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Jan. 2013 - Cover
Jan. 2013 - Crazy Caption
Jan. 2013 - Laffs
Jan. 2013 - Letter of the Month
Jan. 2013 - Photo of the Month
Inside the January 2013 Leatherneck Magazine

This is a repost of a blog entry on Tom Ricks' The Best Defense blog. It appears here with his permission.

13 Keys to Keeping Your Faith in the Marine Corps, Beginning with Learning How to Reconcile the Ideal with the Real

Monday, January 7, 2013 - 12:38 PM
By Lt. Col. Victor Bunch, USMC
Best Defense guest respondent

I'd like to address the series of posts by junior Marine Officers with a rejoinder that may put their concerns into some perspective.  My own experience is probably not uncommon and may be instructive. With an eye on the practical benefits of career military service, I nonetheless joined the Marine Corps for mostly idealistic reasons that are well-known to any Marine: I wanted to join a storied brotherhood that exemplified the best in warrior virtues.

True to the recruiting poster's promise ... the Corps wasn't a "rose garden". I had pre-conceived notions about what the USMC would be like, and my initial experiences didn't align precisely with those expectations. As I grew older in the Corps, I saw its faults. The bureaucracy was maddening and the Marines were not ten-foot tall Spartans. I encountered some questionable leadership and policies/practices that didn't quite make sense.

READ THE FULL POST HERE.

Your Corps This Week

Tearing Down the Navy Annex
"Demolition work has begun on the Navy Annex near the Pentagon, a collection of seven-decade-old buildings that once was the Marine Corps headquarters." [The Washington Post]
Sandy Marines Return To Sea
USS BATAAN, At Sea -- Embarked aboard the USS Bataan, the USS San Antonio, and the USS Carter Hall, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned to the waves once more Dec. 11, 2012. After traveling from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., and then out to sea, the MEU is taking part in training exercises covering the length and breadth of the its widely varied mission sets.
Corps To Implement Pull-Ups For Females
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- It was intimidating at first. I looked up into the sky at a distance that seemed far too great for me to reach, considering I stand tall at just under five feet. But I was determined. I could do it. I mean, the 70-second flexed-arm hang was a breeze, how hard could one pull-up be?
Montford Point Marines Extend Gratitude
The Marine Corps Association & Foundation hosted the Camp Lejeune Luncheon at the Marston Pavilion on Oct. 31 for active duty, retirees, spouses and Corps friends. The guest speaker was SgtMaj Robert "Grant" VanOostrom Sergeant Major, II Marine Expeditionary Force.
Military Illustrator of the Year Honored for Leatherneck Magazine Cover Art
Marine Sergeant Shawn Sales, a Visual Communications Instructor at the Department of Defense Information School, Ft. Meade, Md., the reigning Military Illustrator of the Year, was honored by Leatherneck magazine for his September issue cover art. Making the presentation was retired Marine Major Bob Jordan, a former Leatherneck staffer and current DINFOS faculty member. Sales and Jordan were participants in a luncheon meeting of the USMC Combat Correspondents Association's Maryland Chapter, held at Club Meade on Nov. 16.
Company Honor Graduate for Company G, 2d Recruit Training Battalion, Receives MCA&F's Chesty Puller Award
Private First Class Sergio De La Cruz (center) holds the Marine Corps Association & Foundation-sponsored Chesty Puller Award after the Marine Corps recruit training graduation ceremony at MCRD San Diego, Nov. 02, 2012. Cruz, from Norwalk, Calif., was named Company Honor Graduate for Company G, 2d Recruit Training Battalion.

Saturday Reading

Marines Becomes A Second “Family Business”
The Buffalo News
The Song All Marines’ Salute mysouthwestga.com
Sailors, Marines At Work Overseas San Diego Union-Tribune
Marine Corps Museum, Base Seek Welcome-Home Signs Marines.mil
Preserving Camp Pendleton’s History San Diego Union-Tribune
Marines Celebrate New Year With Mochitsuki Marines.mil
(Video) Star Trek Replicators For The U.S. Army Fox News
Opinion: Don’t Close Guantanamo New York Times
2012 Year In Photos Marines.mil
Why Pay More? Try The Thrift Store Marines.mil

Multimedia

Photo Marine Awarded for Leatherneck Cover Photo

Col Michael Frazier, Force Fires Coordinator, Regional Command Southwest, presents Cpl Robert Reeves a plaque from the Marine Corps Association & Foundation, publisher of Leatherneck Magazine, Jan. 2, 2013.

Photo Gallery On Duty: Jan. 11
Audio Q & A: Andrew Lubin Talks To MajGen Ronald Bailey About Operation Steel Knight

MajGen Ronald Bailey, Commanding General, 1st Marine Division, talks to Leatherneck Magazine about Operation Steel Knight.

Photo Gallery Leatherneck Laffs - January 1981
Photo Gallery On Duty: Jan. 4
Photo Gallery Leatherneck Laffs - January 1977

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BACKGROUND READING:

U.S. Is Open To Withdrawal Of Afghan Force After 2014 (The New York Times)
Afghanistan War: “Zero Option” Could Lead to Civil War, Taliban Takeover (The Huffington Post)

Events Around The Corps

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NAMM Celebrates The Armed Forces
24 January 2013 | Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.
National High School Video Challenge Puts Spotlight On Korean War U.S. Veterans
06 December 2012 | Nationwide
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Fundraiser
23 March 2013 | Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C.
See All Events

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Today In History

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13 January

Eagle, Globe, and Anchor1943 - The 2dMarDiv launched a westward coastal attack at Guadalcanal.
Related Article: Guadalcanal: 40 Years Ago By P.L. Thompson Leatherneck Magazine (Aug 1982)