Behind the Cover: The 2012 paychart
October 31st, 2011 | Behind the Cover | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Military service is about honor, courage and commitment.
A little cash money for the effort isn’t a bad thing, though.
This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story lays out military pay raises that begin Jan. 1. Congressional editor Rick Maze outlines where the 1.6 percent boost for 2012 comes from, and what the prospects are for wage increases in 2013. The story also includes the actual paychart, a perennial favorite for Marine Corps Times readers that lays out the 2012 basic pay raise by rank and years of service for both the officer and enlisted communities.
The issue also includes a lengthy look at the incoming circus at least five Marines take celebrities to their Marine Corps birthday balls. I interviewed several of them, as well as dates like Kristin Cavallari, the reality TV starlet who will be attending one ball in California at the request of a happy lance corporal.
To check out those stories and everything else in this week’s Times, find a copy on this week’s newsstands. Or, you an subscribe here and read it online now.
Radio series puts spotlight on 3/5 Marines’ time in Sangin
October 31st, 2011 | Afghanistan Marines Sangin | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
In the first of a seven-part series on 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, NPR correspondent Tom Bowman revisits the seven-month deployment with an interview with Lt. Col. Jason Morris, who commanded the battalion during the deployment from September 2010 to March 2011.
The 3/5 had 25 Marines and corpsmen killed in action, the highest casualty rate for any single unit in Afghanistan in 10 years of war.
“It was just over a year ago that Morris took nearly 1,000 Marines to a place in Helmand called Sangin. It was a haven for Taliban fighters and drug traffickers, a place where the British lost more than 100 troops in four years. But the British failed to push out and pursue the enemy, and the Taliban continued to control much of the area. It was Morris’ job to take it back,” Bowman writes on the NPR web site.
Marines with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines were the first leathernecks up in Sangin following the British; 3/5 took over for them and 1st Battalion, 5th Marines just came home from its own seven-month deployment there. More than 40 Marines and sailors have been killed in action there during that time, both from units assigned to the area and specialty detachments and individuals assigned to those units.
Now, 3/7 is back in the fight in Sangin.
You can read and listen to the NPR story on 3/5 here.
Marine headquarters dedicates room to Major Megan McClung
October 28th, 2011 | History and heritage Iraq | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Shown here as a captain, Maj. Megan McClung was the first female Marine officer killed in the Iraq war.
Sometimes, the little things mean a lot.
The Marine Corps Division of Public Affairs showed that this morning, dedicating its conference room to Maj. Megan McClung, the first female Marine officer killed during the Iraq war.
McClung, 34, was killed when her up-armored Humvee hit an improvised explosive device on Dec. 6, 2006, in Ramadi, the site of some of the most violent fighting in the war. She had been serving as a public affairs officer for Multi-National Force West, which was led at the time by Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer.
About 20 Marines and a small handful of media gathered at DIVPA for the event with Mike McClung, Megan’s father. They remembered her as an energetic, no-nonsense Marine who also loved running and went out of her way to make sure people felt included.
Maj. Charlie Baisley, a reservist, recalled that she also had a quiet confidence about her, and would correct senior officers when necessary. In one case, she pointed out to a colonel in Iraq that his boots weren’t tied correctly, he said with a laugh.
“She had a quiet confidence about her dealing with senior officers that a lot of us didn’t have,” Baisley said.
Mike McClung said his daughter would have been embarassed by the attention, but thanked the Marines for remembering her.
“One of the reasons you have so few photographs of Megan is because she preferred to take the pictures,” he said. “We appreciate greatly that the Marine Corps is a family, and that we are part of that family.”
A detailed look at the Marine Corps M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle
October 27th, 2011 | Weapons | Posted by Dan Lamothe
A prototype of the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, as seen in the Military Times photo studio last week. (Photo by Rob Curtis/Staff)
In this week’s print edition of Marine Corps Times, there’s a story about the full rollout of M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles to the fleet beginning early next year. I won’t give it all away here, it’s fair to say dozens of battalions will receive the weapon in coming months following Commandant Gen. Jim Amos’ decision last summer to approve full fielding.
With that in mind, we invited a representative from Heckler and Koch, the maker of the IAR, to Marine Corps Times last week. Along with Rob Curtis of the Military Times Gear Scout blog, I got a look at the weapon’s bells and whistles.
There are a lot of rumors about which magazines will fit in the rifle, so Rob decided to address those to the extent possible, too. Check this video out:
To check out Rob’s take on the weapon and two dozen close-up photographs, surf over to Gear Scout.
Former Marine’s skull cracked at ‘Occupy Oakland’ clash
October 26th, 2011 | Events Marines | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
In the video, the crack of a crowd-control projectile is followed by heavy smoke. People scream and run toward the smoke, converging near the ground over the body of a young man.
Another crack is heard and more smoke billows. Out of that plume, a crowd emerges carrying the man who appears bleeding and unresponsive.
The injured man has been identified as former Marine Cpl. Scott Olsen, who deployed twice to Iraq with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Olsen, who was a tactical communications Marine, got out of the Corps last year and landed a job in San Francisco as a systems administrator with the help of his friend and roommate, Keith Shannon, who was also a Marine.
Olsen was listed in stable but critical condition and it wasn’t known yet whether surgery would be performed.
“He has a two-inch skull fracture and swelling of the brain. When I saw him he was conscious but could only answer yes or no questions,” said Shannon, who was reached by phone at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, Calif., not far from the clash that took place Tuesday night between city police and members of the “Occupy Oakland” demonstration.
The news of Olsen’s injury and the fact that he was a former Marine was outlined in a press release from Iraq Veterans Against the War, IVAW, whose Bay Area chapter president, Dottie Guy, said Olsen was involved in the Occupy San Francisco movement.
When a call circulated for more protesters for the Oakland event, Olsen went there to participate. The group of demonstrators had been using a city plaza for its occupation for two weeks until police kicked them out on Tuesday.
Though Shannon was not there Tuesday night and did not see the clash, he said witnesses at the scene claim it was a “police projectile” which struck Olsen in the head. The Oakland Police Department has not yet responded to a request for information.
2/4 Marine sniper killed by friendly tank fire, report says
October 25th, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry Weapons | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lt. Col. William Vivian, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, pays his final respects to Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt after an Oct. 13 memorial service honoring the fallen Marine. (Photo by Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde)
Last week, Marine Corps Times outlined how the deaths of four Marines in Afghanistan in a one-month period were under investigation.
It looks like an explanation may be emerging for how one of those deaths occurred.
Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt
A Marine sniper was killed in combat Oct. 6 when a tank platoon mistook Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt and other Marines for enemy forces, Schmidt’s father said he was informed. The story was reported by the San Antonio News-Express, which is based in Schmidt’s hometown.
From the story:
Although a military investigation has not been completed, Schmidt said the Marine, who is stateside, told him that Benjamin Schmidt died while his platoon was engaging the enemy in a firefight on a ridge in Afghanistan’s restive Helmand province.
“What I’ve been told is that a tank platoon came upon them, mistook them for the bad guys and opened fire on the entire platoon. And that’s how Benjamin died,” he said.
Schmidt was a member of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, which deployed from Camp Pendleton, Calif., to Helmand province’s Musa Qala district this fall. It’s not clear what kind of he may have been hit with. The M1A1 tanks deployed in the Musa Qala area alongside 2/4 are typically armed with a 120mm smoothbore cannon, a .50-caliber machine gun and two 7.62mm machine guns. It’s hard to believe that if Schmidt was hit with a cannon round, others in the platoon wouldn’t have been killed.
In September, Maj. Gen. John Toolan, commander of Marine forces in Helmand, highlighted the success snipers were experiencing while working with tank platoons to target the insurgency in the Musa Qala area. The long-range sights on the tanks helped the snipers establish positive identification on enemy forces, the general said.
Marines with 2/4 replaced 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. in Musa Qala, and have been operating alongside Lejeune’s Alpha Company, 2nd Tank Battalion. It wasn’t clear they were involved in this incident, but they have remained deployed in that area.
Marine Week 2012 to be held in Cleveland, Ohio
October 25th, 2011 | Marine Week | Posted by Dan Lamothe
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Capital of the World will showcase the Marine Corps next summer.
Cleveland, Ohio, has been selected as the next site for Marine Week, the Corps’ annual community outreach event, Marine officials announced today. It will be held from June 11 to 17, include demonstrations of military equipment and training and conclude with a “full-scale combat demonstration,” assumedly involving nearby Lake Erie.
The Corps already has launched a promotional website here featuring this video:
Some of the Corps’ history in Cleveland is available here.
Video: Justin Timberlake’s Marine date dominates MMA match
October 24th, 2011 | Mixed marital arts Pop culture | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine Cpl. Kelsey De Santis smiles after winning her MMA fight Saturday night. (Photo by James J. Lee/Staff)
In the blink of an eye, it was over. Justin Timberlake may want to take notice.
Cpl. Kelsey De Santis, the Marine who famously invited the singer and actor to attend the Marine Corps birthday ball with her, competed Saturday night in Operation Octagon XVI, a mixed martial arts event in Sterling, Va.
To say it was a one-sided fight would be an understatement.
De Santis, fighting in the 145-pound featherweight title fight, pummeled her opponent, Stacy Sneeringer. With a flurry of energy, De Santis took Sneeringer to the mat early, and finished her off 2:51 into the fight with a series of punches and elbows to the face. The match never made it to Round 2.
Staff photographer James J. Lee and I attended the event, held at the Dulles Sportsplex. Check out his video here:
As you can see, the 5-foot-9 De Santis had a large following in the crowd of about 300 people. She took the the microphone in the ring afterward and thanked a variety of people, including her coaches and fellow Marines at the Martial Arts Center for Excellence in Quantico, Va. She also acknowledged all the hoopla surrounding the sensation her YouTube invitation created.
“I’m looking forward,” she said, “to going to the Marine Corps birthday ball with Justin Timberlake.”
On came one of his signature songs, “SexyBack,” and the crowd cheered.
Behind the Cover: Marine Corps orders sleeves down all year
October 24th, 2011 | Behind the Cover Military appearance | Posted by James Sanborn
Marines are up in arms over — well — the right to bare arms. And we aren’t talking about the rifles they carry into combat. We’re talking about the pair of standard issue guns permanently attached at the shoulders.
As of today Marines will wear their sleeves down all year, according to a recent order, approved last week by the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Leaders say the change promotes uniformity of appearance. Marines deploy with sleeves down so they should wear them that way at home too. Also, sleeves protect Marines from the sun and insects even in a garrison environment, spokesmen at the Pentagon say.
But many Marines in the fleet are calling foul. Not only does it look sharp, they contend, but it is something they have been doing for about a century. Above all, rolled sleeves sets Marines apart from soldiers, sailors and airmen.
For all the details and to hear your brothers in arms sound off on why they hate the change, pick up this week’s issue of Marine Corps Times on newsstands now. Or subscribe here to read it instantly.
Marine-led Operation Eastern Storm takes shape in Afghanistan
October 24th, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lance Cpl. Daniel Wilson patrols through a corn field in Helmand province during Operation Eastern Storm. (Photo by Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde)
Odds are, they never knew what hit them.
That’s the likely scenario for insurgents who dug in against Marines in northern Helmand province, Afghanistan, during Operation Eastern Storm. The Marine-led offensive is pushing northern from volatile Sangin district into Kajaki, one of the last areas in Helmand where the Taliban is entrenched.
The operation began Oct. 14, said Maj. Bradley Gordon, a Marine spokesman in Afghanistan. First Battalion, 6th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., comprises the main effort, with support from combat engineers; Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines; Third Reconnaissance Battalion; and First Battalion, 12th Marines.
The operation began with Marines in vehicles pushing north from Sangin along treacherous Route 611, the main highway in the region. Additional forces pushed north on foot throughout the Upper Sangin VAlley using route clearance equipment.
“This was a focused push to gain control of the entire road from Sangin to Kajaki and root out the Taliban-led insurgents,” Gordon said. “Aviation has played a role in the operation, moving troops and cargo around the battlefield, as we as in close air support.”
As this news release clarifies, Echo Battery 2/12 was inserted into an abandoned compound in northern Helmand to assist in the operation, hitting insurgents with Howitzer rounds fired over mountains in Kajaki.
The unit is working to push insurgents out of the area, ultimately increasing their ability to connect with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, moving north from Sangin, and rid the “Green Zone” along the Helmand River of insurgents.
“To put it into perspective, Kajaki is kind of split into two parts,” explained 1st Lt. Daniel Ealy, an artillery officer and Moundsville, W.Va., native with the unit. “Kajaki north is called Olya, and Kajaki south is Sofla. All the insurgents are in Sofla. We went down to where the border of Oyla and Sofla are, and we set in there. We essentially blocked them off from [the north].”
The unit took fire once settling in the compound, which it named Patrol Base New York, Marines reported. Insurgents engaged them with mortar strikes, rocket-propelled grenades, machine-gun fire and sniper fire. The Marines responded by launching two High Mobility Artillery Rocket System strikes, two Howitzer strikes and an air strike, Marine officials said.