Behind the Cover: 15,000 Marines must go
November 29th, 2011 | Behind the Cover Marines | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
You’ve read some of the details about the coming 15,000-Marine drawdown of the Corps in previous issues of Marine Corps Times. But this report takes it even further.
In this issue, you will learn specifics: which units are being deactivated, how many will be reorganized or realigned and where the Corps will actually be adding people and assets.
For example, along with the stand down of a historic regimental headquarters and three battalions, several tank companies, field artillery batteries and recon companies will go away. At the same time, the logistics community will undergo sweeping changes, and Marines will be added at MARSOC and Marine Forces Cyberspace Command.
There is news for the MP community, the aviation community and for some general officers. It’s all laid out in a by-year time line between now and 2015.
Also in this issue, find out whether your next MEU deployment will be longer than expected and take a look back at the pilots who flew the ill-fated MV-22 Osprey that crashed in 2000 with 19 Marines aboard and why some want the record changed to restore their reputations.
Video: Scott Olsen since Occupy Oakland injury
November 29th, 2011 | Battle Rattle Marines | Posted by Chris Kelly
Our colleagues over at USA Today caught up with former Marine Cpl. Scott Olsen after recovering from a head injury sustained during the Occupy Oakland protests on October 25.
Olsen lost the ability to speak for a period of time, but is slowly regaining it. With a scar above his left eye, Olsen returned to the scene of the protests where he was hit by a projectile, resulting in a fractured skull.
The 24-year-old had this to say about his experience from the USA Today story:
Even when it comes to his injury, Olsen considers himself fortunate — and not just because he wasn’t killed. He said that as a veteran he was shown more honor and treated with more respect than many others under the same circumstances. “It almost seems,” he said with a shrug, “like I got lucky.”
Below is the video from the events of October 25:
USA Today: War veteran injured in Occupy protest says he’s ‘lucky’
Are you (really) ready for some football?
November 25th, 2011 | Marines Off-duty Safety Sports | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Sailors with Naval Medical Center San Diego and Marines with 1st Marine Logistics Group fight for the ball during an Oct. 24 football game in San Diego. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Chad A. Bascom/Navy)
‘Tis the season for turkey, tailgating and that classic game on the gridiron, football. But all that rough play with your best buddies can sometimes turn into a trip to the Doc or, worse, the emergency room.
Over Thanksgiving 2010, the Naval Safety Center got 54 reports of injuries, including Marines and sailors who “attempted to work off their turkey tryptophan with a pick-up game.” Some of them suffered poked eyes and sprained ankles from playing on the football field. No word about any resulting lost work days.
The fall season typically sees double the number of football injuries than any other time of the year, according to the safety center. And we’re not just talking tackle football. Marines get hurt playing flag football, too, even though it’s not supposed to be a contact sport. Interestingly but not surprising, injuries from hunting and bull riding (yes, that’s what it says) run second and third. So if some football fun is on your schedule, center officials offer these tips before you head out onto the field:
- Know your limits. You’re not in the NFL and you probably aren’t a professional-caliber quarterback.
- Use the proper equipment and personal protective equipment.
- Check the field for holes or other hazards before starting the game.
More tips: Wear gloves made especially for football or tape fingers to reduce the chances of finger injuries. Avoid alcohol and don’t overdo it. With the prime months of the football season setting in, it might be advice worth heeding.
1st LAR Marines replace 2nd LAR in Afghanistan
November 22nd, 2011 | Afghanistan Kajaki | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Sgt. Christopher Holmstrom scans the area during a convoy patrol in October with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. (Photo by Cpl. Marco Mancha/Marine Corps)
Marines in at least two more units downrange this summer may be home in time for turkey.
Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., has been replaced in Afghanistan by 1st LAR, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marine officials in Afghanistan said. They’ll likely continue the mission LAR units have manned for years, patrolling the deserts of southern and central Helmand province to prevent insurgent movement and activity.
Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, also is heading home, officials said. The artillery unit will be replaced by Pendleton’s Echo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines. Echo Battery 2/12 was active this fall in Operation Eastern Storm, in which Marine forces pushed north from volatile Sangin district to the Kajaki Dam.
Sgt. Scott Moore talks about Marine ball date with Mila Kunis
November 21st, 2011 | Pop culture | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine Sgt. Scott Moore is making the rounds on TV this morning following his date to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball on Saturday night with actress Mila Kunis. Check out his appearance on Good Morning America today:
Well done, sergeant.
Marine commandant gives miniature swords as birthday ball gift
November 17th, 2011 | History and heritage The CMC | Posted by Dan Lamothe
On Saturday night, I attended my first commandant’s Marine Corps Birthday Ball in National Harbor, Md. It was an impressive event with excellent food and music and a guest list that included more than a dozen general officers, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Sgt. Dakota Meyer, the Corps’ recent Medal of Honor recipient.
As is customary, the Marine Corps gave each of the estimated 3,000 guests a gift. This year’s was a 10-inch miniature Marine officer’s sword letter opener, complete with sheath and intricate detailing.
The swords were made by Weyersberg, Kirschbaum and Cie, of Soligen, Germany. It bills itself as the oldest sword factory in the world.
The Daily Show uses Iwo Jima image to spoof Occupy Wall Street
November 17th, 2011 | History and heritage Iwo Jima Memorial Pop culture | Posted by Dan Lamothe
So I was watching The Daily Show last night, and on came a clip spoofing the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City. That’s no surprise.
The twist came when host Jon Stewart noted that the movement had vowed to take over the park, “if only to erect a monument to what was perhaps the occupiers’ biggest challenge.”
That fictional monument looked like this:
The "monument" that The Daily Show says the Occupy Wall Street movement erected in New York City. (ComedyCentral.com screen grab)
The bit got a good laugh, playing on the perceived messiness of the “facilities” at the park, where protesters have demonstrated against the state of the economy, corporate greed, unemployment and other social ills.
“They truly were,” Stewart said, “the least toileted generation.”
Five U.S. Marines and a Navy Corpsman raise the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945. This photograph, taken during the heart of World War II, is one of the most iconic U.S. photographs of all time. (Joe Rosenthal/Associated Press)
Plenty of people have mocked the Occupy movement, but I’ll be the fuddy duddy who asks: Did The Daily Show go too far by using the famous image of the U.S. flag-raising on Mount Suribachi?
Every few years, the iconic World War II image of five Marines and a Navy corpsman erecting the flag on Iwo Jima is altered for another purpose. Typically, doing so is blasted by veterans groups and many Marines, whose own Marine Corps War Memorial near the Pentagon replicates it.
In 2008, for example, Time magazine came under fire after it doctored the image to replace the U.S. flag with a tree for an issue about global warming.
Last year, a British Airways employees union sparked outrage by altering the photograph to promote their cause during a labor strike.
And earlier this year, a cultural group in New Jersey apologized after veterans complained about them altering the Iwo image to promote a parade honoring Indian heritage. The Indian flag was super-imposed over the American flag in that image.
Those are just a few examples. The Daily Show wasn’t promoting anything specific with their version of the image, but it certainly had an edge to it. It’s a freakin’ toilet swapped in for the American flag, after all.
Marine Corps Times credited as wingman in Mila Kunis date
November 16th, 2011 | Pop culture | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Sgt. Scott Moore was photographed by the Associated Press in July in Musa Qala, Afghanistan. (Associated Press photo)
Marine Corps Times can be many things to many people.
News source? I hope so. Advocate? Sure, sometimes. Antagonist? At times, guilty as charged.
I don’t think we’ve ever been credited with being a matchmaker before — until now.
Sgt. Scott Moore, the Marine who will be taking actress Mila Kunis to his unit’s Marine Corps Birthday Ball, just launched a Twitter account. Not long after I found it today, he posted this message:
[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/#!/theScottMoore/status/136892377116839936"]
I won’t lie, that seriously made my day. Perhaps I should explain the back story.
Moore posted his now infamous video asking Kunis for a date to his unit’s ball on YouTube on June 7. The following month, I found it while searching the site for bootleg clips of Marines in Afghanistan, and cracked up. I introduced it here on Battle Rattle late on July 7, figuring readers would get a kick out of it.
The following day, it went viral. It appeared on sites ranging from Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks to Tosh.O’s blog on Comedy Central’s website, prompting a Fox entertainment reporter to ask about it during an interview that weekend. With coaxing from Justin Timberlake, her “Friends with Benefits” co-star, she accepted on the spot.
Moore’s video has now been viewed more than 3.9 million times, and inspired several other Marines to successfully invite other celebrities to their birthday balls. Kunis is expected to attend his ball for 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, on Friday night in Greenville, N.C.
Hey, we do what we can to help.
Justin Timberlake’s Marine date: ‘There was never a dull moment!’
November 16th, 2011 | Pop culture | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Cpl. Kelsey De Santis poses with Justin Timberlake at her unit's Marine Corps Birthday Ball on Saturday night.
Justin Timberlake’s thoughtful reflection on attending the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in Richmond, Va., on Saturday night blew up the blogosphere.
Cpl. Kelsey De Santis is taking the opportunity to weigh in, too, however — and it sounds like she had a great time.
In a new blog post on her website, De Santis said she had the chance to visit with Timberlake before the event, and was impressed with his willingness to mix it up with everyone else at the ball.
From the entry:
As the official ceremonies ended, Table 10 got the party started, shared some jokes, gathered for a group dance floor session, and enjoyed the night to the fullest. There was never a dull moment! And I have to say Justin fit right in.
As the night came to a close, we all walked out with Justin and said our goodbyes… but he didn’t get to leave the Ball without first receiving a bayonet engraved with ‘Justin “come tussle” Timberlake’.
For the record, I think the critics should note that De Santis’ ribbon rack looks straight in this new photograph. Here’s another of Timberlake at the ball with some of her friends:
Yes, there’s a Marine Corps peeing controversy
November 16th, 2011 | Afghanistan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
A dining hall worker waits to use a toilet at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, in 2009. Honestly, how else did you think we'd illustrate this blog entry? (Photo by David Guttenfelder/Associated Press)
First farting. Now peeing. What’s next? Pooping?
Last month, the North County Times published a thoughtful story highlighting the cultural training that Marines receive before deploying to Afghanistan. However, two points from Shafiq Mubarak, a trainer with the Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning, have gained traction on the blogosphere. They appeared in these paragraphs:
Mubarak also said the Marines should never spit or urinate to the west, the direction of Mecca that Muslims in Afghanistan face when they pray.
In addition, when sharing a base with Afghan army troops, Marines shouldn’t sleep with their feet pointed west, because that also is considered offensive, he said.
The points have been criticized on the Web in pieces like this one, which ridiculously suggested that the Corps’ cultural learning center was “created to teach Marines to exist in the Islamically approved fashion.”
A newspaper in Colorado, the Greeley Gazette, followed up this week, reporting that Lt. Col. George Robinson, operations officer for COACL, said Murabak’s statements do not reflect Marine Corps doctrine.
“Mubarak is a private contractor, and an Afghanistan civilian. He was simply expressing a personal opinion regarding his dealings with locals,” Robinson said. “The training is simply meant for Marines to learn about the area from trainers using personal anecdotes.”
And therein lies the rub. At its best, the training and other cultural awareness efforts teach Marines new ways to understand their surroundings on deployment, potentially preventing some problems. No orders have been put in place, but the training has provided suggestions that may or may not help in Afghanistan on a given day.
At its worst, the training is taken too seriously and spun into a justification for online vitriol. “Look what they’re making Marines do!” critics scream, frothing at the mouth. “This politically correct B.S. has gone too far!”
Much like the recent flap over Marines being advised to fart carefully in Afghanistan, the message has spiraled from what it was originally.
The best-case scenario is that we find a little humor in the situation, and learn something about another culture in the process. Then, like anything else, the Marines on the ground can apply it — or ditch it — as common sense dictates.
Crazy idea, isn’t it?