Archive for the ‘Marines Uncovered’ Category
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Osprey Pilot Realizes Dream in the Corps
Some people go through life not knowing exactly what it is they want to do when they grow up. This was not the case with 1st Lt. Jamie Bunce. “Ever since I was little and [Read more...]
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Marine Connects with Past during Visit with Thai Children
Marines are men and women of diverse cultures, ethnicities and lifestyles who volunteer to serve in the armed forces for many different reasons. What varies even more are the life experiences each Marine brings with [Read more...]
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Marine Overcomes Injury, Deploys to Afghanistan
In an office surrounded by fences with concertina and dirt roads, one Marine is fulfilling a dream in Afghanistan. Several months before he was scheduled to deploy, Lance Cpl. Anthony Zavala injured his hand, putting [Read more...]
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Marine to Draw on Past Experiences as Combat Instructor
A mortarman turned squad leader plans to use his experiences gained while deployed to teach new Marines as a combat instructor. Corporal Ethan Sullivan, squad leader, Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Regimental Combat Team [Read more...]
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Afghanistan Defines Marine Pilot’s Career
Before 9/11, Lt. Col. Jay Holtermann was unsure whether he would continue his military career. Now, Holtermann is serving on his sixth deployment, this one as the commanding officer for Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, [Read more...]
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Becoming a Marine
Before a recruit receives the eagle, globe and anchor and earns the title of United States Marine, he must first endure The Crucible. This two-day event is the final boot camp obstacle and tests recruits’ [Read more...]
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North Pole Marine Trades Snow for Sand in Afghanistan
A Marine from a town most commonly associated with elves, Santa Claus, reindeer and snow has heard all the jokes since he joined the Marine Corps. He is from a town with candy cane themed [Read more...]
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Graduate Joins Distinguished Ranks of Marine Officers
Editor’s Note: Second Lieutenant Olaolu Ogunyemi graduated from Grambling State University Dec. 14 and will accept a commissioning into the United States Marine Corps as the first officer from the university in more than three [Read more...]
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Marine Breaks Records in Powerlifting
Sgt. Cody Lefever wraps his fingers tightly around the bench press bar. He arches his back and pulls his shoulder blades together. He tucks his feet under the bench, lifts on his toes and pulls [Read more...]
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A Legendary Marine Corps Pilot
The morning Col. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington went missing in action, he was leading the “Black Sheep” of Marine Fighter Squadron 214 on a fighter sweep over Rabaul, near Papua New Guinea, crossing 200 miles of [Read more...]
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Mother, Daughter Share Common Experience in Deployment
At the start of Operation Desert Storm, a young Marine was sent to the fight, leaving behind his wife, son and newborn baby girl. His wife, Susanna Garcia, had to rely on letters and the [Read more...]
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Legendary Marine Corps Leader
In the United States, Veterans Day pays homage to service men and women of the nation’s military, those who currently wear the uniform and those who came before. The day, which first garnered national prominence [Read more...]
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“Grand Old Man” Continues to Impact Marines
Editor’s note: This article is part of a series wherein every week we recognize an individual Marine or sailor with Regimental Combat Team 7. The Marines and sailors of RCT-7 are dedicated, disciplined and driven [Read more...]
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Growing up in Alaska Prepares Marine To Be a Scout Sniper
A six-man team of scout snipers hiked through snowy, mountainous terrain under heavy winds. With freezing temperatures and no warming layers packed, the Marines looked to Sgt. Emmanuel P. Velayo to get them through their [Read more...]
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Cancer Survivor Continues to Lead
In the middle of predeployment night-training exercise, Staff Sgt. Nestor “Joe” Cruz struggled to lift his body from the humvee. In fact, he found he could hardly move at all. The Marines’ efforts to extract him [Read more...]
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The Sounds of Freedom
While on a deployment, Marines face stress in all aspects of their day-to-day lives. To counteract these stresses, Marines go to the gym, watch movies, read books and talk to friends and family back home. [Read more...]
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Marine Couple Overcomes Combat Wounds Together
When you’ve practically lost yourself to a wartime attack, been set on fire, clawed yourself free of wreckage without all your limbs intact, your face, arms, legs, even your eyelids are burned away, and you [Read more...]
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Retired Marine Continues to Promote Integrity and Leadership as a Teacher
Ascencion Gomez isn’t an average middle school teacher. He enjoys sitting in a dark classroom, at one point had a weight bench and treadmill in the room, and regularly cuts his students’ hair in addition [Read more...]
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Marines at 5,000 Frames Per Second
Whether firing weapons, blowing things up or taking down opponents in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, Marines strive to be the best in all they do. Sometimes, though, to truly capture the moments of greatness, [Read more...]
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Military Moves: It’s Never Goodbye, It’s See You Later
Living on base has provided one of the most invaluable things in my life: a collection of friends. Throughout my Marine Corps journey, I’ve been lucky enough to find precious gems at every duty station. [Read more...]
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The Art of Military Bearing
Marines put a lot of stock in bearing. One of the 14 Marine Corps Leadership Traits is defined as: “The way you conduct or carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.” [Read more...]
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Marine Veteran Serves Country, Community
Alfred Durham, assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, has been in the force since 1987. Throughout his years of service, he has set himself apart by good conduct, strong leadership and speedy [Read more...]
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Be Careful What You Ask For
Ignorance and brute force … … will get the job done every time. Marines will do anything you need them to do. It’s a true statement. If you give Marines a task they will figure [Read more...]
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A Marine’s First Ride On the Osprey
After tightening the gunner’s belt around my chest, the crew chief motioned for me to walk toward the rear ramp of the MV-22 Osprey. “This is as far as you’ll be able to go!” he [Read more...]
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Kenyan Immigrant Serves Out of Gratitude
He was only 15 years old when his plane was shot down over the Somalian desert. He went unconscious and awoke to a firefight between his father and 15 militants. Douglas O. Ongiyo often travelled [Read more...]
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Marine crew chief gets off the couch, into combat
Sgt. Enrique Zamora, a crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466 and Los Fresnos, Texas, native, keeps an unusual collection with him on flights: a selection of Chevrolet Hot Wheels cars. “For good luck,” [Read more...]
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The Last China Band
From 1927 to 1941, members of the 4th Marine Regiment were stationed in Shanghai, China, protecting American citizens and their property in the Shanghai International Settlement during the Chinese Revolution and the second Sino-Japanese War. [Read more...]
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Getting On With Life
Veteran Sgt. Robert “Bobby” Norman first met his wife, Melissa, when they were just kids while playing baseball with her older brother. They dated on and off for years while Norman, a Shawnee, Okla., native, [Read more...]
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Faces of Transition (A Little Pashto Goes A Long Way)
The meeting was ordinary but the conversation unusual. Seated on opposite sides of a stuffy room inside an Afghan elder’s dirt-walled compound, a pair of Marines and their interpreter relax among friends, sprawling out on [Read more...]
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Remembering Music on Iwo Jima
Pfc. Frank J. Matthews sat resting on the ground with his returning patrol. His wrist was aching more than usual today, and he rubbed the dirty bandage that encircled it and held together his tattered [Read more...]
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Killing Time (Bragging Rights)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELHI, Afghanistan — The ragged dartboard nestled between camouflage uniform items and a giant American flag has seen better days. Thousands of tiny holes pockmark its aged cork scoring area. An ever-increasing [Read more...]
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Life on a Patrol Base
Rise and Shine PT Chow Daily Grind Down Time Letters to Home PATROL BASE BURY, Afghanistan —Their humble home is exceptionally primitive, but it’s all the deployed infantrymen need. Patrol Base Bury, a tiny base [Read more...]
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A Marine Wife’s Boot Camp Story
Young men and women fell silent in their private conversations and eyed me as I walked by. I imagine I looked quite out of place. At almost thirty weeks pregnant with my 15-month-old son on [Read more...]
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Mom Copes With the Loss of Marine Son
Circling the Wagons I know what it means to be a Marine mom. I’ve been one since 2008 when my oldest son, Philip, enlisted. Since then, two more of my seven children have become Marines. [Read more...]
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Killing Time (A Letter A Day)
PATROL BASE BURY, Afghanistan — For six of the eight months he’s been married, Cpl. Devin Deweerdt has lived apart from his wife. Shortly after their wedding, the 20-year-old mortarman left for his last leg [Read more...]
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Faces of Transition (Passing the Torch)
This is the third installment in an ongoing series featuring members of the Afghan National Security Forces, and the Marines and sailors serving with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, during their 2011-2012 deployment to Afghanistan’s [Read more...]
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Portraits of a Warrior
It’s not their wounds that unite them, but their warrior spirit. More than 300 Wounded Warrior Marines, veterans and allies came to Camp Pendleton, Calif., to test their mettle at the 2012 Marine Corps Trials. [Read more...]
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Wounded Body Warrior Spirit (Cpl. Josue Barron)
Pride. That’s one thing Cpl. Josue Barron will always have. You can see it as he sinks three-pointers on the basketball court and as he maneuvers his hand-crank bicycle to the front of a race. [Read more...]
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Wounded Body Warrior Spirit (Sgt. Maj. Raymond Mackey)
Sgt. Maj. Raymond Mackey has been in the Marine Corps for 29 years but will be the first to tell you he can still hang with even the youngest Marines on the basketball court. As [Read more...]
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Wounded Body Warrior Spirit (Lance Cpl. Chuck Sketch)
With no legs to steady himself, Lance Cpl. Chuck Sketch maps out a path with his hands and carefully lowers himself into the water. He positions himself along the edge of the lane before ducking [Read more...]
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Wounded Body Warrior Spirit (Cpl. Anthony McDaniel)
Cpl. Anthony McDaniel sits sprawled on the grass in a pair of red sweatpants and Air Jordans. His smile is genuine and his laugh contagious as he quotes comedian Kevin Hart with one of his track [Read more...]
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America’s First Female African American Combat Pilot
Ever since she was young, Capt. Vernice Armour wanted to be a cop. But more than that, she wanted to speak and be a role model. It wasn’t until she became America’s first female African American [Read more...]
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Killing Time (Hitting The Books)
COMBAT OUTPOST TORBERT, Helmand province, Afghanistan — The small, dusty tent reeks of filthy gear and grimy infantrymen who haven’t seen a real shower in three months. As the day falls into night, they’ve found [Read more...]
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Faces of Transition (The Battered but Unbroken Soldier)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELHI, Helmand province, Afghanistan — The soldier’s youthful eyes and perpetual smile contradict what he’s endured. In 22 years, Afghan National Army Sgt. Khal Mohammad, an infantryman with 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th [Read more...]
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Goodbye ‘Birth Control Glasses’
The standard-issue spectacles, S9s, most widely known as “Birth Control Glasses,” or BCGs, are soon to become a thing of the past. In the coming months, recruits from all branches of service will be issued [Read more...]
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Faces of Transition (The Goofy Logistics Lieutenant)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELHI, Helmand province, Afghanistan — First Lt. Ryan Gulliksen is goofy. The proclamation isn’t an outside observation. It’s an insistent confession backed by an animated personality and matching enthusiasm the lieutenant carries into [Read more...]
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Killing Time (Channeling Boredom Into Board Games)
This is the fourth installment in a series on U.S. Marines and Navy corpsmen from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. After laboring through training in the [Read more...]
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Shooting Tips from the Marine Corps’ Best
Sgt. Patrick Saleh knew he wanted to be a Marine ever since he was a kid. When he was 17 he joined the delayed entry program and a year later, after graduating high school in Fort [Read more...]
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From the Sands of Iwo Jima to Life on the Seven Seas
Experiencing things for the first time can be a scary or exciting moment in the lives of most people. Whether it is your first day of school, starting a new job, driving a car or [Read more...]
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Killing Time (Fighting Through the Wringer)
This is the third installment in a series on U.S. Marines and Navy corpsmen from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. After laboring through training in the [Read more...]
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Marine Father, Son-in-Law Return Simultaneously from Deployment
KANEOHE, Hawaii – Staff Sgt. Eric Smack and 1st Sgt. Shay Henry have a lot in common. They share a birthday, a family, a seven-month Afghanistan deployment — and a plane ride back to Marine [Read more...]
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My Marine Corps Birthday Ball with Justin Timberlake
Words can’t even describe the feelings I have after attending the Marine Corps Ball in Richmond this past weekend. I am so thankful to Justin Timberlake for accompanying me to the Ball and for his [Read more...]
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From Alaska to Afghanistan
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – One Marine’s decision to enlist took him from an icy landscape above the Arctic Circle to the dust-covered deserts of Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. Lawrence Jones, a native of Noatak, Alaska, is [Read more...]
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Through the Ranks: Sergeant Major
‘Through the Ranks’ is a series of feature articles about a day in the life of a deployed Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Each article will highlight an individual’s personal experience through the [Read more...]
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Through the Ranks: Staff Sergeant
‘Through the Ranks,’ is a series of feature articles about a day in the life of a deployed Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Each article will highlight an individual’s personal experience through the [Read more...]
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Killing Time (A sanctuary of spades)
Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in a series on Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. They are preparing for war by training in [Read more...]
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Killing Time (All In a Ball)
Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a series on Marines from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. They are preparing for war by training in [Read more...]
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Through the Ranks: Sergeant
‘Through the Ranks,’ is a recurring commentary about a day in the life of a deployed Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Each commentary will highlight an individual’s personal experience through the perspective of [Read more...]
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Through the Ranks: Corporal
‘Through the Ranks,’ is a recurring commentary about a day in the life of a deployed Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Each commentary will highlight an individual’s personal experience through the perspective of [Read more...]
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Through the Ranks: Lance Corporal
‘Through the Ranks,’ is a recurring commentary about a day in the life of a deployed Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Each commentary will highlight an individual’s personal experience through the perspective of [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – BEARING
By: Staff Sgt. Greg Thomas BEARING is this week’s Marine Corps leadership trait, and it’s defined as, “the way you conduct and carry yourself. Your manner should reflect alertness, competence, confidence, and control.” This trait [Read more...]
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Through the Ranks: Private First Class
‘Through the Ranks,’ is a recurring commentary about a day in the life of a deployed Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. Each commentary will highlight an individual’s personal experience through the perspective of [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – ENTHUSIASM
Next up on our list of the Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits is ENTHUSIASM, which is defined as, “a sincere interest and exuberance in the performance of your duties. If you are enthusiastic, you are [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – INTEGRITY
I believe this week’s leadership trait is probably one of the most important in everyday life, and that trait is INTEGRITY, which means, “… you are honest and truthful in what you say or do. [Read more...]
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Changes made to swim qualification requirements
Swim qualification is one of many requirements necessary for Marines throughout their careers. For many, it is the hardest. Whether you were an “iron duck” in boot camp or a member of your high school [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – TACT
I’m back to talk about TACT, which is next up on our list of the 14 Marine Corps leadership traits. The textbook definition of TACT is, “… you can deal with people in a manner [Read more...]
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Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – DEPENDABILITY
The third Marine Corps leadership trait in the acronym J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE is DEPENDABILITY, which means, “You can be relied upon to perform your duties properly. It means that you can be trusted to [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – INITIATIVE
Next up on our list of the 14 Marine Corps leadership traits is INITIATIVE, which in this case means, “taking action even though you haven’t been given orders. It means meeting new and unexpected situations [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – DECISIVENESS
DECISIVENESS is next up on our list of the 14 Marine Corps leadership traits, and in this case, it means, “… you are able to make good decisions without delay. Get all the facts and [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – JUDGMENT
We explored the leadership trait JUSTICE last week, and this week we’re going to look at the trait JUDGMENT, which is defined as, “… your ability to think about things clearly, calmly, and in an [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits – JUSTICE
We took a broad look at the Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits last week, and today, we’re going to start focusing on the individual traits. The first trait in the acronym J.J. DID TIE BUCKLE is [Read more...]
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Corps leadership traits – overview
9th Marine Corps District Over the next few weeks, I’m going to examine the Marine Corps’ 14 leadership traits. We’ll take a look at what they are, define them, apply them to a Marine’s life [Read more...]
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Why Am I Here? A Drill Instructor’s Story
Every Marine remembers that ominous feeling of uncertainty as they made their entrance into the squad bays. The thoughts of “why am I here,” or “what have I gotten myself into” grow more distinct in [Read more...]
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Adapt and Overcome
Editors Note: Adapt and overcome: many Marines have applied this motto to cope with the stresses of combat and returning home. Some hunt. Some write stories or blogs. Many wrap themselves up in their hobbies. [Read more...]
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A leader we all can follow
Chuck Norris reflects on an extraordinary example of leadership found in his friend and the new commandant of the Marines Corps, Gen. James Amos.
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Lessons Learned: Lt. Col. Diana Staneszewski
Lt. Col. Diana Staneszewski is a Western woman who communicates with Afghans in their native tongue, bridging the language barrier.
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Lessons Learned: Master Sgt. Stephen Nelson
Master Sgt. Stephen Nelson is a Communications Chief at 8th Communication Battalion. The Los Alamos, New Mexico native has served 19 years in the Marine Corps.
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A Hero’s Sacrifice: Sgt. Rafael Peralta
Rosa Peralta and her children deserve for Sgt. Rafael Peralta to be remembered by our nation as the hero his Marines consider him.
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Marine Corps body bearers maintain honor
The Marine Corps’ body bearers have one of the most unique duties in the Corps. The group of 13 Marines carry the caskets of fellow Marines through the streets of Arlington National Cemetery and surrounding National Capital region cemeteries, as the last salute to fallen members of the 234-year-old brotherhood.