Archive for March, 2012

• 1
  

  Killing Time (Bragging Rights)

  Features, Marines Uncovered  //  March 27th, 2012  //  By Cpl. Reece Lodder

  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...]

• 10
  

  Insurgents Inside the Wire

  On Target  //  March 26th, 2012  //  By Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers

  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...]

• 3
  

  Being Safe Has its Rewards

  Corps Connections  //  March 22nd, 2012  //  By Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers

  In the Marine Corps, safety is paramount. Whether on the range, the flight line, the obstacle course or just doing every day operations, the Corps strives to keep its Marines safe and mission-ready. To this end,  [Read more...]

• 14
  

  Life on a Patrol Base

  Features, Marines Uncovered  //  March 21st, 2012  //  By Cpl. Reece Lodder

  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...]

• 29
  

  A Marine Wife’s Boot Camp Story

  Features, Marines Uncovered  //  March 15th, 2012  //  By Hannah Wetzel

  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...]

• 4
  

  A Marine’s Journal (Respect and Suspicion)

  Continuing Operations, Features  //  March 14th, 2012  //  By 1st Lt. David Morgenstern

  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...]

• 21
  

  The Marine Corps’ Non-Lethal Capabilities

  On Target  //  March 13th, 2012  //  By Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers

  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...]

• 1
  

  Marines help Afghans stand on their own

  Features, On Target  //  March 7th, 2012  //  By Lance Cpl. Daniel Wetzel

  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...]

• 70
  

  Mom Copes With the Loss of Marine Son

  Features, Marines Uncovered  //  March 7th, 2012  //  By Phyllis McGeath as told to Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers

  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...]

• 6
  

  21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative

  Features, On Target  //  March 6th, 2012  //  By Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers

  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...]

• 6
  

  Killing Time (A Letter A Day)

  Features, Marines Uncovered  //  March 5th, 2012  //  By Cpl. Reece Lodder

  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...]