Archive for the ‘Continuing Operations’ Category
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Marine Becomes More Than a Rifleman as Scout Sniper
Snipers have been the focus of envy and the personification of legends in the Marine Corps since men like Carlos Hathcock and Chuck Mawhinney looked down their scopes in the jungles of Vietnam. The recent [Read more...]
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Marines Return to Work with Much Improved Afghan Forces
Marines with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, recently returned to southern Afghanistan, two years after their deployment to the Marjah area. The opportunity to return to the same area allowed some [Read more...]
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Operation Golden Gate to Connect Afghanistan People
Ground was broken for the start of Operation Golden Gate in the Sangin District of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 4. Marines, sailors and soldiers are working together in an effort to build a bridge more [Read more...]
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M249 Becomes an Endangered Species in the Corps
As full integration of the Infantry Automatic Rifle into the Marine Corps’ arsenal becomes complete, the M249 Light Machine Gun, formerly the Squad Automatic Weapon, slowly fades into the history of the Corps. The SAW [Read more...]
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Marines Help Sangin Stand Tall
It has been seven long months for the Marines and sailors of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, but they will soon return home from Sangin, Afghanistan, to be reunited with family and friends. [Read more...]
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Marines Secure New Areas in Afghanistan
Entering the Trek Nawa District of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Marines with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, provided a military presence absent to the region for nearly a year. Arriving [Read more...]
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Combat Engineers Make an Impact During Training
“30 seconds!” A small formation of Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 Marines, most of them combat engineers, stares silently at a small desert clearing. It’s a pretty normal scene for Yuma’s ranges – rugged emptiness [Read more...]
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Afghan Air Force Provides Air Support for Afghan National Army
Afghan Air Force MI-17 helicopters arrive in a whirlwind of dust and debris as their rotors disrupt the ground below them at Camp Tombstone, Afghanistan. The entirely Afghan-manned crew will support an Afghan National Army [Read more...]
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Proper equipment saves Marine’s life
PATROL BASE DETROIT, Afghanistan – Every day Marines put on their protective gear and put their lives in danger. They wear a heavy flak jacket, Kevlar helmet and fire retardant clothing. With temperatures reaching more [Read more...]
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First Time, First Firefight – Marine Stays Focused During Combat
It’s a moment of truth for many Marines – the first time they are in combat and their training is put to the test. When his squad took enemy contact during a recent patrol through [Read more...]
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Tanks Support Infantry Marines in Afghanistan
One of a Marine’s best friends in battle is 67-tons of steel, armor and fire power. In Helmand province, Afghanistan, Marines with Bravo Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 6, are using the M1A1 [Read more...]
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An Inside Look at the F-35 Lightning II
Col. Arthur Tomassetti has been an integral part of the development of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and its prototype the X-35 since its inception. The F-35, which features three variants to be used [Read more...]
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Marines Emerge Unscathed From Operation Jaws
KAJAKI, Afghanistan – The Marines of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment added to their rich history when they trekked through Zamindawar, one of the few remaining insurgent strongholds in Afghanistan, May 26-June 9, to disrupt [Read more...]
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Journey Through the Snow (Part 3)
On the last leg of our training, we had to leave Grouse Meadows and head up to Summit, almost 1,000 feet higher in elevation. We filled in the trenches and holes where our tents used [Read more...]
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Journey Through the Snow (Part 2)
Editors note: This is the second in a three-part series written from the perspective of a combat correspondent new to cold weather and high altitude training. Our first few days were spent acclimating to [Read more...]
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Journey Through the Snow (Part I)
I’m not an infantryman. I’ve never been part of a grunt unit. But, I’ll be spending the next month with them in the wilds of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I’ve been attached to 2nd Battalion, [Read more...]
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Dogs of War: Friends and Saviors of Marines in Afghanistan
GARMSIR DISTRICT, Afghanistan— Without the Marine’s watchful eyes and his dog’s trained nose, the round metal container packed with 40 pounds of homemade explosives could have wreaked destruction on their patrol. The Feb. 8 security [Read more...]
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The L-ATV: a smoother ride for Marines
I’ve never prided myself in knowing a lot about horsepower, vehicles or engines. I didn’t have to be a grease monkey, though, to notice the difference in smoothness and maneuverability of the new Oshkosh Defense vehicle. [Read more...]
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A Marine’s Journal (Respect and Suspicion)
The explosion was loud, powerful and sudden. Instantly everyone in the Joint Operations Center (JOC) hit the floor – standard procedure for a potential rocket or mortar attack, but a new experience for me. When [Read more...]
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Through the Eyes of Infantrymen
PATROL BASE 7171, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Infantry Marines deployed to Afghanistan endure trials that Americans unfamiliar with military life cannot begin to fathom. Inclement weather, insatiable hunger, perpetual fatigue and direct combat with enemy [Read more...]
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Operation Western Gambit: Commander’s Point of View
On Nov. 26, Operation Western Gambit began. Marines from 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, loaded into helicopters and trucks from their bases in Now Zad and Musa Qal’eh Districts to enter into villages where coalition [Read more...]
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Marines respond to Thailand flood crisis
Marines joined with Thailand forces in a true crisis situation on Oct. 15 when III Marine Expeditionary Force sent a task force of Marines to assist the Royal Government of Thailand in flood relief efforts. [Read more...]
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Future of the Marine Corps Afghanistan drawdown
Earlier this year, President Barack Obama announced the drawdown of 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year – that’s 10 percent of the entire U.S. force in theater with 1,000 to 2,000 [Read more...]
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Marines strengthen Aussie alliance
Marines have been known for their prowess on land, air and sea, but now Marines are going ‘down under’. President Barack Obama announced that the United States would begin deploying Marines to Australia in 2012. [Read more...]
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Coming of age through war: Cpl. Timothy Stark
Cpl. Timothy Stark wrings his hands, unconsciously tapping the wedding band on his ring finger as he speaks about his wife and unborn daughter. The rigors of deployment are not new to Stark, a mortarman [Read more...]
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“Dragons” fly aboard USS Essex
For almost 20 years, Marines and Sailors of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), have supported the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit during deployments to the Asia-Pacific region. Recently that tradition was continued as HMM 265 [Read more...]
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9/11 Generation
I was three at the end of the Gulf War. Throughout my childhood, I only knew peacetime; until that fateful Tuesday morning that shook America to her core. I was 14 and I couldn’t wrap [Read more...]
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Bonds of brotherhood help 3/4 Marines focus during deployment
Thoughts of those left home during a deployment can weigh on a young man’s mind when he enters a combat zone for the first time. Fortunately he is not alone. His fellowMarines step in to become [Read more...]
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Fallen squad leader lives on
I heard the final rifle volley and saw the winding procession of somber Marines, yet I’m sure Sgt. Joseph Garrison was there. Though I never shook his hand or looked him in the eye, his [Read more...]
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Targets Destroyed In Three Minutes Or Less
As soon as the call comes in from the forward observer, the countdown begins. Three minutes is all the Marines from Mortars Platoon, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, have. Three minutes to plot [Read more...]
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Marines witness world’s 5th most powerful earthquake in Japan
A devastating tsunami unleashed by Japan’s biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast March 11, killing thousands of people. The 8.9 Earthquake reportedly carried away ships, cars and homes, and triggered widespread fires that [Read more...]
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Does size really matter?
Ever since the news came out of the Pentagon about the reshaping, restructure, or “right-sizing” of the Marine Corps, anyone who has a say about it has voiced their opinions. Some reactions are valid, while [Read more...]
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Will Afghanistan be forgotten?
In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion article, an interesting question was asked. Will Afghanistan be a forgotten war? It’s difficult for me to wrap my head around this idea. To even pose the question [Read more...]
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Where REAL Marines are made: East or West
Marines. The few. The proud. Way more than a slogan, it truly is a way of life. Many mistake the pride that accompanies earning the title “Marine” with arrogance or an inflated ego too big [Read more...]
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Back to Our ‘Amphibious Roots’
Public Affairs Officer for II Marine Expeditionary Force In the summer of 2008, then commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James T. Conway, released a message to all Marines and sailors commanding them to reestablish [Read more...]
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Two weeks after the last shot
After many months deployed, it came down to what seemed to be a rushed transition. I was in Afghanistan one day and Washington the next.
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Pirate takedown, force recon style
Over a 48 hour period, the 15th MEU/PELARG team conducted offensive air operations in Afghanistan resulting in the deaths of 5 confirmed enemy fighters, provided disaster relief in Pakistan to 120 victims who had been [Read more...]
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“Last Frame”
I LOVE my job! In my three months in Afghanistan, I’ve had the opportunity to travel Zabul Province, Herat and Farah (in the western part of the country) and now to Spin-Boldak (or Spin-B), which [Read more...]
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African journalist embraces Social Media
Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. The government has very stringent policies on releasing information. Cpl. Scott Schmidt shares his experience while mentoring journalists with the press corps in Mozambique.
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CAX Stache
It is ugly. It is annoying. Sand, shaving cream and food get stuck in it. And, since you let it grow wild, it is often out of regulation. The Marine Corps is packed with rules and regulations, including those on mustache grooming, but above all things — tradition shapes the Corps. The CAX Stache will upset people but, they understand the tradition.