

Posted by sr at 10:51 PM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq — When Lt. Col. Geoff Rollins took command of 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team in October 2006, he had a daunting task before him.

Continue reading "Reserve Commander Adapts and Overcomes" »

Posted by sr at 10:33 PM | Permalink

By Lisa Cornwell - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 17, 2008 9:28:33 EST

CINCINNATI — Three-year-old Christian Kreuter will see a life-size image of the father he never had the chance to know when he and his mother make their first visit to a memorial honoring 23 Ohio-based service members killed in Iraq.

Continue reading "3/25 memorial opens at Cincinnati museum" »

Posted by at 2:50 PM | Permalink

AL-ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq — Reserve Marines from Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5 based here drove more than 200 miles Nov. 9 to conduct a security patrol and inspect construction of new Iraqi forts along the country’s border with Syria.

Continue reading "Marines Maintain Vigilance on Syrian Border" »

Posted by at 2:45 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 10, 2008 13:23:01 EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Life-size paintings of 23 Marines and service members killed in Iraq are about to be taken down from display at the Statehouse after a five-month run.

Continue reading "Lima Company art moving to Cincinnati" »

Posted by at 12:06 PM | Permalink

by Cpl Jose Lujano
Date Taken:10.30.2012 | Date Posted:11.08.2012 02:19

CAMP SCHWAB, Japan - Assault amphibious vehicles head 500 meters out from the shores of an Okinawa beach. The AAVs come to a sudden halt, and about 10 Marines and sailors from each AAV leap into the waters in succession.

Continue reading "Surf qualification brings Marines back to amphibious roots" »

Posted by KC at 9:26 PM | Permalink

New Orleans — Capt. Joseph Lizarraga, Inspector/Instructor, Battery G, 3rd battalion, 14th Marines, and a Hamilton, N.J. native, was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service while on deployment in Iraq, at the reserve center in Trenton, N.J., Oct. 20.

Continue reading "N.J. Marine receives Bronze Star" »

Posted by at 1:37 PM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST TREBIL, Iraq — When you step into the mess hall here, the first thing you notice is the smell of gourmet coffee. Next, you notice an orderly array of shelf-stable meals displayed in cubbies along the plywood walls, available to the post’s Marines 24-hours a day.

Continue reading "Reserve MP spices up life for Marines at remote outpost" »

Posted by at 10:31 AM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Marines from Delta Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, a reserve unit based at Camp Upshur here, reunited with their loved ones at a special homecoming reception at Barnett Field here Tuesday, October 14. The Marines deployed to western Al Anbar Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to October 2008 performing a mechanized security mission across more than 9,000 square miles, an area as large as South Carolina. They were mobilized and attached to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion out of Camp Lejeune.

Continue reading "Welcome Home 4th LAR" »

Posted by at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Toys"R"Us, Inc. today announced the launch of its "Make A Difference" campaign to support the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation's annual toy drive.

Continue reading "Annual Toys for Tots Campaign Kicks Off" »

Posted by sr at 11:17 AM | Permalink

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Civilian life can wait. At least that was how Sgt. Jonathan J. Gray felt when he found out his unit needed him.

Continue reading "4th Tanks Marine extends to deploy" »

Posted by sr at 9:38 AM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq — Reserve Marines from 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, headquartered in Garden City, N.Y., arrived here in late September to support RCT-5’s security and stability mission in western al-Anbar province.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines settle in at Korean Village" »

Posted by at 2:07 PM | Permalink

How One Team Roping Marine Made A Difference

Cody Hill was like most late-teen roping bums you know. Coming off a 300-mother cow operation in Ada, Okla., he gravitated toward the arena and was a natural.

Continue reading "Beyond the Call of Duty" »

Posted by sr at 11:20 PM | Permalink

By Colby Sledge - The Nashville Tennessean
Posted : Thursday Aug 21, 2008 17:09:10 EDT

When Lance Cpl. William “Billy” D. Spencer saw his squad leader wounded in an Iraq shootout, he did the only thing he could do: He tried to save his commanding officer.

Continue reading "Marine receives Silver Star" »

Posted by sr at 11:15 PM | Permalink

MIDDLEVILLE, Mich. (WZZM) - Supporters of a local Marine paralyzed by a sniper's bullet in Iraq broke ground today on a new home for him in Middleville.

Continue reading "Supporters break ground on home for West Michigan Marine" »

Posted by sr at 11:32 PM | Permalink

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — There are hundreds of thousands of Marines spread across hundreds of occupational specialties, yet only two of them are combat artists, and they are both Reserve Marines

Continue reading "Combat artists paint Reserve battalion’s portrait" »

Posted by at 12:25 PM | Permalink

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Reserve Marines from Company F, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, braved the heat of the Mojave Desert while conducting the Deliberate Assault Course (DAC) Aug. 13-14, in a remote section of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center here.
Each of the battalion’s companies went through the DAC as an integral element of Mojave Viper, an intensive 30-day comprehensive assessment of combat readiness prior to overseas deployment.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines go on the assault" »

Posted by at 12:22 PM | Permalink

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- Marine Reserve Staff Sgt. John Tacopino invaded Iraq in a Humvee with no doors.

Continue reading "New Jersey Marines train in the high desert" »

Posted by at 11:43 AM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST AKASHAT, Iraq — It’s common for Marines to refer to each other as brothers-in-arms, but the esprit de corps might just be stronger between two Marines who are actually full-blooded brothers serving in the same unit.

Continue reading "Brothers stick together through all" »

Posted by at 12:38 PM | Permalink

UM AL WAZZ, Iraq – Western al-Anbar province was one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq in recent years, and Marine units operating there have encountered threats ranging from improvised explosive devices to small-arms firefights.

Continue reading "Marines target oil smuggling, protect citizens" »

Posted by at 12:36 PM | Permalink

Twentynine Palms, Calif. — Marines and Sailors from Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, had the opportunity to go through the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT) at Camp Wilson here on Aug. 4.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines deal with the HEAT" »

Posted by at 12:16 PM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST AKASHAT, Iraq —
A Marine started several years ago to learn Arabic, a language spoken throughout the Middle East. Recognizing the value of the talent, he decided to put it to use helping his country.

Continue reading "Marine’s Arabic skills benefit operation" »

Posted by sr at 7:26 PM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST AKASHAT, Iraq —
The stresses of a constant operational tempo give Marines the need for something to balance out the tension. Some Marines have found a way to relax by participating in outdoor sporting activities.

Continue reading "Marines relax with sports" »

Posted by at 12:53 PM | Permalink

AKASHAT, Iraq — Another Iraqi Police station became an independent unit in Al Anbar province during a ceremony here July 9. During the ceremony, Marines with Delta Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd LAR Bn., Regimental Combat Team 5 passed responsibility of the city of Akashat to the IPs.

Continue reading "Akashat police take control" »

Posted by at 12:42 PM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq — A company of Marines, in one of the most secluded combat outposts in Iraq, had an unusual visit by a special group of entertainers from Hollywood, Calif..

Continue reading "Hollywood arrives at Akashat" »

Posted by at 12:56 PM | Permalink

New River sandbars offer good raft training

There's more than one way to cross a river.

Continue reading "Marines bridge the gap" »

Posted by sr at 11:21 PM | Permalink

HABBANIYAH — Marines of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, and Company B, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, have worked together day in and day out, searching for weapon caches and disabling the enemy’s number one threat; improvised explosive devices.

Continue reading "Marines Find, Destroy Enemy Weapons" »

Posted by at 10:12 AM | Permalink

HABBANIYAH, Iraq — Marines of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1 and Company B, 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, have worked together day in and day out, searching for weapons caches and disabling the enemies number one threat; improvised explosive devices.

Continue reading "4th CEB continues search for weapons caches" »

Posted by at 11:15 AM | Permalink

By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday May 31, 2008 7:55:39 EDT

WESTERN IRAQ — This isn’t the combat mission these Marines expected.

Continue reading "Marines adjust to an evolving Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 11:19 PM | Permalink

Parting is no easier the 2nd time

The charter bus waiting to carry Staff Sgt. Darryl Anderson off to war idled nearby.

Continue reading "Hard, familiar words: Off to Iraq" »

Posted by at 10:16 AM | Permalink

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. -- It was tears, hugs and lots of “I love you” as 18 marines from Company K, 3d Battalion, said goodbye to their families in Moundsville, and prepared to head overseas.

Continue reading "Local Marines Pack-Up, Head Out On Memorial Day" »

Posted by at 9:52 AM | Permalink

A luxury housing development in Wailea is the site of a newly dedicated monument honoring the 4th Division Marines who trained on Maui during World War II before shipping out to battles in the Pacific.

Continue reading "Monument to Marines dedicated at development" »

Posted by at 10:12 AM | Permalink

Artist's portraits touch spirit of lost Marines of Ohio's Lima Company

COLUMBUS - There's a little-known stretch of heaven in Westerville.

Continue reading "Healing visions" »

Posted by sr at 5:55 PM | Permalink

HABBANIYAH, Iraq (May 8, 2008) – Funny, outgoing, crazy, loving, full of life – those are just a few of the many words that describe the late Cpl. Richard “Ricky” J. Nelson, a 23-year-old rifleman from Kenosha, Wis., who was killed by an improvised explosive device in the al Anbar Province of Iraq, Apr. 14.

Continue reading "Wisconsin family remembers their fallen Marine" »

Posted by sr at 3:22 PM | Permalink

The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 8, 2008 9:37:22 EDT

DEVENS, Mass. — A Massachusetts-based Marine Corps Reserve unit is being mobilized for eventual deployment to Iraq.

Continue reading "Mass. Marine Reserve unit mobilized" »

Posted by at 10:20 AM | Permalink

HABBANIYAH, Iraq —
HABBANIYAH, Iraq — The war has changed. No longer are Marines kicking in doors and battling insurgents with continuous gunfire. Instead, they are walking through the war-torn streets of Iraq, the same streets that just a few short years ago were the sights of horrendous warfare, where Marines are now continuously greeted by hoards of children, with their parents or guardians watching, smiling from a distance.

Continue reading "Local tips lead Marines to weapons cache" »

Posted by at 4:31 PM | Permalink

By Howard Wilkinson and Cliff Radel - The Cincinnati Enquirer
Posted : Monday Apr 28, 2008 8:59:19 EDT

CINCINNATI — Yes, there were many tears Sunday afternoon as Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin was finally laid to rest. But they were not all tears of sorrow.

Continue reading "Thousands attend service for former MIA Maupin" »

Posted by sr at 8:56 AM | Permalink

233 WENT, 233 RETURNED: Marines back from Iraq into open arms

This is how it should be, when warriors come home.

Continue reading "Marines return to Atlanta after Iraq deployment" »

Posted by sr at 10:12 AM | Permalink

MONROVIA, Liberia — The streets were lined with hundreds of smiling faces and thumbs-up signs. Happy shouts of "Marines!" were directed towards a humanitarian assistance convoy of two seven-ton trucks and several humvees laden with thousands of dollars worth of hospital and school supplies making their way slowly through the city of Monrovia, Liberia.

Continue reading "Sea-based Marines deliver humanitarian supplies to Liberians" »

Posted by sr at 8:29 PM | Permalink

CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich (WOOD) -- When word went out that Joshua Hoffman was coming home, his family asked the injured Marine corporal if he wanted a public homecoming.

Continue reading "Hundreds greet wounded Marine" »

Posted by sr at 7:53 PM | Permalink

"Can I give you a kiss?"

Continue reading "Paralyzed Marine Joshua Hoffman returns home to well-wishers" »

Posted by sr at 7:49 PM | Permalink

HABBANIYAH, Iraq (March 8, 2008) -- Sacrifices are made when preparing to deploy. When a reserve battalion is activated, the Marines are required to put their entire lives on hold. Not only do they sacrifice being away from family, friends and jobs, some of them even put their dreams on hold.

Continue reading "Marine deploys to Iraq, puts Ultimate Fighter dream on hold" »

Posted by sr at 9:42 AM | Permalink

SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq (Feb. 23, 2008) -- Thanks to the Marines of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, the streets of Saqlawiyah continue to be a safer place to live.

Continue reading "2/24 Patrols, Keeps Streets Safe" »

Posted by sr at 10:31 PM | Permalink

By Geoff Ziezulewicz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, February 18, 2008

CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq — What a difference a couple of years makes. That’s how long it’s been since the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, a Reserve unit out of Chicago, have been deployed to Iraq.

Continue reading "Marine reservists bring maturity to latest deployment" »

Posted by sr at 10:25 PM | Permalink

SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq (Feb. 14, 2008) -- Getting to know the family living next door can sometimes be a challenge, but Marines of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, patrolled through the streets of Saqlawiyah Feb. 12, introducing themselves as the new ‘family’ next door.

Continue reading "Company E, 2/24 conducts Census Ops" »

Posted by sr at 3:27 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS TIMES - (Feb. 4, 2008) -- Some of the most grizzled Marines have worried in recent years that the Corps was getting away from its “expeditionary roots.”

Continue reading "Corps commissions symphony for New Orleans" »

Posted by sr at 9:41 PM | Permalink

HADITHA CITY, Iraq (Feb. 1, 2008) -- Marines with 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, and the Army’s 170th Military Police Company routinely work side-by-side to train the Iraqi Police in the Haditha area.

Continue reading "Marines, Soldiers train IP for the future" »

Posted by sr at 10:43 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (Feb. 1, 2008) -- A newly reactivated Marine Corps Reserve light armored reconnaissance company put their skills to the test Feb. 1.

Continue reading "Reserve LAR company celebrates activation with assault course training" »

Posted by sr at 10:25 PM | Permalink

COMBAT OUPOST AKASHAT, Iraq – Intelligence specialists at the battalion level support a large area of operations, but some ground combat companies prefer to have “intel” elements at their level, especially when that unit is responsible for a large area itself.

Continue reading "Company intel changes pace of operations" »

Posted by sr at 7:21 PM | Permalink

Marine reservists glad to serve in same unit in Iraq

Brian and Mike Wiebe shared everything, from friends to a passion for football, while growing up in northwest suburban Rolling Meadows.

Continue reading "2 brothers also in band of brothers" »

Posted by sr at 9:36 AM | Permalink

Marine reservist unit based at Quantico departs for eventual deployment to Iraq

Tom Patsos fought back tears yesterday as he gave some last-minute advice to his son, who was setting out on his first deployment.

Continue reading "Quantico reserve unit ships out to Iraq War MARINES >> 'Band of brothers' among those deploying" »

Posted by sr at 9:45 AM | Permalink

The Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, completed the Deliberate Assault Course at Combat Center Range 210 Dec. 5-7.

Continue reading "2/24 takes on Mojave Viper DAC" »

Posted by sr at 9:54 PM | Permalink

BAY CITY -- A Purple Heart hangs on the wall over his pillow. Photos from Iraq are taped above the desk. A Marine Corps flag is pinned above the bed.

Continue reading "A Marine's long road home; After an Iraq bomb left him in a coma with Traumatic Brain Injury, a Saginaw man struggles to be normal" »

Posted by sr at 11:06 AM | Permalink

NAVAL AIR STATION/JOINT RESERVE BASE NEW ORLEANS, La. — (Nov. 17, 2007) -- Family members of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment’s deployed Marines and sailors came together here Saturday afternoon during a battalion family day.

Continue reading "A family affair-3/23 holds family day" »

Posted by sr at 3:01 PM | Permalink

A Marine reservist seeks Dad's House seat.

While California Congressman Duncan L. Hunter, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, is navigating the campaign trail in his long-shot bid for the White House, his son, Marine Capt. Duncan D. Hunter, is running to replace him in Congress with help from his dad's Beltway buddies. The younger Hunter, or Junior, as he is called by some friends and family, is waging this political struggle while serving his country 8,000 miles away in Afghanistan (he has also served in Iraq).

Continue reading "Campaigning From a Combat Zone" »

Posted by sr at 10:03 AM | Permalink

A group of about 60 local Marines head to Iraq for the second time.

Continue reading "Marines Going to Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 9:29 PM | Permalink

His orders are simple: "Go to war, do art."

Continue reading "As bullets fly, Marine takes out a sketchpad; His mission is to deploy with various squads and create art depicting life in a war zone." »

Posted by sr at 10:45 PM | Permalink

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 6, 2007 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace last night thanked veterans of the storied 4th Marine Division who fought in Iwo Jima and other major World War II battles for setting the example for today’s troops and demonstrating why they’ll never fail in combat.

Continue reading "Pace Thanks World War II Marines for Setting Standard for Today’s Troops" »

Posted by sr at 10:38 PM | Permalink

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A large contingent of Marines from the Armed Forces Reserve Center will leave for Iraq next week for a seven-month tour of duty.

Continue reading "OKC Marine Reserve unit to leave for Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 11:09 AM | Permalink

ROCKHAMPTON, Australia - Tens of thousands of U.S. and Australian forces concluded the largest joint war fighting exercise in the Pacific this year July 3 with successes all around.

Continue reading "Talisman Saber 2007 comes to a close" »

Posted by sr at 2:55 PM | Permalink

From the time he was a young boy, Maj. James L. Browning Jr. wanted to fly. As a 12-year-old, Browning joined the Mississippi Wing Civil Air Patrol, a civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. During his time as a Civilian Air Patrol cadet, he learned the importance of leadership, physical fitness, and a strong moral compass—all qualities that would serve him well as a Marine in the years to come.

Continue reading "NMCRS Combat Casualty Program Meets Critical Need" »

Posted by sr at 4:22 PM | Permalink

CIFUNCHO, Chile (June 9, 2007) -- Building cooperation and support through humanitarian missions as well as training, Marines of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 24 joined Chilean counterparts in distributing donated items to the needy this week.

Continue reading "Task Force 24 reaches out to Chilean needy" »

Posted by sr at 8:41 AM | Permalink

CIFUNCHO, Chile (June 9, 2007) -- Almost three weeks into their deployment, the Marines of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 24 are still discovering just how surprising, yet familiar, Chile’s landscape and climate can be.

Continue reading "Marines offload, train in Chilean desert" »

Posted by sr at 8:35 AM | Permalink

It wasn't easy for Jon Thomas to let his son go to Iraq the first time, but the second time is devastating. "I cried," Thomas said. "He volunteered to do it, but I just hope he comes back OK."

Continue reading "HARD TO SAY GOODBYE" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 4:07 AM | Permalink

From childhood, Brad Squires dreamed of being two things: a Marine and firefighter.

Continue reading "Plaza honors Marine, others killed in Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 9:01 PM | Permalink

Memorial Day is the day we remember the men and women in uniform who died serving this country, from Saratoga and Bunker Hill to Haditha and Fallujah.

Continue reading "Their words live on; Letters shine light on what Marines thought in final days" »

Posted by sr at 1:01 PM | Permalink

NEW YORK (May 25, 2007) -- New York police and firefighters joined forces with the Marine Corps on Thursday for a two-mile motivational run through the lower east side of Manhattan led by a “wounded warrior.”

Continue reading "Wounded warrior leads formation run to Ground Zero" »

Posted by sr at 8:46 AM | Permalink

MILFORD — A few days before Aug. 25, 2006, Marine Cpl. Jordan Pierson could have transferred to a safer assignment in Iraq.

Continue reading "Playground dedicated to fallen Marine" »

Posted by sr at 5:58 PM | Permalink

WINSTED - An American flag will come full circle today.
Pearson Middle School students took a flag from a pole outside the school in October 2005 and gave it to 25th Marine group, 4th Marine Division in Plainville prior to their deployment to Iraq. The Marines returned from active duty, and they will now return the flag to the students.

Continue reading "Flag to return to Pearson school" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 5:29 AM | Permalink

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIF. -- Salutes, softball and a brass band -- the 1/24th Marine Reserves are back in America.

Continue reading "MICHIGAN'S BAND OF BROTHERS Soon, 1/24th Marines will be home; After 7 months in Iraq, they are back in the U.S." »

Posted by sr at 9:40 PM | Permalink

EWING -- As they neared the waiting crowds, subdued anticipation turned instantly to sheer joy. As they entered the airport, the screams were deafening.

Continue reading "Many local Marines return home" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 6:05 PM | Permalink

Lance Cpl. Brandon Morgan seemed a little disoriented Saturday afternoon as he stepped onto the lawn at his wife's grandmother's house in Red Bank.

Continue reading "Marines welcomed home from Iraq" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 5:51 PM | Permalink

April 21, 2007 - This has been an extra special Saturday in Northeast Philadelphia. It was a jubilant homecoming for some 150 Marine reservists.

Continue reading "Reservists Return Home from Iraq" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 6:10 PM | Permalink

Grand Rapids - The Grand Rapids-based Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines, will be coming home soon. Sunday, the families of the 170 Grand Rapids marines prepared for the homecoming.

Continue reading "Grand Rapids based Marines coming home" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 6:36 PM | Permalink

Homecoming celebrations are in the works tonight for some Tri-Cities marines.

Continue reading "Tri-Cities Marines coming home" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 7:28 PM | Permalink

The Marines with South Bend-based Engineer Company B are back in the United States. They arrived in California just after 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday. They're back from a seven-month deployment to Iraq.

Continue reading "South Bend-based Company B Marines back on U.S. soil" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 7:17 PM | Permalink

Just a few days before the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq, there's a happy homecoming for some hometown heroes

Continue reading "Local Marines Return from Duty" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 7:49 AM | Permalink

After seven months in Iraq, these Mobile-based troops were home.
Cheers erupted from the crowd of family and friends as the Marines got off the bus.

Continue reading "Mobile-based Marines welcomed home" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 8:24 AM | Permalink

Mar 16, 2007 - Two local Marine reservists are home tonight... after a seven month deployment in Iraq.

Continue reading "Back Home" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 8:07 AM | Permalink

Marine Reservists from West Texas and New Mexico returned home late Thursday night from a 7 month deployment in Iraq. Members of the 6th Motor Transport Battalion in Lubbock arrived at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport around 9:45 p.m. Thursday.

Continue reading "South Plains Marines Return Home From Iraq" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 8:32 AM | Permalink

When his son, Jon, was deployed to Iraq, Dan Meyer didn’t know how he would handle the “in between.”

Continue reading "Program aids area families with Marines in Iraq; Official singles out locally based unit for national honor" »

Posted by sr at 11:11 PM | Permalink

By Megan McCloskey, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, March 11, 2007

The dangerous main drag through insurgent-infested downtown Fallujah, Iraq, was cleared of three dump truck loads of dirt, rubble and trash during a recent fast-paced night mission — the first such cleanup on the street.

Continue reading "Marines clean up Fallujah streets – literally" »

Posted by sr at 10:04 PM | Permalink

For the families of about 700 Michigan Marines, there's finally a little daylight peeking into a long, dark tunnel of anxiety as their sons, brothers, boyfriends and husbands near the end of their seven-month deployment to Iraq.

Continue reading "Brothers see end of mission coming, Selfridge battalion can decamp Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 7:44 AM | Permalink

For the families of about 700 Michigan Marines, there's finally a little daylight peeking into a long, dark tunnel of anxiety as their sons, brothers, boyfriends and husbands near the end of their seven-month deployment to Iraq.

Continue reading "Brothers see end of mission coming, Selfridge battalion can decamp Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 7:44 AM | Permalink

West Palm Beach · For the sixth time in less than four years, yet another small band of young U.S. Marines left a reserve center across the street from Palm Beach International Airport early Thursday to start a long journey to the war in Iraq. All stood erect and proud, and most were dry-eyed.

Continue reading "Reserve troops in West Palm tapped for sixth time in four years" »

Posted by sr at 10:47 PM | Permalink

The sky was still dark and the streetlights bright early Thursday when 29 young men arrived at the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Center on Belvedere Road to go to war.

Continue reading "29 Marines from area bound by mission in Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 10:43 PM | Permalink

Some of Palm Beach's finest are to be sent from the sun-kissed tropical beaches of South Florida to the sand-scoured landscape of Mesopotamia — a place that can only be described as "different."

Continue reading "Local unit preparing for Iraq duty, Red Cross provides Marines with a send-off, offers of support." »

Posted by sr at 10:38 PM | Permalink

It's been a difficult day for a number of military families in the valley. About 40 local Marines said their good-byes before heading out to Iraq. The Marines are with a reserve unit, the 6th Motor Transport Battalion.

Continue reading "Dozens of Marine reservists headed to Iraq" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 12:16 PM | Permalink

BETHESDA, Md. -- The first round blew through Maj. K.C. Schuring's helmet, creased the top of his head and popped out through his goggles.The second round felt as if Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez were teeing off on the center of his back.

Continue reading "Wounded but still fighting. "I remember thinking to myself, with that shot to my head, I shouldn't be alive right now -- and I was."" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 12:53 PM | Permalink

Marine Corps Maj. Randall S. Hoffman never knew his uncle, a Vietnam War helicopter crew chief who died in a troop recovery mission in 1968.

Continue reading "Marine receives 2 Bronze Stars, Danville graduate is honored for service in Afghanistan" »

Posted by sr at 11:06 PM | Permalink

Norwich Police Chief Joseph G. Angelino recently received Purple Hearts for two injuries he suffered in Iraq in September 2005.

Continue reading "Police chief gets Iraq war medals, Angelino receives two Purple Hearts" »

Posted by sr at 3:12 PM | Permalink

MT. JULIET — Gene Leigh McCollum stepped out the door Friday morning to run errands, pay some bills and have a fairly normal day. Less than five minutes later, he was a decorated war veteran.

Continue reading "Surprise ceremony honors Marine at home. Purple Heart recognizes Iraq war wounds" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 6:04 PM | Permalink

By Kimberly Johnson - staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 2, 2007 21:34:35 EST

Marines in the Individual Ready Reserve could face involuntary activations to fill the gap as the Corps moves to increase its end strength by 22,000 Marines, according to the Corps’ top mobilization official.

Continue reading "More IRR Marines face involuntary call-ups" »

Posted by sr at 8:01 PM | Permalink

CALEDONIA -- He lost a kidney, his spleen and almost his life.

Continue reading "Wounded Marine remembers fallen comrade" »

Posted by sr at 9:52 AM | Permalink

Fundraisers planned to aid Saline reservist

Continue reading "For Marine, long list of wounds - and friends" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 3:35 PM | Permalink

GRAND RAPIDS — More than two hundred boxes filled the auditorium of the Marine Reserve Center of Grand Rapids today.

Continue reading "Local Marines Send Medical Supplies To Iraq" »

Posted by LD for MarineParents.com at 1:41 PM | Permalink

A tribute to honor a local Marine and others killed while serving in Iraq will be broadcast at 10 tonight on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.

Continue reading "Bowling's unit subject of CNN show, Segment scheduled to air tonight" »

Posted by sr at 7:40 AM | Permalink

COMBAT OUTPOST RAWAH, Iraq - Mothers of Marines here have another reason to be proud of their sons - their boys are trying to solve problems with words, instead of violence.

Continue reading "Civil Affairs Marines fight crucial battle in Al Anbar Province" »

Posted by sr at 9:11 PM | Permalink

Most people think being a reservist means serving one weekend a month and two weeks a year. In many instances, that’s the right idea, but there are a variety of other ways to be a Marine without being part of the active-duty Corps.

Continue reading "Understanding Reserve Duty, How Duty is Fulfilled in Marine Forces Reserve" »

Posted by sr at 5:51 PM | Permalink

Richard Litto does not like the term “weekend warrior.” In fact, he despises it, and the mere mention of the phrase triggers a standoffish response in a thick, South Boston accent.

Continue reading "Weekend Warrior No More, Reserve Marines Drop Stigma" »

Posted by sr at 5:41 PM | Permalink

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq (December 17, 2006) -- The candy coated grins on the children’s faces were matched only by the smiles of the Marines handing out the treats.

Continue reading "Marines bring smiles, relief, hope for the future to refugees" »

Posted by sr at 10:10 PM | Permalink

WASHINGTON — On the 52nd day of the rest of his life, Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Frazier chatted with a basketball star, enjoyed time outside soaking up an unusually mild December morning and stood for more than a minute on his new right leg.

Continue reading "Fighting spirit carries Marine, After a bomb in Iraq took Tennessean Eric Frazier's legs, he took on a new mission — to walk again." »

Posted by sr at 10:03 PM | Permalink

The tiny globes of tortilla dough line up as straight as Marines in the kitchen of Maria Ponce's modest home near Grand Rapids.

Continue reading "Brothers for real, in war together; Sons near each other a fear, comfort for parents" »

Posted by sr at 9:57 PM | Permalink

The bright pink walls of the tiny room in the modest home in Mason seemed to glow as portraits of Disney princesses looked down from the wallpaper trim.

Continue reading "MORE MARINES HEADED OUT: Painful partings, Troops leave families for Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 9:50 PM | Permalink

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 15, 2006) - Coalition Forces recently completed construction of an 8-foot high, dirt berm with traffic control points along the eastern perimeter of Barwanah, Iraq, to deny insurgents freedom of movement into the city.

Continue reading "Additional Coalition Forces, construction of dirt “berms” increase security conditions in Iraq’s Haditha Triad region" »

Posted by sr at 5:41 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, IRAQ – While their weapons were ready, this was a mission about charity. The US Marines weren't entering a hospital in downtown Fallujah to root out insurgents, they were going there simply to help.

Continue reading "In Fallujah, Marines bring goodwill, but trouble can follow" »

Posted by sr at 10:05 PM | Permalink

Shrapnel from an explosion hit Lance Cpl. Bryon Bailey hard. It gave him a concussion and left his face pockmarked.

Continue reading "GR Marine unit puts in long days in Anbar province" »

Posted by sr at 8:56 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Inside a stronghold that commands a stretch of land between the river and the desert, the Hobbits work wonders in a windowless chamber.

Continue reading "In Iraq, their weapon is data, Marines fight with what they know" »

Posted by sr at 8:44 PM | Permalink

(Dec. 8) - The story of a group of Marines' quest to save a sick baby in war-torn Iraq gives some hope to humanity this holiday season.

Continue reading "Marines Save Iraqi Baby to Honor Fallen Medic, Routine Patrol Turned Into Mission to Help Sick Child" »

Posted by sr at 9:10 PM | Permalink

Free Press staff writer Joe Swickard and photojournalist David P. Gilkey are in Iraq covering the 1st Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment, the largest deployment of Michigan Marines in the war. On Monday, they were on patrol with Alpha Company when a roadside bomb exploded. Here is their account.

WEST OF FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Rolling slow and southwestward along Route Boston in the late afternoon Monday, Lance Cpl. Tom Stellema looked closely at the patch covering one of the many old roadside bomb holes that pit the pavement.

Continue reading "MICHIGAN'S BAND OF BROTHERS: The road erupts and hearts stop, After weekend gunfights, Alpha Co. hit by blast outside Fallujah" »

Posted by sr at 9:34 PM | Permalink

Terrence "Shane" Burke wanted a quiet reunion with his Boston police family last evening.

Continue reading "Hub officer gets a hero's welcome home" »

Posted by sr at 9:22 PM | Permalink

TERRE HAUTE — Mike Watson struggled to hold back tears as he spoke Wednesday via telephone about his son, Lance Cpl. Chad M. Watson.

Continue reading "TH Marine loses leg after Humvee blasted by improvised explosive device" »

Posted by sr at 9:13 PM | Permalink

Talk about a refreshing turnabout in circumstances.

Continue reading "Marines, Steelers fans score with Christmas toys for tots, Collection a winning play to bring smiles to children" »

Posted by sr at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Unto death, platoon fulfills a mission in Iraq

It was a routine patrol, in the third week of June -- if, in fact, there is such a thing as a routine patrol in Fallujah, in the Anbar Province of Iraq.

Chris Walsh, a Navy medic assigned to a US Marines weapons company, was riding in a Humvee with three Marines, when a hidden bomb exploded in the dirt road just in front of them.

Continue reading "*Saving baby Mariam" »

Posted by at 6:51 AM | Permalink

Lance Cpl. Timothy Lang manned the turret atop a Humvee patrolling Fallujah, Iraq, when a roadside bomb made him a casualty of war.

Continue reading "Marine is facing the fight of his life" »

Posted by sr at 9:32 AM | Permalink

MOUNT ZION - When a Marine Corps Reserve officer called Mike Watson at work to tell him his son had been seriously injured in Iraq, he asked the officer if his son would survive.

Continue reading "Mount Zion Marine wounded" »

Posted by sr at 3:14 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Marines from Personnel Security Detachment, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion 24th Marine Regiment, apprehended two suspected insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq Nov 20.

Marines with the battalion are currently serving under Regimental Combat Team 5 in Fallujah, Iraq.

Continue reading "Marines take two suspected insurgents off the streets" »

Posted by at 8:10 PM | Permalink

Marines' credo: Stop trouble before it kills

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- "Patrollin', patrollin'," a turret gunner sang, encased in chicken wire like somebody in a carnival dunk tank as the line of Humvees growled out of Charlie Company's base camp. "We're patrollin' through Fallujah."

Continue reading "On patrol in Fallujah: Danger zone" »

Posted by at 8:28 PM | Permalink

TIFFIN - To the altar of St. Mary's Catholic Church, family and friends of Lance Cpl. Jeremy S. Shock carried symbols of what was important to the young Marine killed 10 days ago in Iraq.

Continue reading "'HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS', 2 Ohio towns say farewell to fallen Marine" »

Posted by sr at 10:22 AM | Permalink

SAQLAWIYAH, Iraq (Nov. 28, 2006) -- Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment swooped down on unknowing insurgents recently. Marines netted 13 suspected insurgents and rescued two Iraqis held hostage by insurgents.

Continue reading "Marines dig ‘Talons’ into insurgency" »

Posted by at 7:59 PM | Permalink

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- As if the war in Iraq wasn't hard enough, now local reservists are serving during the holiday season.

So Tuesday night at the Naval and Marine Reserve Center on Alcoa Highway, family members came out to make that distance a little shorter.

Continue reading "*Families and volunteers help Knoxville Marines in Iraq" »

Posted by at 7:42 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Lance Cpl. Christopher Owens couldn't get an inch of traction trying to rag Charlie Company's chief cook, Lance Cpl. Steven Oliver, that his insignia should be a bowl with crossed spoons.

Continue reading "Good cook is a fortune of Iraq war, Plymouth man feeds troops" »

Posted by sr at 2:33 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Thanksgiving came to Fallujah with fists hammering on sheet metal gates.

Continue reading "Love prevails, even in war, Bond unites families while U.S. mission in Iraq continues" »

Posted by sr at 9:21 PM | Permalink

Wary Marines take deadly route in Iraqi desert killing field

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Two Humvees, a pair of 7-ton armored trucks topped with gun turrets and a tow truck swing onto what has been dubbed Route Michigan, rolling toward sunset in the Sunni Triangle into one of the world's worst killing zones.

Continue reading "BAND OF BROTHERS: Michigan reservists travel path of peril" »

Posted by at 8:15 PM | Permalink

Just weeks before Terrence Burke would lose his right lower leg in a bomb blast in Fallujah, the rookie BPD officer had already been dubbed a hero and “all heart” by the Marines of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines - not an easy feat in a unit that includes four Boston cops and several city firefighters, men generally leery of “hero” tags.

Continue reading "Hub’s bravest doing double duty overseas" »

Posted by at 8:08 PM | Permalink

Greenfield - The Marine uniform symbolizes strength, honor and country. The men and women who answer the call live by the Marine motto "Semper Fidelis." It means "Always faithful" in Latin.

Continue reading "*Greenfield Marine fights battle at home" »

Posted by at 8:36 PM | Permalink

Last week was a stellar week for Nashua. Oct. 25 was a cold dark evening, but Nashua High School South was ablaze with lights. The gym was filled with electricity and emotion.

Continue reading "Magical evening welcomed home New Hampshire soldiers" »

Posted by at 9:44 PM | Permalink

In a crowd of parents waving banners and wives dressed in their prettiest outfits, little Cody Watkins was one of the few who could relax.

Continue reading "Heroes come home" »

Posted by at 7:34 AM | Permalink

JACKSONVILLE - In a crowd of parents waving banners and wives dressed in their prettiest outfits, little Cody Watkins was one of the few who could relax.

Continue reading "Gainesville Marines Return From Iraq" »

Posted by at 7:23 AM | Permalink

AL ASAD, Iraq (Nov. 4, 2006) - Sgt. Mark Miller should have graduated from the Virginia Military Institute a few months ago with a bachelor"s degree in civil engineering.

Continue reading "Despite battle wounds and missing college, Marine reservist volunteers for second tour of duty in Iraq" »

Posted by at 11:39 AM | Permalink

It’s an unforgetable sound.
Five times a day, the first around 5 a.m. as the dawn sun presages the heat of the coming day, the sound echoes across the city from loud speakers dangling from every minaret.
“Allah u akbar! Allah u akbar! Hayya la-s-saleah! Hayya la-s-saleah!”

Continue reading "*THE WAR: Two Ridgefield Marines recall life in Iraq" »

Posted by at 9:50 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq - When Marines want the straight scoop, they get out on the street and talk face to face with Fallujans.

Continue reading "Detroit-based Marines helping rebuild Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 9:32 PM | Permalink

CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (Nov. 01, 2006) - Chuck Norris doesn't raise morale. He roundhouse kicks it into the stratosphere.

Continue reading "Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks Camp Baharia" »

Posted by sr at 9:38 PM | Permalink

Marine unit that lost Whippany H.S. grad back from Iraq

ROCKAWAY TWP. -- A parade and welcome home ceremony were held Monday at Picatinny Arsenal for a Marine reserve unit which lost a young lance corporal just before leaving Iraq.

Continue reading "*Picatinny reservists march home" »

Posted by at 5:17 PM | Permalink

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Alone and in clusters, collars up to block the rain, thousands of people lined the streets on a gray October day in 2005 to welcome their warriors home. For 13 miles, they rose to wave, a few to salute, as the buses rolled slowly past. More than one tough Marine, homeward bound after a brutal tour in Iraq, shed a tear.

Continue reading "When troops bring the war in Iraq home, For Marine reserve company, returning to Ohio is an unexpected battle" »

Posted by sr at 11:13 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq - (Oct. 29, 2006) Marines from C Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment staged cordon-and-knock operations in the Shuhada district in southern Fallujah as part of Operation Seminole Oct. 28.

Continue reading "Marines search houses in Fallujah’s Shuhada district" »

Posted by sr at 11:11 PM | Permalink

Chesterfield-based Hotel Battery is home with no loss of life

They got shot at, blown up and rocket-propelled grenaded. They were hot, dirty and tired. Their duty week didn't have a weekend.

Continue reading " Marines return from Iraq to warm, happy welcome" »

Posted by at 7:31 PM | Permalink

FREDERICK -- A Marine in a Frederick-based unit deployed to Iraq on Oct. 11 was shot twice earlier this week but is expected to make a full recovery, a unit spokesman said Friday.

Continue reading " Frederick-based Marine shot twice in Iraq; Leesburg, Va., resident expected to make full recovery from injuries sustained during combat" »

Posted by sr at 10:47 AM | Permalink

More than 100 local marines back from Iraq enjoyed a different type of homecoming this morning. Instead of speeches and awards, the 314 H-Battery Marine unit got to laugh!

Continue reading "Marines treated to a comedic homecoming ceremony" »

Posted by sr at 11:21 PM | Permalink

TOPSHAM, Maine -- More than 50 Marine reservists received a homecoming celebration on Thursday when they returned home to Maine after a seven-month tour in Iraq.

Note: There are videoclips, seen by clicking on the original link.

Continue reading "*Marine Reserve Unit Returns Home To Maine" »

Posted by at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Dozens of Marines based in our area are home from Iraq. And they say they are happy to be home with family and friends.

Note: There is a video clip that can be seen by clicking on the original link.

Continue reading "*Marines return home" »

Posted by at 9:54 PM | Permalink

Hundreds of New England Marines will be returning home to a warm welcome from family and friends Thursday after serving seven months in Iraq.

Continue reading "N.E. Marines Returning Home" »

Posted by at 8:34 PM | Permalink

That was the message family and friends had for the 135 members of the 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment who filed into the gymnasium at Nashua High School South on Wednesday night.

Continue reading "*135 Marines return home from Iraq" »

Posted by at 8:01 PM | Permalink

Troops return from Iraq to warm embrace

When Jerry Henson returned from the Vietnam War in 1966 there was one person waiting to greet him at the airport -- his wife.

"And that was it," said the 65-year-old Louisvillian.

Continue reading "*FAMILIES WELCOME MARINES HOME" »

Posted by at 9:45 PM | Permalink

Home at last

Trim and fit and dressed in desert fatigues, 43 Marine reservists of Truck Company, Fourth Marine Division disembarked yesterday through Gate A3 at Pittsburgh International Airport to the wide-open arms of parents and grandparents, spouses and children, relatives and friends.

Continue reading "*Marine reservists welcomed back to American soil after tour in Iraq" »

Posted by at 11:45 AM | Permalink

Some Susquehanna Valley marines have returned from Iraq.

Seventy members of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Regiment arrived in Harrisburg at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday with an escort of police cars and fire trucks.

Continue reading "Local Marines Back From Iraq" »

Posted by at 11:35 AM | Permalink

They received a heroes' welcome in Harrisburg just a few hours ago. Courtney Monie has more on the families that were reunited.

Continue reading "Marines return (2/25 Echo Co)" »

Posted by at 11:11 AM | Permalink

They received a heroes' welcome in Harrisburg just a few hours ago. Courtney Monie has more on the families that were reunited.

Continue reading "Marines return (2/25 Echo Co)" »

Posted by at 11:11 AM | Permalink

21 Marines are back from Iraq after seven months overseas.

It ends a long journey that included tragedy. The Marines are attached to the Anti-Tank Training Company based out of Broken Arrow. And while the families were happy to be reunited, for some the welcome was bittersweet.

Continue reading "*21 Tulsa Area Marines Return Home" »

Posted by at 11:51 AM | Permalink

(KDKA) FINDLAY TWP. Pittsburgh International Airport was filled with celebration this afternoon as local Marines returned home safely from a lengthy deployment in Iraq.

Note: There is a video clip, seen by clicking on the orginal link.

Continue reading "*Emotional Homecoming For Local Marines" »

Posted by at 11:42 AM | Permalink

AL MADINAH, Iraq (Oct. 23, 2006) -- Marines with 4th Civil Affairs Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), and soldiers with Able Company, 2nd Combined Arms Battalion of the 136th Infantry Regiment, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), accompanied Maj. Gen Tariq Abdul Wahab Jasin, Commanding General of the 1st Iraqi Army Division to visit a recently opened school in Al Madinah As Siyahiyah (Tourist Town) and distribute supplies to the children October 9.

Continue reading "Coalition forces open up school, issue supplies" »

Posted by at 11:54 AM | Permalink

Bomb's are the weapons of choice for insurgents in Iraq. Lance Corporal Jason Mikolajcik was three feet from a car bomb in Falluja when it exploded.

Continue reading "Wounded Burlington Marine wants to return to duty" »

Posted by at 11:40 AM | Permalink

GREENFIELD, Ind. -- The family of a Marine from Indiana is awaiting his return to the U.S. after he was severely injured in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq.

Continue reading "*Family Of Marine Severely Injured In Iraq Holds Faith" »

Posted by at 8:57 PM | Permalink

Call it a mother's intuition. Call it coincidence if you want.

Continue reading "Marine's call alerts family of serious wound" »

Posted by sr at 8:07 AM | Permalink

FREDERICK -- Local Marines began their deployment last week with an expanded, more dangerous mission.
A Frederick-based unit flew out from Cherry Point, N.C., on Oct. 11 and is expected to remain in Iraq for seven months.

Continue reading "Frederick Marines begin deployment" »

Posted by at 9:38 PM | Permalink

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 16, 2006) -- Marines from 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment are now on deck and running combat operations in Fallujah after relieving Marines from 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment recently.

Continue reading "1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment newest RCT-5 battalion in Fallujah" »

Posted by at 9:25 PM | Permalink

1970s TV star Erik Estrada, who happened to be at the airport, joins 100 friends and relatives.

DAYTON — Even a surprise appearance by Erik Estrada failed to shift the spotlight on Saturday away from U.S. Marines returning home after six months in Iraq.

Continue reading "Marines get happy welcome back home" »

Posted by at 10:03 PM | Permalink

A Richmond Marine Reserve unit is scheduled to return home tomorrow after serving in Iraq.

Hotel Battery, 3rd Battalion of the 14th Marine Regiment, is expected to arrive between 8 and 10 p.m. tomorrow at the Navy-Marine Reserve Center, 6000 Strathmore Road, said Gunnery Sgt. Terri Raso.

Continue reading "Marine unit is set to return from Iraq" »

Posted by at 8:59 AM | Permalink

McKenzie, Sheyanne and Dakota Daley fidgeted at Exit 15, their little hearts pumping, eager to race to their daddy, Staff Sgt. Bernard (Bernie) Daley, who arrived at Dayton International Airport on Thursday afternoon after serving eight months in Iraq.

Continue reading "'Welcome home!' Staff Sgt. Daley" »

Posted by at 4:21 PM | Permalink

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 8, 2006) -- Nearly seven months ago, three Marines and one sailor assigned to 2nd Platoon, E Company , 4th Tank Battalion, a reservist unit headquartered at Fort Knox, Ky., bade their Kentucky home good night and deployed to Iraq as part of Regimental Combat Team 5.

Continue reading "*Tankers bring a bit of Kentucky to Iraq" »

Posted by at 7:28 AM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 3, 2006) -- Marines recently spent most of their day searching and clearing the Souk District in the city. The district has a reputation for attacks on Coalition Forces by anti-Iraqi Forces.

Continue reading "Marines find signs of insurgents during souk operations" »

Posted by at 3:50 PM | Permalink

Marine Staff Sgt. Rudy Perez isn't due to get off duty until midnight, but by 7:30 this evening, his day feels complete.

"I see the weight lifted," says Sergeant Perez, watching a sedate but glowing reunion of wounded Cpl.Brian Smith and his family at the National Naval Medical Center.

Continue reading "*Backstory: A softer side of the Marines" »

Posted by at 10:18 PM | Permalink

Some 60 U.S. Marine reservists from Gray-based Lima Company, 3rd Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment, have left the United States for eventual service in Iraq, a Marine Corps spokesman confirmed on Thursday.

Continue reading "Some 60 Lima Company Marine Reservists Have Left U.S. For The Mideast" »

Posted by at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Some 60 U.S. Marine reservists from Gray-based Lima Company, 3rd Battalion of the 24th Marine Regiment, have left the United States for eventual service in Iraq, a Marine Corps spokesman confirmed on Thursday.

Continue reading "Some 60 Lima Company Marine Reservists Have Left U.S. For The Mideast" »

Posted by at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Although it’s only been a few days, it’s been a tough few days, said Jake Draugelis.

Continue reading "*Heartache on the home front — Reservists’ families ‘can’t help but worry’" »

Posted by sr at 10:45 PM | Permalink

FREDERICK -- Though the Marines who left Frederick early Monday would soon don uniforms and deploy to Iraq, for a short time that morning they weren't only Marines, but also sons, husbands, brothers and friends.

Continue reading "*Marines depart for duty, Local reserve unit says goodbye to friends and family; deployment to Iraq in October expected to last seven months" »

Posted by sr at 8:10 PM | Permalink

Vets draw on war background

When the men of the 1/24th Marines go into Iraq, they'll be led by quiet heroes and schooled by savvy veterans.

Continue reading "Trainers pass on hard lessons of combat" »

Posted by at 10:16 AM | Permalink

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif.

Flip through any Michigan phone book and you'll find the likes of the 1/24th Marines.

Note: There is a video associated with this article, click on the original link for viewing, as long as the link continues to work

Continue reading "*Michigan's band of brothers" »

Posted by at 10:01 AM | Permalink

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif.

Flip through any Michigan phone book and you'll find the likes of the 1/24th Marines.

Note: There is a video associated with this article, click on the original link for viewing, as long as the link continues to work

Continue reading "*Michigan's band of brothers" »

Posted by at 10:01 AM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 24, 2006) -- A grunt’s work in Fallujah is never done.

When they’re not patrolling the streets or ridding the area of anti-Iraqi forces, they’re watching over fellow Marines to make sure that they can do the same.

Continue reading "*Marines in Fallujah provide eyes and ears for battalion" »

Posted by at 8:39 AM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 23, 2006) -- Sgt. Matthew J. Fenton continues to watch over Marines in Fallujah, even after he died from wounds sustained in combat Apr. 26. That’s because his fellow Marines named an observation post that serves to protect Marines in his honor.

Continue reading "*Not for glory or fame, post gets fallen Marine’s name" »

Posted by at 8:43 AM | Permalink

ADA — The family of the injured marine, Cody Hill, 23, Ada, has requested that any cards and letters sent to Cody be directed to the guest facilities at the Brooke Army Medical Center. LaDonna Hill, Cody’s mother, said “The address of the guesthouse is where to send mail to Cody to keep from overloading the medical center staff.” The address of the guesthouse is: Powless Guesthouse, 3298 George C. Beach Road, Fort Sam Houston, Tx 73234-7569.

Continue reading "Address available for injured Ada marine" »

Posted by sr at 8:42 AM | Permalink

Naval District WashingtonNAVAL DISTRICT WASHINGTON, Washington D.C. – Marines and sailors of the 4th Civil Affairs Group (CAG) were surprised by a visit from President Bush on Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland the night of their deployment to Iraq.

Continue reading "President Bush Pays 4TH CAG Marines and Sailors an Honorable Visit on The Night They Deploy to Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 8:48 PM | Permalink

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Sept. 13, 2006) -- Recon Marines stepped out onto the streets of Fallujah with the keys to the city – bolt cutters and sledge hammers.

Continue reading "2nd Recon Battalion Marines keep insurgents on the run during Operation Matador" »

Posted by sr at 10:01 PM | Permalink

ADA — Marine Lance Cpl. Cody Hill is fighting to recover from severe burns and wounds from shrapnel he sustained in Iraq on Sept. 4. The three other riders in the vehicle struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) were killed. Hill’s father Carlyle Hill is very emotional as he stays with his son at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.“Cody needs your thoughts and prayers. The families of the other three boys that didn’t make it also need prayers,” Carlyle said.

Continue reading "Cody Hill continues fight for life" »

Posted by at 9:04 PM | Permalink

Sometime in the next few weeks, 1st Sgt. Charles Delcourt of the First Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, stationed in Iraq, will receive a care package that will almost certainly bring a smile to his face.

Continue reading "Care packages" »

Posted by at 9:04 AM | Permalink

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- A 23-year-old Marine reservist from Rhode Island was injured in an attack in Iraq Monday and is being transported back to the United States, according to his father, North Kingstown Fire Chief David Murray.

Continue reading "*R.I. Marine hurt in Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 2:00 PM | Permalink

Sgt. Robert L. Fisher III A Marine with 3/14 aims in on suspicious activity during his watch into the first night of the final exercise during Mojave Viper on Monday.

Marines from various active and reserve units across the country joined to supplement Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, as they prepared to deploy to Iraq as Provisional Military Police Battalion, Task Force MP, 3/14.

Continue reading "3/14 finishes Mojave Viper, prepares mentally for Iraq" »

Posted by at 11:05 PM | Permalink

20 local Marines from Company "A", 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, based in Charleston, will head to Iraq Monday.

"I was on my lunch break at work and I got a call on my cell phone."

Cpl. Josh Sturgill wasn't the only one who got that phone call. Now, a handful of Marines from Company "A", 4th Combat Engineer Battalion in Charleston are prepping to head overseas.

Continue reading "Marines Gear Up To Serve Overseas" »

Posted by at 10:49 PM | Permalink

20 local Marines from Company "A", 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, based in Charleston, will head to Iraq Monday.

"I was on my lunch break at work and I got a call on my cell phone."

Cpl. Josh Sturgill wasn't the only one who got that phone call. Now, a handful of Marines from Company "A", 4th Combat Engineer Battalion in Charleston are prepping to head overseas.

Continue reading "Marines Gear Up To Serve Overseas" »

Posted by at 10:49 PM | Permalink

A group of U.S. Marines based in South Bend is preparing to go back to the front lines of the war in Iraq.

Continue reading "Company B Ready For Active Duty In Iraq" »

Posted by sr at 4:57 PM | Permalink

The Danger Level Is High, But So Is D.C.-Based Marine Unit's Determination

The Marines already are saying their goodbyes. The 4th Civil Affairs Group, a reserve unit based in Washington, is leaving for Iraq -- again.

Continue reading "Iraq-Bound, Without Reservations" »

Posted by at 9:43 PM | Permalink

COLUMBUS, Ohio --A Marine killed last year in a gun battle in Iraq and another who was wounded in a roadside bombing that killed two of his comrades were awarded Silver Stars at a ceremony Sunday.

Continue reading "Marines awarded Silver Stars for actions in Iraq" »

Posted by at 6:51 PM | Permalink

TOMACO, Colombia - (Aug. 18, 2006) -- Marines of from Tucson, Ariz., Bulk Fuel Company Alpha, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, arrived in Tomaco, Colombia, from Tucson, Ariz., for their annual training exercise Aug. 3. This excercise focused on the Expedient Refueling System (ERS) training and assistance to the Colombian Marines’ Riverine Battalion No. 70.

Continue reading "Reserve Marines train with Colombian Marines" »

Posted by at 7:05 PM | Permalink

By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, August 18, 2006

MSATA, Tanzania — Howling village dancers and U.S. troops, along with a young man clenching a snake in his mouth, helped mark the climax of a regional anti-terrorism and disaster relief exercise in East Africa on Thursday.

Continue reading "Military exercise in Tanzania benefits villagers" »

Posted by at 9:19 PM | Permalink

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2006 – The Department of Justice has launched a Web site to protect servicemembers’ rights, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzalez said yesterday.

Continue reading "Justice Department Presents Web Site to Explain Military Rights" »

Posted by sr at 5:42 PM | Permalink

CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq (Aug. 12, 2006) -- Marines at this walled-in camp here rest easy knowing they’ve got another Marine standing strong and keeping all dangers at bay.

Marines from the Guard Force section, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, man several posts around the camp’s outer wall. They maintain a safe environment inside and allow the battalion to work without worry of enemy attack.

Continue reading "Guard Force constantly watching to safeguard camp" »

Posted by at 10:45 AM | Permalink

Brian Alexander's life has been moving fast.

On Friday morning, the Lansing man reviewed how to handle detainees and to protect fellow Marines from enemy fire, a booming instructor's voice warning him never to hesitate.

Continue reading "Ready to make a difference: Lansing's Charlie Company primed to serve in Iraq" »

Posted by at 7:20 AM | Permalink

The roof of a 1910-vintage barn in Greene County’s Glendale community has been transformed into a patriotic tribute to U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq.

The family of Lance Cpl. Brandon Ward spent July painting a 43-foot by 23-foot American flag on the roof of his grandfather’s barn near the intersection of Buckingham Road and Laughlin Road. Ward, a U.S. Marine reservist, will leave soon for service in Iraq.

Continue reading "Family Of Local Marine Paints Huge American Flag On Barn" »

Posted by at 10:40 AM | Permalink

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2006 – The Defense Department this month kicked off a program to help prevent activated reservists and National Guardsmen from facing financial hardships.

Continue reading "Income-Replacement Program Launched for Mobilized Reservists, Guardsmen" »

Posted by sr at 2:15 PM | Permalink

Four Eastern Upper Peninsula men are part of a group of 200 U.S. Marine Reserves making their last visit to Michigan before being deployed into the Iraq conflict.

“We've been training in California since June 1,” said LCpl. Jacob Green of Sugar Island regarding his unit - Bravo Company First Battalion/24th Marines out of Saginaw.

Continue reading "Local Marines destined for Iraq" »

Posted by at 11:51 PM | Permalink

A Medford resident in Iraq recently spent two days being treated for injuries after an Improvised Explosive Device blew up the vehicle he was driving.

Stephen McLaughlin was driving a Humvee down a road near Fallujah, one he had driven down many times, when he saw a pothole that was "bigger than it was before," said his father, Joseph McLaughlin, who spoke to his son by satellite phone last week

Continue reading "Marine injured in Iraq blast" »

Posted by at 11:45 PM | Permalink

Local Marines were killed in Iraq a year ago today

Tears and laughter will echo through the rooms of a farmhouse near Hillsboro today.

Parents united in grief will gather in this rural spot in Highland County to celebrate the lives of the sons they lost a year ago in Iraq.

Continue reading " A grim anniversary" »

Posted by at 11:30 PM | Permalink

BROOK PARK, Ohio (AP) - Their deaths shook a nation that had grown used to the slowly mounting U.S. military casualties in Iraq. A year ago this week, 14 members of the suburban-Cleveland based 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines died in attacks a day apart. The blue-collar suburb's loss drew worldwide mourning. Some say it was a pivotal moment that changed public opinion of the war; others say it strengthened the resolve of military families.

Continue reading "In Ohio, Marines' Deaths Still Felt" »

Posted by at 11:12 PM | Permalink

FREDERICK-- Local Marines preparing to head to Iraq this fall are among the units delayed in getting there.
Originally scheduled to deploy in September and return in May, the Marines will probably deploy in October and come home in late May, the unit's spokesman, Capt. Christian Devine, said Friday

Continue reading "Local Marines' deployment delayed" »

Posted by at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Samantha, Flores' wife, got the surprise of her life when her husband sent a personalized video that was displayed on the big screen and a large bouquet of flowers at a JackHammers game June 25.
"I teared up and displayed one of the biggest smiles, and that was the biggest surprise I ever had," she said.

Continue reading "Marine sends love from Iraq" »

Posted by at 12:21 PM | Permalink

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - (July 25, 2006) -- Marines with Headquarters and Support Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, participated in a command post exercise here July 25, in preparation for upcoming deployments to Iraq early next year.

Continue reading "Anti-Terrorism Bn. conducts training exercise" »

Posted by sr at 8:20 PM | Permalink

By Monte Morin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, July 25, 2006

CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq — The hostages sat shackled in a cinder-block cavity beneath the desert floor.

Continue reading "Marines' early-morning raid uncovers weapons, Iraqi hostages" »

Posted by sr at 1:38 PM | Permalink

-A group of Marines from 1st Battalion, 25 Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, move an insurgent rocket found while conducting Operation Spotlight. The operation took place in the Fuhaylat, south of Fallujah, Iraq where three hostages were rescued and several weapons caches were located and destroyed by Marines.

Continue reading "Marines rescue three hostages, uncover weapons caches in Operation Spotlight" »

Posted by at 1:15 PM | Permalink

By Monte Morin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, July 23, 2006

FALLUJAH, Iraq — It was the same old trap, different day.

Continue reading "Marines go insurgent-hunting in Fallujah" »

Posted by sr at 10:16 PM | Permalink

With a stereo and songs from home, Marine in Iraq preaches 'Americantology'

By Monte Morin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, July 21, 2006

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Sure, there are no atheists in foxholes, but just what’s a modern-day grunt supposed to believe in when all the foxholes have been replaced by Humvees?

Continue reading "Spreading the gospel of America" »

Posted by at 9:09 PM | Permalink

Wounded area Marine in VA hospital gets upset at inability to recall tour, mom says

Day by day, Marine Lance Cpl. Bryan Carpenter is remembering more.

Continue reading "Memory of Iraq is missing" »

Posted by at 8:51 PM | Permalink

Marines inspect park once used as insurgent staging area

By Monte Morin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, July 20, 2006

FALLUJAH, Iraq — As any Marine will tell you, Iraq is no walk in the park.

Continue reading "Fallujah amusement park now a no-fun zone" »

Posted by at 8:36 PM | Permalink

South Bend -- Almost 200 Marine reservists from Indiana and other states are headed to California to train for a seven-month mission in Iraq.

The men and women of Bravo Company of the South Bend-based 6th Engineer Support Battalion left Friday for California, where they will train until their deployment in late August, said Maj. Patrick Trimble, who will command the unit during its tour in Iraq.

Continue reading "Marines from Indiana leave to train for Iraq mission" »

Posted by at 7:22 AM | Permalink

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (July 15, 2006) -- The change from an artillery battalion to a military police battery took two years of training, but the Marines and sailors of Hotel Battery 3rd battalion 14th Marines say it was no problem.

Continue reading "Task Force MP proves change is no problem" »

Posted by at 7:16 AM | Permalink

In searing desert heat, 150 Grand Rapids-based Marines work their way through an Iraqi village.

Continue reading "Preparing for Iraq, it's ready, aim ... fire?" »

Posted by sr at 3:06 PM | Permalink

CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq - Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Donaher, assigned to Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, pays his final respects to a fallen brother, Cpl. Paul N. King, during a memorial service held July 6 at Camp Baharia, Iraq. King, 24, from Tyngsboro, Mass., was killed in action June 25, by small arms fire in Fallujah, Iraq.

Continue reading "‘New England’s Own’ remembers fallen Marine" »

Posted by at 8:53 PM | Permalink

ORLANDO, Fla. -- There were some tears shed at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Orlando on Friday morning as dozens of families bid their loved ones farewell.

More than 40 Marine reservists left for Iraq after saying goodbye to their families, WESH 2 News reported.

Continue reading "Local Soldiers Leave For Iraq" »

Posted by at 8:45 PM | Permalink

It was an emotional goodbye, as 150 Marine reservists left Reading early Saturday morning.

"It's tough. The little ones don't know what's going on. Really all she knows is that daddy has to go to work," said Sgt. Jason Burke, of Reading.

Continue reading "150 Susquehanna Valley Troops Leave For Iraq" »

Posted by at 8:37 PM | Permalink

HANOVER -- Lance Cpl. Egbert Fields was one of 75 Marines who spent hours in the Morris Center YMCA pool Saturday, working hard to meet the Marine Corps swimming requirements. He faced an extra challenge.

Continue reading "Marines stretch limits during aquatic drills" »

Posted by at 9:02 PM | Permalink

Families give reservists an early morning send-off

More than 40 Marine reservists tore away from their loved ones at the crack of dawn Saturday for a deployment halfway across the globe.

Continue reading "Marines deploy for east Africa" »

Posted by at 8:47 PM | Permalink

It's a bitter sweet day for the families of 39 Lubbock Marine Reservists.

Continue reading "Lubbock Marines Begin Seven Month Tour Of Duty" »

Posted by at 8:39 PM | Permalink

- -And Iraq is on the minds of local men and women in uniform and their loved ones.

Marines left the armory in Northeast Philadelphia Saturday - bound for a marine base in California - then to Iraq.
Philadelphia firefighter Tom Verros is a Marine sergeant. He has been to Iraq once already and says their mission has purpose.

Continue reading "Local Marines Head Off to Iraq" »

Posted by at 9:49 PM | Permalink

HADITHA, Iraq (July 7, 2006) -- In Iraq, a country where temperatures often soar above 110 degrees and terrain is mostly fine grains of sand, Cpl. Derek Metallo never thought he’d find himself patrolling Al Anbar province in a boat when he arrived three months ago.

Continue reading "Marines keep Iraq’s waterways safe" »

Posted by at 10:02 PM | Permalink

Eight Marines from our area are making their way south. There the men based in Luzerne County will prepare for their trip to Iraq.

The men, based out of Wyoming Borough, said so long to loved ones around 7 a.m. Friday.

Continue reading "Marines Head to Iraq" »

Posted by at 9:42 PM | Permalink

The Department of Defense announced today the eligibility determination period for the new TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) program, and as a result, every member of the selected reserve will now have the option to purchase their health coverage from TRICARE.

Continue reading "DoD Makes Changes to Qualifications for TRICARE Reserve Select" »

Posted by sr at 3:13 PM | Permalink

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) -- The Marine levels his M-249 Squad Automated Weapon at the man running across the rooftop. "There's an insurgent!" he screams.

Continue reading "Friend or foe? Michigan Marines learn to tell difference" »

Posted by sr at 9:16 AM | Permalink