Archive for the ‘On Target’ Category
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Corps’ Top Leaders Address Lifting of Combat Exclusion Policy
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta officially announced the end of the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule excluding women from assignment to units and positions whose primary mission is to engage in direct [Read more...]
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Marines Corpswide are Hitting the Books
Marines have always taken pride in their rich history and the valor of Marines who have come before them. The acts of legendary figures like Dan Daly, Chesty Puller and John Ripley have inspired Marines [Read more...]
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Photo of the Year Winner: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
You voted, and 2012’s Corps Top Shot comes from Cpl. Reece Lodder. Lodder, a combat correspondent, captured this photo in January 2012 while helping to clear houses of insurgent activity during Operation Tageer Shamal (Pashto [Read more...]
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So Long Flexed Arm Hang
Effective Jan. 1, 2014, pull-ups will replace the flexed arm hang for female Marines during the physical fitness test. An All Marine Corps Activities was released Nov. 27, stating that the Marine Corps will phase [Read more...]
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Interview with Marine who Assisted Rescue Efforts after Hurricane Sandy
Editor’s Note: On Oct. 29, Hurricane Sandy ripped through the city of New York. Among the chaos of floodwaters and winds close to 80 mph, a transformer in the Queens neighborhood of Rockaway Beach burst [Read more...]
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First Lady of the Marine Corps’ Recommended Reading List
For Spouses: Separated by Duty, United in Love by Shellie Vandevoorde 1001 Things to Love about Military Life by Tara Crooks, Starlett Henderson, Kathie Hightower and Holly Scherer Help! I’m a Military Spouse–I Get a Life [Read more...]
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The Impact of the Beirut Bombing
Editor’s note: In 1982 Marines were sent to Lebanon as peacekeepers during the Lebanese Civil War. On Oct. 23, 1983, a truck filled with explosives crashed into a Marine barracks building in Beirut, Lebanon, [Read more...]
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How to Look Your Best at the Marine Corps Ball
The 237th Marine Corps Birthday Ball is right around the corner. As wives, fiances and girlfriends, we are lucky enough to be invited to share in this event. The evening is about honoring the traditions of [Read more...]
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Marine Corps Addresses News Report Regarding Medal of Honor
A recent article by McClatchy has brought into question the heroic actions that led to the decision to award the Medal of Honor to Sgt. Dakota Meyer on Sept. 15, 2011. This is the latest [Read more...]
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Commandant Speaks On Suicide In the Corps
The key to preventing suicide among our Marines is engaged leadership, from small unit leaders all the way up through the chain of command. Our noncommissioned officers are our first line of defense when it comes to recognizing [Read more...]
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Stress and Suicide in the Corps
After Barbara Christianson got off work on Jan. 24, she picked up her 4-year-old grandson Nate, ran by the grocery store and McDonald’s, and headed home. Christianson’s neighbor hated when anyone parked in the street [Read more...]
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Marines of Honor (A look at the Corps and the Medal of Honor)
On July 10, 1863, Cpl. John F. Mackie became the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor, which is the highest U.S. military award for bravery, has been awarded 298 [Read more...]
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Silent Drill Platoon Schedule 2012
The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon represents the precision, skill and discipline of the United States Marine Corps. The flawless, synchronized movements of this 24-man team have inspired crowds since 1948. Check out their approved [Read more...]
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What Every Deployed Marine Needs: A Care Package
Whether your Marine is a grunt or an administration clerk, a dog handler or a pilot, receiving care packages when on a long deployment can mean much-needed strength to make it just one more day. [Read more...]
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One Day at a Time: Supporting a Family Member with PTSD
When my kid brother left for Iraq he was just that — a kid. He returned home shattered inside. The “dark pit,” as he calls it, was hidden underneath his gruff, infantry-tattooed exterior. [Read more...]
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Developing Ethical Leaders, Better Decision Makers
The Marine Corps has a history of implementing new ideas and teachings to better equip Marines for success. From the use of new technology such as helicopter insertion during the Korean War, to recent policy [Read more...]
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Marine Corps to launch new holistic fitness program
You may be physically fit, but are you MCFIT? The Marine Corps is developing a new fitness program called Marine Corps Fitness Improvement Tool to improve awareness of the total fitness of Marines. A group [Read more...]
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Why We Serve Campaign
Upon enlistment, a Marine makes a pledge to protect and defend the United States, its people and its way of life. For many Marines, however, dedication to the American people goes beyond their duty to [Read more...]
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Marine Corps focuses on sexual assault prevention, awareness
“Sexual assault has no place in this department,” said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. “It is an affront to the basic American values we defend and to the good honor of our service members and their [Read more...]
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First Group of Women to Attend Infantry Training
The Marine Corps plans to send the first group of female Marines through the previously male-only Infantry Officers Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., this year. The change is part of a research initiative to [Read more...]
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Reduction By the Numbers: “A smaller, but still lethal force”
Prior to Department of Defense budget cut talks, the Marine Corps planned to reduce troops from 202,000 to 186,800 to accommodate a post-war Marine Corps. Due to budget changes and the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan, [Read more...]
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Celebrating 100 Years of Marine Corps Aviation
“Flying … means a new and wonderful weapon of warfare, the value of which is not appreciated in this country.” – 1st Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham, 1916 This May, Marine Corps aviation will celebrate its [Read more...]
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Insurgents Inside the Wire
According to allegations, Lance Cpl. Harry Lew kept falling asleep on his post in Afghanistan. As punishment, two other lance corporals in his unit made Lew do push-ups, leg lifts and side planks. They poured sand [Read more...]
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The Marine Corps’ Non-Lethal Capabilities
Earlier this week, we hosted our first Facebook town hall meeting to discuss the capabilities of the Marine Corps’ new non-lethal system, the Active Denial System. The ADS uses a 95-gigahertz, millimeter wave beam that [Read more...]
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Marines help Afghans stand on their own
When the Marine Corps was preparing for Operation Al-Fajr in the fall of 2004, they enlisted the help of as many Iraqi soldiers as they could find, many of which turned around and went home [Read more...]
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21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus held an All Hands call on board USS Bataan March 6 and announced the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative. Mabus said the initiative was designed to better prepare [Read more...]
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Stolen Valor Unconstitutional?
Is the Stolen Valor Act Unconstitutional? Today, the Supreme Court ruled it is. The Act, signed into law in December 2006, made it illegal to falsely claim to be the recipient of military honors and decorations. The [Read more...]
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Women get one step closer to combat
For the last several years, in the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, women have fought and died in combat zones. Although not serving in infantry units, female medics, military police officers and intelligence officers [Read more...]
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Imminent Danger Pay: What you need to know
Before the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, service members received the full monthly amount of imminent danger pay for serving any time in a designated imminent danger area. Effective Feb. 1, the Department of Defense began [Read more...]
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Energy efficient. Combat effective.
In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called on all Americans to do their part in redefining our infrastructure and encouraging Congress to follow the military’s example. “At a time when [Read more...]
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Be In the Know This Election Day
In November, voters across America will head for the polls to decide the next president of the United States of America. For those in the military, they will be electing a new commander-in-chief. It is [Read more...]
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Election Year Reminders
Recently, Cpl. Jesse Thorsen, an Army reservist, took the podium at a rally for presidential candidate Ron Paul in Iowa – disregarding Defense Department Directive 1344.10, which restricts political activity by DoD personnel. The corporal’s [Read more...]
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Assistant Commandant Sets the Record Straight
The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., spoke to the Center for Strategic and International Studies Dec. 7. Highlights of his presentation include: An historical perspective of draw downs Notably he [Read more...]
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What’s next for the F-35?
According to a recent National Defense magazine article, the Marine Corps would be weakened if the Joint Strike Fighter, the world’s first supersonic and radar-evading stealth aircraft with short take-off and vertical landing capabilities, isn’t [Read more...]
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September 11, 2001: “This was our moment”
Like many Americans, Master Sgt. Ardell W. Brown remembers exactly what he was doing when the World Trade Center went down on the morning of September 11, 2001. It was business as usual in the [Read more...]
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Freeze on Basic Allowance for Housing
Throughout the Corps, Marines have done whatever it takes to get out of the barracks, but is barracks-life really all that bad? Whatever your opinion, you can expect to see more non-commissioned officers living in [Read more...]
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Marines leave their mark beyond the atmosphere through NASA
More than 50 years ago, the United States created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA. Right away, the United States began competing against Russia to explore space in what was later [Read more...]
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Sec. Gates bids farewell to troops
To the men and women of the United States armed forces: It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve and to lead you for the past four and a half years. All of [Read more...]
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St. Louis will never be the same
The promo for Marine Week St. Louis said that after this week, the city of St. Louis would never be the same. After just one day of events, I believe it.
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The Art of War: combat artist displays depth of war
The National Museum of the Marine Corps Traveling Exhibit showcases a collection of paintings by Marine combat artists. The exhibit is currently being displayed at Federal Hall as part of Fleet Week New York 2011. [Read more...]
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We fight over there, so we don’t have to fight here
At Approximately 11:30 p.m. last night, president Barrack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda. Americans celebrated in the streets of Washington and New York live on national television as the [Read more...]
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Most sought after duty in Marine Corps
When I first became interested in the Marine Corps, I wanted nothing more than to be a recruiter; to be on the streets finding those few American’s willing and able to be Marines. Once I [Read more...]
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Women in Combat – Will it happen?
On June 12, 1948, President Harry Truman signed into law the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. The Act gave women permanent status in the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marines. The services became an [Read more...]
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Leading by example
Marines lead, and everyone else follows. This might not be a famous quote that I can attribute to anyone in particular, but I think Marines would agree. Shortly after the statement, members from other services [Read more...]
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Corps’ amphibious character at stake
The Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle may be up on the fiscal chopping block, but what implications does losing the EFV have for the Corps’ overall amphibious mission? The skeptical Marine may conclude this is [Read more...]
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Corps faces change, but remains true to legacy
The Marine Corps is changing. We’ve been landlocked in Afghanistan and Iraq for nearly 10 years. We utilize equipment long after its life expectancy. We deploy at high operational tempos. Even still, Marines have never [Read more...]
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No imminent change to the BAH policy
A recent Marine Corps Times article raised concern for non-commissioned officers throughout the Corps – unmarried ones that is. The article states that fewer single-sergeants and below will be allowed to move off base in [Read more...]
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Despite budget cuts, Marines remain amphibious
The current penchant by some for questioning the Marine Corps’ need for an amphibious tracked vehicle suggests an ignorance of history and a lack of understanding of the future; it is unsupported by hard lessons learned, world trends, and a security environment characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. Our Nation will most certainly require continued global access from the sea, and just as certainly there are forces at work that are actively and aggressively attempting to deny us that much needed access.
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Heart of a champion, soul of a hero
I had the honor of attending the commissioning ceremony for the USS Jason Dunham in Port Everglades, Fla., recently. Dunham received the Medal of Honor for his unselfish display of heroism in Karabilah, Iraq on [Read more...]
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A birthday message from sports Hall of Famer
Sports Hall of Famer Rod Carew sends birthday wishes to the Marines.
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Adm. Mullen wishes Marines happy birthday
From Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff For 235 years, United States Marines have earned a privileged place in our hearts. For we know that when there is a tough job to do, [Read more...]
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Combat fit, combat ready
It’s that time of year. The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, and Marines Corpswide are preparing to take their annual combat fitness test for the new fiscal year. Preparation for the CFT [Read more...]
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Balancing tattoo passion with Corps standards
Hey, what’s with the tattoo policy? As absurd as this question is, it’s one that is asked quite often by those serving in the Marine Corps as well as those seeking to join – and [Read more...]
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Suffering doesn’t end with suicide
A holiday weekend just passed. Two of my friends didn’t celebrate with me. I can’t even begin to speculate what was going through their minds in those final moments before they took their own lives, [Read more...]