9/2/2010 By Lance Cpl. Jennifer Pirante , Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE TINDAL, Australia — More than 300 Marines migrated toward the outback for exercise Southern Frontier at Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal, Australia, last week.
Continue reading " Marines land in land down under, kick off" »
9/2/2010 By Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado , 2nd Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Constant movement, hectic work schedules and the steady flow of Marines and sailors coming in for legal advice and services keeps the Legal Services Support Section, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, busier than any other in the Marine Corps.
Continue reading " LSSS takes care of Marines and sailors to fullest extent of the law" »
Story Published: Sep 1, 2010 at 10:50 PM MDT
WASHINGTON D.C. - The Department of Defense confirms a Boise marine has been killed in Afghanistan.
August 30, 2010 5:47 AM
HOPE HODGE
Two Camp Lejeune Marines who gave everything for their country in 2008, are remembered two years later in an unusual way: a comic strip.
Continue reading "Lejeune Marine heroes remembered in comic panel" »
THE DAILY NEWS, JACKSONVILLE, N.C. | August 29, 2010
Aug. 29--The Defense Department has identified a Navy casualty from Camp Lejeune.
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd) Public Affairs
Story by Sgt. Deanne Hurla
Date08.27.2010
Date Posted:08.28.2010 12:04
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) proved its versatility and flexibility as they stepped up to support the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit on its way to Pakistan – without compromising its already-intense combat operations support.
Continue reading "3rd MAW (Fwd) Hosts MEU Helos Preparing for Pakistan" »
By Justin George and Emily Nipps, Times Staff Writers
In Print: Friday, August 27, 2010
TAMPA — Liza Natkin wants people to know about the boy in the pictures: her son at the Keys, in his senior portrait, holding a rifle, flexing his muscles in the mirror, playing electric guitar.
Continue reading "Mother of fallen Marine shares her grief with public" »
By Ashok Selvam | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 8/26/2010
A moment of silence is planned Friday to remember fallen Marine C.J. Boyd during Palatine High School's away football game versus Lake Forest High School.
Continue reading "Moment of silence, memorial service planned to remember fallen Marine" »
By Cali Bagby and Dan Morrison
Story Published: Aug 25, 2010 at 6:00 AM PDT
COMBAT OUTPOST TURBETT, Afghanistan - “Let’s go, we’re gonna blow an IED,” said Staff Sargeant Michael Sickles, Fox Company's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician.
BY BILL O'BRIEN, ALEX PIAZZA, and LINDSAY VANHULLE
Traverse City Record Eagle
August 24, 2010
TRAVERSE CITY — Jason Dean Calo was a bona fide leader who quarterbacked his football team to victory against area rivals.
Continue reading "Local Marine dies Sunday in Afghanistan" »
Military announces Marine death in Afghanistan
Posted: August 24, 2010
Associated Press
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Military officials say a North Carolina-based Marine has been killed in combat in Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Military announces Marine death in Afghanistan" »
8/24/2010 By Lance Cpl. Santiago G. Colon Jr, 26th MEU
Marines and sailors with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will depart from here beginning Thursday afternoon to board the ships of Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group in Norfolk. The Marines will continue to board personnel and equipment throughout the weekend.
Continue reading "26th MEU deploys to support Pakistan flood relief" »
by Jeff Mason
KMOV.com
Posted on August 22, 2010 at 7:54 PM
Updated Monday, Aug 23 at 1:13 PM
(KMOV) -- A St. Charles marine almost had his wedding plans ruined when his deployment date was moved up.
Posted on Monday, 08.23.10
The Associated Press
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Military officials say a North Carolina-based Marine has been killed in combat in Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Military announces Marine death in Afghanistan" »
By Dan Morrison for KVAL.com
Story Published: Aug 22, 2010 at 1:00 PM MDT
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - 1st Platoon, off to our west, made contact with the Taliban before we did.
Continue reading "Why Marines in Afghanistan want the Taliban to open fire" »
By Cali Bagby and Dan Morrison for KVAL.com
Story Published: Aug 21, 2010
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - 2nd Platoon, 4th Squad, Fox Company, 2/6 Marine Infantry pushed out of Combat Outpost Turbett before sunrise.
Continue reading "On patrol in Afghanistan: 'It was a good firefight'" »
By Hattie Brown Garrow
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 21, 2010
Lance Cpl. Cody S. Childers, 19, died Friday while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, the Department of Defense announced today.
Continue reading "Marine from Chesapeake killed in Afghanistan" »
Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Story by Lance Cpl. Andrew Johnston
Date08.20.2010
Date Posted:08.21.2010
MARJAH, Afghanistan - Marines and sailors with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, gathered with a group of local Afghans to celebrate the grand opening of a newly renovated mosque, Aug 20, in Marjah.
Continue reading "Marines open renovated mosque for Afghans in Marjah" »
August 21, 2010
WRAL.com
Camp Lejeune, N.C. — A Camp Lejeune-based Marine died Friday in Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.
Marines offer Afghans what the Taliban cannot, but security is top priority
By Gretel C. Kovach, UNION-TRIBUNE
Originally published August 21, 2010 at 6:23 p.m
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Dust billows from the roads of this military base at all hours, during sun-baked desert days and hot windy nights.
Continue reading " Remote camp is Marines' key toehold in Afghanistan" »
By Dan Morrison for KVAL.com
Story Published: Aug 20, 2010
COMBAT OUTPOST TURBET, Helmand Province, Afghanistan - When Cali Bagby and I began this trip, we were originally slotted to embed with a unit near the Pakistan border.
Posted: August 20, 2010
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — More than 20,000 North Carolina-based Marines and sailors are preparing to take over operations in Afghanistan.
Continue reading "NC Marines prepare for deployment to Afghanistan" »
Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Story by Lance Cpl. Andrew Johnston
Date: 08.16.2010
Date Posted: 08.18.2010 10:58
MARJAH, Afghanistan – Marines and sailors with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, engaged enemy insurgents in a firefight while conducting a census patrol in Marjah, Aug. 16.
Continue reading "Marines protect Afghans during firefight in Marjah" »
By Cali Bagby and Dan Morrison for KVAL.com
Story Published: Aug 18, 2010 at 6:00 AM PDT
COMBAT OUTPOST TURBETT, Marjah district, Afghanistan with 4th Squad, 2nd Platoon, Fox Company -
“Should I kick it down?” one of the Marines asks when they reach the first compound.
Continue reading "'The enemy, they love to hit the Marines'" »
Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Story by Staff Sgt. Luis Agostini
Date08.16.2010
Date Posted:08.17.2010 04:33
MARJAH, Afghanistan – The Marines with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, recently patrolled the Marjah area surrounding Combat Outpost Angry, and returned without receiving one round of enemy fire.
Continue reading "Unusual calm keeps Marjah Marines vigilant, optimistic" »
8/13/2010 By Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado , 2nd Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Children played in the nearby grass as the sun beamed down on the crowd of family and friends waiting eagerly outside the French Creek Recreation Center aboard Camp Lejeune for their Marine or sailor to return.
By BILL WEST -
August 13, 2010
Star Beacon
ASHTABULA — Lance Corporal Kevin Michael Cornelius, age 20, died Saturday, August 7, 2010, in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan, while serving in the United States Marine Corps in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
August 13, 2010 9:10 AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will soon depart for Pakistan to support relief efforts, according to Marine Corps officials.
Continue reading "26th MEU to support Pakistan relief efforts" »
8/12/2010 By Cpl. Bobbie A. Curtis , 2nd Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Everyday in the rough and barren mountainous landscape of eastern Afghanistan, some of the most important and incredible scenes from the U.S.’s longest conflict play out like they could be read from famous war novels and memoirs.
Continue reading "MLG Marines, sailors fight alongside foreign armies" »
Posted: Thursday, August 12, 2010 10:22 am
Pfc Vincent E. Gammone III, 19, of Christiana passed away Saturday, August 7, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afganistan.
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Public Affairs
Courtesy Story
08.12.2010
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.– Marines and sailors from 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will support relief efforts to help the Pakistani government alleviate the suffering of its citizens following flooding that began in mid-July
Continue reading "26th MEU to support Pakistan flood relief efforts" »
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Some people put their lives on the line to help and protect others; like police officers, who enforce the law and fight crime. Some people take it a little further and join the armed forces, swearing an oath to protect and defend the United States.
Continue reading "2nd MLG bomb fighters awarded Bronze Stars" »
August 12, 2010
A Camp Lejeune corpsman was presented a Purple Heart this month for wounds sustained while caring for injured troops on a recent deployment.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Six AV-8B Harriers and pilots from Marine Attack Squadron 223 returned to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Aug. 10, after a seven-month deployment with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
CHERRY POINT, N.C. -- The majority of marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit heading home this week arrived Wednesday. Most of the 150 marines, who have been deployed for seven months, touched down at Cherry Point at about 11 a.m.
Continue reading "Marines arrive home after 7-month deployment" »
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT — Marines from Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 returned to Cherry Point Aug. 2, after completing Red Flag 10-4, a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
A detainee who killed two Marines on Saturday escaped from a room at an Afghan-controlled detention center and obtained a rifle before opening fire on Marines and Afghan security forces who gave chase, a Marine spokesman said.
Continue reading "Escaped detainee was under Afghan control" »
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A Marine with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit saved the life of a teenager who drifted more than 100 yards off the pier at North Topsail Beach Saturday Aug. 7, 2010, according to the North Topsail Beach Police Department.
Two Marines were killed during an attempted prisoner escape this weekend in southern Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Pentagon identifies fallen Lejeune Marines" »
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Thomas ‘Tommy’ Rathbun. His meek demeanor accompanied by a bright, optimistic personality proves to be an effective combination both in the workplace and out. The story of Tommy is a song less sung, not one of supreme heroism or definitive sociological impact. No, Tommy’s story is more behind the scenes, a man with driving motivation who gives much and asks for little.
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. — As his tenure as the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps draws to a close, Gen. James T. Conway took an opportunity to swing through Marine Corps installations on the East Coast to visit his Marines and sailors, August 4-6, 2010.
Continue reading "General Conway visits East Coast Marines" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan – One plant of a shovel symbolically transformed a sprawling patch of Marjah farmland into a future primary school site during a groundbreaking ceremony in Marjah, Afghanistan, Aug. 9.
Continue reading "Marjah Secures Brighter Future During School Groundbreaking Ceremony" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHER WALI, Afghanistan -- Marines and sailors with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, officially took over all operations from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, during a transfer of authority ceremony, Aug. 8, at Forward Operating Base Sher Wali, Afghanistan.
Continue reading "2/9 Assumes Control of Northern Marjah From 3/6" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHER WALI, Afghanistan - Step by step, a group of Marines moved slowly down the road, their eyes scanning delicately the ground that lay ahead.
Continue reading "2/9 Steps Up IED Awareness in Northern Marjah" »
Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas C. Latham didn't tell his mother he saved the life of a soldier who stepped on and detonated an improvised explosive device.
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Marines from Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group participated in an inerting operation training exercise as part of annual qualifications July 30 at EOD site two aboard Camp Lejeune.
Continue reading "EOD techs take bite out of bombs during inertion training" »
MOAMBA, Mozambique — Trash riddles the compound where the two grimy, aging cinder-block buildings stand. The ground is covered with pieces of broken glass that seem even more abundant than the particles of dust in the air - not the ideal setting one might imagine for the education and development of a country’s youth.
Continue reading "Marine engineers repair school, provide facility for Mozambican youth" »
PORTSMOUTH
Angelo Anderson likes taking care of patients - mothers and babies at Camp Lejeune, clients at the infectious disease clinic at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, and more than anything, Marine infantry troops on duty in Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Injured Navy corpsman receives Purple Heart" »
CAMP MOREHEAD, Afghanistan - Jeremy Torrisi's scuffed-up canvas medic's bag still has bloodstains from the day he saved four Marines' lives in a fearsome firefight.
More than 50 Marines assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 366 and stationed at Cherry Point returned from a deployment to the Horn of Africa on Monday morning, according to officials with the air station.
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — More than 100 Marines of Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 continue to train in the arid desert outside Las Vegas, where triple-digit temperatures have been the norm.
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — More than 100 Marines of Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 continue to train in the arid desert outside Las Vegas, where triple-digit temperatures have been the norm.
MONROE TWP. - Richard Janofsky was outside his brother's new home in Williamstown Monday morning, helping install posts in the ground for a fence. His brother Max, a township police officer, was at work. Janofsky was simply there to help him out.
Continue reading "Williamstown Marine home safe from Afghanistan tour" »
MONROE TWP. - Richard Janofsky was outside his brother's new home in Williamstown Monday morning, helping install posts in the ground for a fence. His brother Max, a township police officer, was at work. Janofsky was simply there to help him out.
Continue reading "Williamstown Marine home safe from Afghanistan tour" »
Marine recognized for valor in combat
NORTH ATTLEBORO - A Marine from North Attleboro has been recognized for valor in combat in Afghanistan, where in separate engagements his accurate shooting destroyed threats to his unit and the evacuation of a wounded comrade.
Continue reading "An honorable distinction for North Attleboro Marine" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHER WALI, Afghanistan – Marines with 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, walked away from one of their first roadside bomb attacks unharmed, when a mine-resistant, ambush-protective vehicle was hit during a routine personnel convoy July 27, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Continue reading "2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment Unphased by First IED Attack" »
Although he was half a world away from home, DeAvila was quickly surrounded by family and friends, due to a strong military family and community.
Months after the invasion of Marjah, few signs of progress.
COMBAT OUTPOST COUTU, Afghanistan — The stomach turning “thud” of an exploding homemade bomb on a recent hot July afternoon blew into the small villages and across the wheat fields that make up Lima Company’s area of operations in northern Marjah.
Continue reading "Afghanistan: In Marjah, US forces battle for hearts and minds" »
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. • The reading of Sophocles' classic drama "Ajax" was polished and powerful.
Continue reading "'Ajax' strikes chord with Marine veterans" »
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Lance Cpl. Frank Martin had only been in Afghanistan a few days when a 60-pound improvised explosive device detonated while he and his squad were on their first foot patrol in northern Marjah, hurling him into the air.
Continue reading "'Wounded Warrior’ Facility Helps Injured Marines Get Back to the Fight" »
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Signaling the end of their deployment in support of combat operations in Helmand province, Combat Logistics Battalion 6 retired their organizational colors as Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) took charge during a transfer of authority ceremony here, July 31.
Continue reading "CLB-6 Passes Reigns to CLB-2 in Afghanistan" »
Describes overseas tour as leave begins
Marine Lance Cpl. Gus Haas, 20, of Evansville, began planning for his three-week leave as soon as he was deployed to Afghanistan in December.
July 31, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- A funeral was held Saturday for a Marine from the western suburbs. Lance Cpl. Frederik Vazquez was killed in Afghanistan last week.
Continue reading "Loved ones, Marines mourn fallen 19-year-old" »
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – When duty calls, Cpl. Rory MacEachern fires back with precision, and for his efforts in support of International Security Assistance Force operations he was awarded for valor in a ceremony here, July 30.
Continue reading "CLB-6 Marine Awarded for Valor in Afghanistan" »
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 28, 2010 17:18:55 EDT
Time is running out for current and former troops involuntarily held on active duty beyond their service commitments to apply for retroactive $500 monthly payments.
Continue reading "Oct. 21 is deadline to apply for stop-loss pay" »
USS CARTER HALL, ATLANTIC OCEAN —
Marines from 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are training aboard USS Carter Hall during a Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX).
Continue reading "Marines Train On Board Uss Carter Hall During Comptuex" »
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – When Sgt. Edmund Hatch snapped a photo of an Afghanistan National Army soldier standing guard in the Morghab Valley, in the Herat Province, Afghanistan, during a patrol last Thanksgiving, he was sure he had captured an image that would at least win him an iPod in the Hesco Bastion Ltd. Photo Competition.
Marines with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit ended their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) today. This was the second of three major exercises in 26th MEU's pre-deployment training period before its scheduled fall deployment. USS KEARSARGE, Off the coast of Camp Lejeune — After loading onto the ships of Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group during the first week of July, the Marines and sailors also supported a bilateral exercise with United Kingdom Royal Marines and sailors, AURIGA 2010. Marines and their UK counterparts teamed up for a Supporting Arms Coordination Exercise early in the training evolution to practice and refine indirect fire and combined arms integration at ranges on Camp Lejeune.
Marines who fought in the battle at Marjah in Afghanistan are returning home and parents who nervously watched the war from afar are anxious to see their children. Catherine Welch of member station WHQR in Wilmington, N.C., was with one family to witness a homecoming.
“Hell in a helmet” is en route to Afghanistan.
By Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno - Guam Pacific Daily News via Gannett
Posted : Tuesday Jul 20, 2010 14:56:54 EDT
ROTA, Northern Mariana Islands — As the father of a Marine in a war zone, David Mundo Santos’ heart sank when he saw a pair of unexpected visitors walk up to his front door.
Continue reading "Father claims son was killed by another Marine" »
A U.S. Marine Corps pilot wasn't seriously injured late Sunday when his AV8B Harrier jet crashed in the Pine Castle area of Ocala National Forest.
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jul 19, 2010 13:59:30 EDT
A Marine AV-8B Harrier jet crashed Sunday night in northern Florida, according to local media.
Continue reading "Marine Harrier jet crashes in northern Fla." »
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — There are many customary ways of counting down special occasions in American culture. Christmas is preceded by advent calendars. Jailbirds make tic marks on cell walls. Dick Clark still oversees a glittering ball-drop at Times Square each New Year's Eve. Family members at Camp Lejeune marking their final days of separation from their deployed Marines and sailors have a more artistic tradition - they paint.
Continue reading "Signs (and banners) point to happy homecoming for CLB-6" »
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. —
Department of Defense officials say two North Carolina-based Marines have been killed in Afghanistan
Continue reading "2 NC-based Marine killed in southern Afghanistan" »
MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- The pilot who ejected from his Harrier jet shortly before it crashed is continuing to recover from his injuries.
Continue reading "AV8B Harrier Jet Crashes in Ocala National Forest" »
"60 Minutes" Producer Henry Schuster Reflects On The Death of An American Soldier
I stared at the e-mail with disbelief. The header read "Sad News."
At one point in high school, Tyler Allen Roads was struggling with his grades, so Larry Snelling, superintendent of the Fall River Joint Unified School District, went to have a chat with the boy he’d known for years.
Continue reading "Grief and gratitude at funeral for Marine Tyler Roads" »
Poppy cultivation and processing into opium is a way of life throughout Helmand, and Musa Qala is no exception. The drug is illegal in Afghanistan, and therefore its lucrative trade is irrevocably tied to government instability and corruption. According to the United Nations, opium cultivation has increased 663% in Musa Qala from 2005 to 2008, making it one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
Continue reading "Prospects for stability in Musa Qala: challenges and possible solutions" »
Marines from Camp Lejeune’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan this week in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to officials with the 2nd Marine Division.
The Rev. Ken Frazier and the U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard officiated at the graveside service for Lance Cpl. Tyler Allen Roads Saturday, July 17, 2010, at the Burney District Cemetery on Bailey Avenue. Among the friends and family speaking before the nearly 600 in attendance were Supt. Larry Snelling of the Fall River Joint Unified School District.
Continue reading "In Memory...Lance Cpl. Tyler Allen Roads" »
CAMP LEJEUNE -- Hospitalman Nicholas Latham of the Third Battalion 10th Marines received a bronze star Friday at Camp Lejeune for saving the life of a Marine who was severely injured in Afghanistan in December 2009.
Continue reading "Hospitalman receives bronze star for saving Marine's life" »
Huber was injured in Afghanistan
When a suicide bomber blew up his ball bearing-laden vest near the entrance to Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, the concussion from the blast knocked Lance Cpl. Jason Huber off his feet.
Continue reading "Cherry Point Marine receives Purple Heart" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan — The two bombs went off seconds apart at corners of the building. By chance, Sgt. Zachary Walters was standing in one corner, Sgt. Derek Shanfield in the other.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Marines with Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 3 flew out of MCAS Cherry Point for Las Vegas, July 15, to participate in Red Flag, a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise hosted at Nellis Air Force Base.
A Marine from Pleasant View was just a month away from coming home when he was killed in Afghanistan on July 9, his mother said Tuesday.
Continue reading "Pleasant View Marine killed in Afghanistan" »
Part 2 in a three part series on Musa Qala. For Part 1, see The checkered history of Musa Qala.
ISAF transferred official responsibility for Musa Qala from British forces to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment in March 2010. The British had relatively stabilized the district center (DC) by the time the Marines arrived, though occasional small arms and bomb attacks persisted. The Taliban continued infiltrating back into significant areas surrounding the DC, intimidating civilians suspected of working with the government, and they outright held villages and compounds at or near the northern and southern edges of the district.
Continue reading "US Marines battle the Taliban for control of Musa Qala" »
Staff report
Posted : Tuesday Jul 13, 2010 18:42:51 EDT
Three Marines have died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.
Camp Lejeune, N.C. — Two Marines based at Camp Lejeune died last week in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday.
Continue reading "Two Lejeune Marines killed in Afghanistan" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NOLAY, Afghanistan — The Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, welcomed a resupply element from Alpha Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) to their hilltop compound here July 13.
Continue reading "Logistics element enables American forces to establish combat operations center" »
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offered his condolences today to the family of Lance Cpl. Tyler Allen Roads of Burney.
Continue reading "Schwarzenegger offers condolences to fallen Marine" »
U.S. Marine Fulfills His 'World News' Wish to Hug His Sisters Upon His Arrival in U.S.
Lance Cpl. Michael Acquaviva felt like a rock star Sunday night, as he lifted his two sisters in a warm embrace.
Continue reading "Soldier Reunited With His Family After Surviving Afghan Tour" »
Died while swimming at recreational beach July 4th
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (WAVY) - The Navy says three Norfolk-based Marines died while swimming on July 4 at one of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay's recreational beaches.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Back in 1995, at Upson-Lee High School in Thomaston, Ga., a 15-year-old Erik Housman listens to Larry Hughes, his high school Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Instructor tell stories from his time spent in Vietnam from his career as a Marine Corps Master Sergeant. Tales Housman says inspired him to enlist after completing high school.
Continue reading "A MARSOC Marine attributes accomplishment to leadership" »
ARLINGTON, VA. — Lance Wilson, father of Marine Justin Wilson of Palm City, still has not taken off his son's dog tags.
Continue reading "Palm City Marine killed in Afghanistan buried in Arlington with full honors" »
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- North Carolina-based Marines are returning home after seven months in southern Afghanistan.
Continue reading "N.C. Marines return after 7 months in Afghanistan" »
Family and friends of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Allen Roads spent today on what would have been his 21st birthday mourning and recounting memories of his life.
Continue reading "Family, friends recount fallen Marine's life" »
Almost three weeks since a Spokane Valley Marine was killed in action in Afghanistan, hundreds of motorcyclists, including retired Marines, roared outside of his childhood home to pay tribute to the young man.
Continue reading "Bikers pay tribute to local fallen Marine" »
On a perfect summer day, Kyle Francis sat in a rocking chair on his parents’ front porch in Clay and talked about the worst part of having visible war wounds: People asking him what happened.
Continue reading "U.S. Marine from Clay: Being shot makes you grow up fast" »
Burney residents are in mourning as word spreads of the death of 20-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Allen Roads of Burney, who was shot and killed Friday in an Afghanistan combat zone.
Continue reading "20-year-old Marine from Burney killed in combat" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan — In the incongruous way of this nearly nine-year war, a 28-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., told an old man here how to improve his life and the life of his family. He was not convincing.
Continue reading "Months after Marjah offensive, success still elusive" »
During the summer of 2002, Hattman and his team of dedicated drill instructors began to mold Hemenway into the Marine he is today and in the training cycles that followed, the legacy continued with Sgts. Jeremiah Rees and Jeffery Aaron.
Continue reading "Former DI Reunites With Legacy Recruits During Afghanistan Deployment" »
OTTERBURN, United Kingdom —
Marines of 2nd Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, II Marine Expeditionary Force, recently completed a pre-deployment exercise that gave training a whole new meaning. Instead of trudging through the sands of 29 Palms, Calif., the Marines of 2nd ANGLICO trained on grassy fields in the mild temperatures of the English countryside.
Continue reading "2nd ANGLICO Marines train with British soldiers" »
Joshua Dumaw remembered in standing-room-only service
Joshua R. Dumaw was remembered Thursday as a man of courage, loyalty, and leadership; a man of adventure who had an endless smile for any soul who crossed his path.
Continue reading "Family, friends honor Spokane Valley Marine killed in Afghanistan" »
Staff Sgt. Oliver Salder earned his place as a Marine well before he stepped on the famed yellow foot prints at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Paris Island. So when recruit Salder piled off that bus in 2000 amidst terrified peers, this salty, rugby-playing Brit was probably more entertained than scared. Or maybe he was just glad it was only going to take him 13 weeks to graduate this time.
Continue reading "Royal, U.S. Marine Once a Marine, Twice a Marine, Always a Marine" »
NORFOLK, Va. (July 8, 2010) —
Marines and sailors with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit began their second-to-last pre-deployment exercise, boarding the ships of Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group for Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), this week.
Continue reading " 26th MEU and PHIBRON-4 bring it together for COMPTUEX" »
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — A small group of heavily equipped tactical vehicles speed along Route 1, the only strip of paved road in the region, bound for a turn-off point somewhere in the distance where they will carve their own path to their final destination. The turret gunners constantly scan the landscape as it is revealed before them at 40 miles per hour and the crackle of the occasional radio message can be heard from the phone-like receiver clipped to the Modular Tactical Vest of the vehicle commander seated to the right of the driver.
NOW ZAD, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan —
When it takes something more than the direct fire of machine guns to drive the enemy back, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, relies on a pair of mortarmen to get the job done.
Continue reading "Mortars light up Now Zad sky, suppress insurgents" »
As moments in Afghanistan went, they were some of the eeriest ones I experienced.
Marine Sergeant Landon McLilly squinted into his rifle scope at a group of suspected Taliban militants in the hazy near distance. The next time he looked, they were gone. "If we go that way, I have a feeling something bad is going to happen," he said, recalling how the last time his squad of Marines had walked down the same road, they had come under fierce attack. But orders required them to interdict all potential enemy fighters, and they could not leave the area without checking out whether the people he saw were in fact Taliban.
Continue reading "On the Ground: The Taliban's Changing, and Deadly, Tactics" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHER WALI, Afghanistan – Representatives from Regional Command Southwest, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Afghan National Civil Order Police and the Afghan National Army packed into a tent at Forward Operating Base Sher Wali, in Marjah, June 29, to discuss the emergence of Marjah’s soon-to-be permanent police force.
On the Ground With Bravo Co. in Marja, Marines Struggle Amid Casualties, Mistrust
Since U.S. Marines launched a major coordinated assault on this agricultural community last February it has been called a "catastrophic success," a "failure," "doomed" and most memorably "a bleeding ulcer." Marja is all and none of these. Marja is a work in progress, the outcome of which is still in question.
Continue reading "In Afghanistan, No Direct Route to Success" »
MAHE, SEYCHELLES — Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit along with Sailors assigned to USS Nassau participated in a liberty port stop here June 25-28 to take some time off and visit the east-African island after being deployed at sea for approximately five months without a port call.
Continue reading " 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducts liberty visit in Seychelles" »
SPOKANE -- A week since his death in Afghanistan was announced by the Pentagon members of Marine Corporal Josh Dumaw’s family have taken some time to honor their son’s memory and service.
Staff report
Posted : Monday Jun 28, 2010 20:22:07 EDT
OCEANSIDE, Calif. - Two Camp Pendleton-based Marines and a Marine from Camp Lejeune, N.C., were killed during combat operations in separate incidents in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, Defense Department officials announced Monday.
Left at bases, 7.62mm gun is seldom used
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 28, 2010 9:56:49 EDT
CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan — In answer to criticism calling the Osprey vulnerable to enemy attack and lacking fire power, the Marine Corps shipped a handful of 7.62mm belly guns to Afghanistan last winter.
Continue reading "Ospreys leave new belly gun in the dust" »
KABUL- As the city of Now Zad grows, so does the need for medical aid, so the Marine medics of Alpha Company, 2nd Marine Regiment, on Combat Outpost Cafferetta, treat overflow patients both day and night.
Continue reading "Alpha Company Provides Medical Care to Now Zad Residents" »
Taliban Ambush Teams Attack Marine Patrol as It Returns to Base Outside Marja
In Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province this morning, a Marine squad headed into one of the Marja district's many villages looking to make friends.
PATROL BASE MINDEN, Helmand province, Afghanistan – An old saying goes, ‘good things come in small packages,’ but in the isolated, rural villages of Afghanistan the saying is, ‘good things come in small projects.’
SPOKANE VALLEY -- Friends are saying goodbye to a young local Marine killed in Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Spokane Valley Marine killed in Afghanistan" »
BARNWELL, S.C. — Marines prepare to fast-rope onto a building as their hovering Navy MH-60S Seahawk Helicopter begins to inch closer to the rooftop.
Continue reading "26th MEU raid force hones maritime interception skills" »
A North Carolina-based Marine died Tuesday while supporting combat operations in Nimroz province, Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Thursday.
Continue reading "MCAS Cherry Point cpl. dies in Nimroz province" »
The commander of international forces in Afghanistan was scheduled to pay a surprise visit to Marines at Combat Outpost Hanson in Marjah this week, some four months after they waged a fierce offensive to break the Taliban's grip. Instead, General Stanley McChrystal headed back to Washington, his job in jeopardy over published remarks that criticize President Obama and senior staff members for hamstringing efforts to turn around the nine-year war.
Continue reading "In Afghanistan, U.S. Troops Ponder the Possible Loss of a Commander" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MUSA QAL’EH, Afghanistan – Afghanistan’s improved security was earned by the men and women who put their lives on the line daily, but Afghans and Marines know that education is the key to Afghanistan’s future success.
The squad of Marines walks an alternating route, first along rutted dirt roads and then on trails running along the edges of fields, often stopping to squint at farmers through the magnifying scopes of their M4 rifles. Sometimes they skip the trails and tree lines entirely, cutting straight through the fields, sinking in muddy furrows and jumping the irrigation canals in between. Other times, they plunge directly into the canals — better to get wet than risk the bridges where they've been before. The squad's leader, Sergeant Dennis Andersen, explains the strategy: When they first arrived, they walked on roads. Then they started hitting IEDs on the roads, so they walked in fields. Then they started hitting IEDs there too. Now they mix it up and bet on luck.
Continue reading "As McChrystal Stumbles, the U.S. Campaign in Marjah Struggles" »
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jun 22, 2010 7:09:20 EDT
JACKSONVILE, N.C. — A North Carolina Marine who prevented a purse snatching is being recognized.
Continue reading "Marine awarded for stopping purse snatching" »
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 21, 2010 10:17:34 EDT
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Many Afghan National Army troops who work and patrol with U.S. Marines are considered a nuisance at best and a danger at worst.
Continue reading "Undisciplined Afghans endanger Marjah Marines" »
MARJAH, HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — Marines from Company I, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, stepped into the scorching heat of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, June 18, to clear their area of weapons caches, improvised explosive device-making factories and any Taliban insurgents in the area.
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, combined with Afghan National Security Forces, headed north to show face in an area not often visited by friendly forces, June 9.
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Jun 17, 2010 8:44:45 EDT
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — More North Carolina-based Marines are headed to Afghanistan as U.S. and Afghan forces battle a resurgent Taliban.
Continue reading "Lejeune Marines deploying to Afghanistan" »
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune — A dirt road breaks away from the main highway and cuts deep into the North Carolina forest. Suddenly and almost mysteriously, a row of young date palms grow in a patch of earth where tall evergreens once stood. The sound of Islamic prayer resonates off in the distance as periodic exchanges of NATO and 7.62 rounds echo across the tree-line. A full-scale town comes into view – hastily constructed as it would be on the set of a 1960s Spaghetti Western.
Gunnery Sergeant Matthew "Gunney" Small, 32, has a mustache, a thick Boston accent and a tendency to pepper his instructions with curse words. In a single day, Small investigated the site of an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, engaged in a 30-min. firefight with insurgents, blew up a bridge and then swept a road for more IEDs. On the way home, he paused for an intravenous drip — he was dehydrated — and then, after a 12-hour mission, called it a day.
Continue reading "The Real-Life Hurt Locker: Battling IEDs in Afghanistan" »
FORT A.P. HILL, Va. — A long gravel road paved in heat waves led to a small village with only a handful of people milling around dressed in foreign clothing, all of which could be found in countries of the middle east and southwest Asia.
Continue reading "From kinetics to culture: 26th MEU Marines learn valuable lessons" »
FORT A.P. HILL, Va. — "If you put this charge along the beams of a bridge, you can weaken the bridge. The first time a tank rolls over it … kurplunk … now you’ve taken out a bridge and the tank."
Continue reading "26th MEU Marines, EOD blast through training" »
Marine Lance Cpl. Gavin Brummund, a former Bret Harte High School athlete and nearly lifelong Arnold resident, was killed in Afghanistan this week, family members learned late Thursday.
An e-mail he received in Afghanistan gave Sgt. Zachary J. Walters of Palm Coast the answer he had been hoping for.
It seemed like Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield was born to be a Marine.
CAMP HANSEN, AFGHANISTAN
Far from the flagpole. That's what they say about places like this, a gritty compound of Marines bedded down in Marjah - the heart of Afghanistan's poppy fields in Helmand province and the hub of the Taliban.
Continue reading "Afghan Journal: Marines try to build trust" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MUSA QAL'EH, Afghanistan – Every government needs a government building, a designated space to conduct business and enforce laws. Today, the construction for that building begins here.
Continue reading "Marines, Locals Celebrate New Government Center" »
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHER WALI, Afghanistan – Like many twin brothers, Lance Cpls. Aaron and Adam Voelker do everything together.
Continue reading "Brothers Reunite in Afghanistan After Five-month Separation" »
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 8, 2010 18:05:30 EDT
NAD ALI, Afghanistan — With the sun dropping lower on the baked horizon, two squads of Marines pushed north into the countryside here, uncertain what dangers were ahead.
Continue reading "Marines face continued ambushes around Marjah" »
KABUL, Afghanistan — The slower pace of things here in the last few days have given me a chance to reflect on some of the more unexpected things that I’ve seen in the last six weeks while reporting from the southern half of this country.
NOW ZAD, Afghanistan – The population of Now Zad is growing at a rapid rate. However, if the towns' medical facility doesn't grow with the population, the people won't be able to get the care they deserve.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MARJAH, Afghanistan – Waking up in the early morning, the Marines with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, mark down one more day until they can return home to wives and children, their families and friends and perhaps most importantly, leave the past several months behind them.
Continue reading "Marines Near End of Deployment Continue to Patrol Amidst Taliban Attacks" »
No one showed up for start of official recruitment for Marjah's first local police force. No one showed up until the third and last day at a U.S. Marines base in North Marjah, the Afghan district invaded by American and Afghan military forces in February. Locals told the 3rd Division 6th Marines that they had reservations about joining the force — they were too scared or too intimidated by the Taliban to risk allying themselves with foreign forces in a landscape that the Marines are still struggling to bring under control.
Continue reading "Afghanistan: Looking for a Few Good Cops in Marjah" »
Visitation is to be held today for Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony DiLisio, a Macomb Township soldier who died May 30 in Afghanistan.
Lansing -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Friday ordered U.S. flags to be lowered to half staff Monday in honor of Marine Lance Cpl. Anthony A. DiLisio of Macomb Township.
Continue reading "Flags ordered at half staff Monday for slain Macomb Township Marine" »
FORT A.P. HILL, Va. —
Marines and sailors with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit initiated their last major land-based pre-deployment exercise, Realistic Urban Training, aboard Fort AP Hill, Va., June 2.
FORT A.P. HILL, Va. —
Marines and sailors with 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit initiated their last major land-based pre-deployment exercise, Realistic Urban Training, aboard Fort AP Hill, Va., June 2.
Militants adapting to Marines’ strategies, using various forms of bombs
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 4, 2010 18:25:13 EDT
MARJAH, Afghanistan — A Marine convoy comprising several Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles, or M-ATVs, was traveling on one of Marjah’s many dirt roads May 15 when the lead vehicle set off a new type of IED, sending a plume of dust, smoke and twisted metal 50 feet in the air.
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jun 4, 2010 8:04:53 EDT
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Gainesville road will be named for a 19-year-old Marine who was killed in Afghanistan this year.
Continue reading "Road named for Marine killed in Afghanistan" »
He was killed in an ambush, supporting combat operations
Twenty-year-old Anthony DiLisio always wanted to find a way to give back to his community and help people.
Five Marines from Alpha Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) were presented with Purple Heart medals in a ceremony, May 31.
Continue reading "LB-6 Honors Purple Heart Recipients During Memorial Day Service" »
The New Jersey State Senate unanimously passed a resolution last week to rename the post office building at 216 Westwood Ave. after Christopher Hrbek, a Marine Sergeant from Westwood who was killed in Afghanistan on Jan. 14.
Continue reading " Post office to be named in honor of fallen Marine" »
Macomb Township -- A 20-year-old U.S. Marine was killed while serving in Afghanistan after he volunteered for patrol despite an option to stay in his camp, his girlfriend said.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHER WALI, HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – When the infantry Marines of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, were first told they were getting a combat camera Marine attached to their platoon for Operation Moshtarak's push into Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, they didn't know what to expect.
Continue reading "Marjah Marine Departs U.S. As a Photographer, Leaves As 'honorary Grunt'" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan — A swift and decisive pre-dawn raid on a known Taliban commander's compound snared the Drug Enforcement Administration's and the Afghan government's primary drug and terrorist target in Marjah, May 18.
Continue reading "Marines, DEA, Afghan police nab drug kingpin in early morning raid" »
Voluntown, Conn. —
Voluntown’s annual Memorial Day tributes took on an especially somber air Monday, less than two months after Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Tyler Griffin joined the roll of the town’s sons who have fallen in service to the country.
Continue reading "Voluntown remembers slain Marine on Memorial Day" »
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. - Every Memorial Day, citizens and veterans from New York City gather at the Soldier's and Sailor's monument in Manhattan, N.Y., for the annual Soldier's and Sailor's Memorial Day Observation.
Continue reading "Fleet Week Service Members Gather for Memorial Day Ceremony" »
Aid for Locals Seen as Key to Reduced Violence in Taliban Heartland in Afghanistan
Southern Helmand Province, Afghanistan, is the opium capital of the world and the financial base of the Taliban. It is one of the most dangerous parts of country.
Continue reading "Marines See Benefits of 'Hunt and Help' in Helmand" »
Banding Together to Get BetterAmputees at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Rely on Each Other For Inspiration to Push Themselves to Walk Again
(CBS) May was a cruel month. The number of servicemen and women who lost an arm or a leg since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began went over 1,000, many of them more than one. They come to the physical therapy room at Walter Reed, reports CBS News correspondent David Martin.
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday May 30, 2010 8:49:00 EDT
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Shots snapped overhead angrily, and the Marines jumped into canals lining both sides of the dirt trail. Within seconds, the squad was trudging through knee-deep sludge, maneuvering to fire back against four gun-wielding insurgents.
Continue reading "Firefights frequent for Marines in schoolhouse" »
PATROL BASE LITTLEFOOT, Helmand province, Afghanistan- A swift and decisive pre-dawn raid on a known Taliban commander's compound snared the Drug Enforcement Administration's and the Afghan government's primary drug and terrorist target in Marjah, May 18.
Continue reading "DEA, Marines and Afghan Police Nab Drug Kingpin in Early Morning Raid" »
MIDDLE EAST — A common impression of artillerymen is guys pulling triggers on big guns and firing rounds over long distances, but that is only a small part of a job that requires Marines to perform many tasks normally assigned to an infantry line company.
Continue reading "Bravo Battery mixes brains with brawn while supporting 24thMEU" »
The U.S. Marines fired three rifle volleys. A bugler played taps.
ABOARD THE HMS ARK ROYAL, Atlantic Ocean - More than 150 Marines and Sailors of Marine Aircraft Group 14 are spending nights aboard HMS Ark Royal, the British Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier.
Continue reading "Capella Strike: MAG-14 Marines Prep Harriers to Train Aboard Ship" »
When it Comes to Winning the Trust of Taliban-Fearing Residents, Hammers and Shovels areas Important as Guns
(CBS) For Marines in Marjah, counterinsurgency comes down to this: if you build it, they will come.
Continue reading "Marines Work to Gain Trust of Afghan Locals" »
Enemy target patrols with precision fire
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 26, 2010 17:23:53 EDT
MARJAH, Afghanistan — As they pushed through dusty farm compounds looking for insurgents, the members of this Marine fire team were wound tighter than a steel spring.
NOW ZAD, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Marines go on local patrols through villages and rural areas every day to ensure the security of Now Zad, but no patrol is identical to another.
COMBAT OUTPOST REILLY, Afghanistan – Last night, I went on my last foot patrol of this embed assignment.
Continue reading "Kilo Company Squads Engage Insurgents After Ambush" »
COMBAT OUTPOST LILY, Helmand Province
— For Marines who have experienced combat together, the many rituals and gestures of bidding farewell to the dead, beginning from the point of medevac and continuing beyond the fallen Marine’s journey to the grave, are observed with a devotion that is at once quiet, fiercely followed and unsummoned. The more formal rituals are matters of tradition, like memorial services in the field and the escorts who accompany a dead Marine through his or her funeral back home. Some Marines are further memorialized in the names of outposts and landing zones; thus, “Combat Outpost Hanson” and the adjacent “Landing Zone Currier,” named after two Marines from Kilo Company, Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, who were killed several hundred yards from here in fighting against the Taliban in February. Other gestures are impromptu, spontaneous and intensely personal, propelled by feelings that take hold within young infantrymen who fight through ambush after ambush together, and who find, as their tattoos often say, that they are bound by blood and then by a set of memories that will be theirs alone for the decades ahead.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MARJAH, Afghanistan – I'm not an infantryman, far from it. I'm as much of a 'pog' (meaning person other than grunt) as one can be, but with the Marine Corps being what it is, even Pog's are afforded the opportunity to see combat. While in Helmand province, Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, I've nearly been shot several times. I've wound up pinned down in a muddy canal by sniper fire and have watched stunned as a rocket-propelled grenade spiraled through the air, bounce of a doorframe and skid to a halt, ten feet away.
MARJAH, Afghanistan -- Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top allied military commander in Afghanistan, sat gazing at maps of Marjah as a Marine battalion commander asked him for more time to oust Taliban fighters from a longtime stronghold in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province.
Continue reading "McChrystal calls Marjah a bleeding ulcer' in Afghan campaign" »
KINGWOOD, W.Va. – Toes to the edge of a cliff in the mountains of West Virginia, Lance Cpl. Luke Turner faced his fears and put trust in what he learned as he leapt from one cliff to another -- about eight feet away.
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Marines of Alpha Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion wrapped up five months of security operations in Helmand province, turning their area of operations over to the Marines of 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
Continue reading "2nd LAR Brings Lasting Security to Helmand Province" »
HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Cpl. Brandon T. Templeton, a team leader from Garden City, Mich., lived out of his vehicle for five months, conducting security operations in the deserts of Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Continue reading "2nd LAR Marines Called Afghan Desert 'home'" »
MIAN POSHTEH, Afghanistan — The young Taliban prisoner was led blindfolded to a sweltering military tent, seated among 17 village elders and then, eyes uncovered, faced a chief accuser brandishing a document with the elders’ signatures or thumbprints.
Continue reading "U.S. Tries to Reintegrate Taliban Soldiers" »
COMBAT OUTPOST HANSON, Afghanistan — The annual Afghan opium harvest finished this month with production sharply down from last year, Afghan farmers and American military officers say. Now, growers and smugglers who had long been unchallenged here face tough choices created by the poor crop and new government and military pressure.
Continue reading "In Afghan Fields, a Challenge to Opium’s Luster" »
Stafford Marine killed in Afghanistan last week is buried at Quantico
Donald J. Lamar II was born on July 4, 1986. His mother, Coleen Lamar of Stafford County, remembers that his grandmother had prepared a sign just for the occasion, also the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.
Continue reading " War's painful toll hits Marine's family" »
Marine Lance Cpl. Philip P. Clark and his wife, Ashton, were making big plans for his return from Afghanistan this summer.
The summer fighting season has returned to southern Afghanistan, which means the Obama administration’s and Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal’s counterinsurgency effort here will face some of its most difficult tests. Temperatures are soaring over 100 degrees, the opium crop has been harvested and laborers are freed up for fighting in environmental conditions that strain equipment and challenge even the most fit Western soldiers and Marines.
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Second Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, held a memorial service at the Protestant Chapel here, May 17, to honor five of their own who made the ultimate sacrifice while supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom from February 2008 to February 2010.
Continue reading "Marine EOD Community Honors Fallen Fathers, Husbands, Sons" »
He was an immigrant, the son of immigrants, who came to the United States 19 years ago, graduated from high school in Fairfax County, and, his sister said, wanted to defend his country.
Continue reading "Marine Corporal Nicolas Parada-Rodriguez, from Stafford, dies in Afghanistan" »
BALUCH, Afghanistan — Minutes after surviving the first ambush, Cpl. John M. Boone, a Marine sniper, called over his radio. “We’ve got a civilian here who got shot in his gut,” he said.
Continue reading "In Ambush, a Glimpse of a Long Afghan Summer" »
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. —
Second Radio Battalion was recently honored with two esteemed awards. While the unit received the 2009 Lt. Gen. Chesty Puller Award (Medium Unit for Overall Command Excellence), Staff Sgt. James R. Courteau, a crypto logic linguist with the battalion, was named not only 2009 Marine Corps Linguist of the Year, but also Linguist of the Year for the entire Department of Defense.
Continue reading "2nd Radio Bn. receives Puller, linguist awards" »
The Warlords are home.
Continue reading "Wait ends for friends, family of 2/2 Marines, sailors" »
A Fredericksburg Marine who played football and coached wrestling at Stafford High School has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department and family friends.
Continue reading "Marine Sgt. Donald J. Lamar II killed in Afghanistan; Stafford High graduate" »
LUDLOW - When Frank Evangelista, owner of Frank's Diner on East Street, thinks of the late Marine Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges he remembers a smiling young man in a Santa Claus hat.
As part of our continuing coverage of "Afghanistan: the Road Ahead," - CBS News correspondent Terry McCarthy follows the Third Battalion, First Marines at home, and abroad in Afghanistan.
Patrol Base Karma, Afghanistan
About 10 o'clock last Tuesday morning we heard an explosion to the north of Patrol Base Karma - minutes later we heard there were two Marines down - members of a patrol that had left the base at 6 am.
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- During their latest combat logistics patrol in the region May 7-11, Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), were able to spend time getting to know the native population on friendly terms.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- People are calling Corporal Tyler Southern a hometown hero.
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- Aside from the periodic hum of a hovering MV-22 Osprey in the distance or the muted chatter of the thousands of soldiers, sailors and Marines milling about in front of the stage, all else was silent.
NOW ZAD, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Most Marines wake up knowing how long they will work and what their job will involve, but the Marines with the Quick Reaction Force for Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, have learned to expect the unexpected.
Continue reading "Marines Answer the Call at Any Hour: Heavy Guns Bring Security" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan — The tension was obvious even before leaving the wire on a 6 a.m. patrol.
Continue reading "Marines, journalist caught under sniper fire" »
KINGWOOD, W.Va. —
The high-pitch sound of clanging metal broke the rhythmic chirping of birds in the foothills of West Virginia as 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Marines made their way to their classroom -- a cliff-face.
Continue reading "26th MEU Marines Reach New Heights, Part 1" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan – Just over two months ago, trash littered the streets and shops made of wood and aluminum stood uneasily, ready to collapse at any moment, at the Koru Chareh bazaar in Marjah, Afghanistan. Today crowds pass through the market place or wait near checkpoints manned by Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, to register for civic work programs, May 5.
Continue reading "Marjah Bazaar Centerpiece for Civic Projects, Work Programs" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan— For corpsmen with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, a slow day is a good day.
Continue reading "Corpsmen Keep Marjah Marines in the Fight" »
MARJAH, Afghanistan —Capt. Robert Schotter doesn't want to hear any excuses about the inability to find time or equipment for a workout.
The family of Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, a 21-year-old Marine from Frederick, had been planning a party for July 4 to celebrate the end of his tour in Afghanistan. Instead, on Tuesday, relatives were preparing to go to Dover Air Force Base to retrieve the body of Shea, who was killed Monday in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.
Continue reading "Marine Cpl. Kurt Shea of Frederick, Md., killed in Afghanistan" »
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - The blast hit just outside his patrol base – a small, concrete schoolhouse in northern Marjah, May 4. The impact, said Cpl. Jason Ducote, made him feel "like all the fillings had fallen out of his teeth."
COMBAT OUTPOST CAFFERETTA, Afghanistan – Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, gathered aboard Combat Outpost Cafferetta, to honor their fallen brother-in-arms, May 12.
Continue reading "Marines Remember and Honor a Fallen Brother" »
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point — When asked what motivates her to get out of bed every morning, Gunnery Sgt. Laura Stanislaw looked down at her desert camouflage uniform through big, piercing blue eyes. Her slender fingers and well-manicured fingernails play with the pen on her desk. “I’m just happy,” she said with a shrug and a smile. The family readiness officer for Marine Aircraft Group 40 describes her job as, “the most rewarding work I’ve done in the Marine Corps.”
Troops from 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment recently began preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan in a way that had nothing to do with PT or weapons training.
Continue reading "Lejeune troops learn to win hearts, minds in Afghanistan" »
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Almost 200 warriors from Marine Attack Squadron 231 are packing up and preparing to head home after spending six months supporting daily operations despite rocket attacks, extreme temperatures and sand storms.
Continue reading "VMA-231 Wraps Up Deployment, Prepares to Head Home" »
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point — Marine Aircraft Group 26’s family readiness officer has been awarded the Military Motherhood Award.
Continue reading "MAG-26 FRO receives Military Motherhood Award" »
Perry High School's wrestling coach knew that Lance Cpl. Joshua Davis would be a good Marine because of his drive and determination.
Continue reading "Perry Marine lauded for attitude, spirit" »
Listed on a roster as 5 feet 9 inches and just 165 pounds, Chris Rangel was a leader on the field in one of the last football seasons at West Campus High School.
Rebels have returned to terrorise a former stronghold with shootings and beatings, raising doubts about America’s ability to secure Kandahar
The sniper’s aim was merciless. Lieutenant Brandon Barrett was shovelling sand into bags to fortify his post in the Helmand town of Marjah when a Taliban gunman slotted a bullet between armoured vehicles pulled around for protection, hitting him in the chest.
Continue reading "Swift and bloody: the Taliban’s revenge" »
A U.S. Marine from Perry has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps officials confirmed Saturday.
Continue reading "'Steady' Perry Marine killed in Afghanistan combat" »
The letter with instructions about where 1st Lt. Brandon Barrett wanted to be buried told friends back home in Indiana that — even if he didn't talk about it — he understood he might not survive his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Continue reading "Mom: Fallen Marine 'passionate' about mission" »
BOSTON —
The Marines are planning a full on assault at Carson Beach May 8.
They will be combining their combat elements from the air and on the ground when storming the South Boston waterfront, just to show the city how strong their force is when flexing their muscle.
MARJAH, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – The struggle for stability continues in Marjah, Afghanistan.
MARJAH, Afghanistan – Gunnery Sgt. Jason Glew is a workhorse.
Continue reading "Gunny Glew: the Adhesive That Keeps India Company Together" »
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Marine leaders from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, sat down to dine with Mir Hamza, the Garmsir Distirict National Directorate of Security chief, May 1 to celebrate the transition from 2/2 to 3/1.
Continue reading "Marines, Afghans Build Bonds Over Food, Music" »
As Lance Cpl. Thomas Rivers Jr. patrolled Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province, he knew God had his back. The Marine often carried a Bible, yet even on days when he only had room for essential combat gear, Rivers felt protected by Psalm 91:1, which was tattooed on his back.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.