Gen. James Cartwright’s farewell tribute, in photos
August 4th, 2011 | General officers Leadership | Posted by militaryonline
Is there a better venue than the Marine Corps Barracks in Washington, D.C., to hold a farewell tribute for a general who has served nearly 40 years – the last four as vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff? Didn’t think so.
Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright’s farewell drew top Pentagon officials to the grounds Aug. 3, including Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn.
With the barracks at 8th and I being the main ceremonial grounds of the Corps, the Marines knew how to put on a show for one of their own. The photo essay on the Defense Department’s site by Air Force Tech Sgt. Jacob Bailey seemed to perfectly capture the ceremony.
Behind the cover: The MARSOC workout
July 6th, 2010 | Battle Rattle Behind the Cover MARSOC | Posted by militaryonline
Whether you are a grunt with multiple combat tours under your belt or a personnel clerk who is not used to humping it with a pack, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command has come up with a w0rkout that is sure to whip you into shape and Marine Corps Times spells it out for you in detail in this week’s cover story.
“First Look: The MARSOC Workout,” includes a four-page special pull-out section that walks you through each day in the 10-week program. MARSOC recruiters hand the program out to Marines who are interested in attending Assessment and Selection, the 19-day tryout where Marines are tested to see if they have what it takes to become a special operator, but anyone can give it a shot.
The six day a week workout regimen, will test you both physically and mentally. It will require you to swim hundreds of meters in cammies, hike up to 14 miles with a 45-pound pack, run and complete regular strength training exercises. Ooh-Rah!
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Behind the cover: FY 2011 SRBs
June 29th, 2010 | Battle Rattle Behind the Cover | Posted by militaryonline
Battle Rattle presents its second installment of “Behind the Cover.” This week, Marine Corps Times conducts an in-depth analysis of fiscal 2011 Selective Re-enlistment Bonuses.
No doubt, Marines throughout the fleet have heard that the bonus well is running dry. That’s not necessarily the case. Although the total funding allotted to re-enlistment bonuses in fiscal 2011 is 54 percent less than the amount offered this year, Marines can still earn up to $90,000 depending on their primary military occupational specialty and whether they choose to embark on a completely new, in demand career path.
The article highlights the MOSs that offer the greatest payout, career fields that are eligible for bonuses in fiscal 2011 that weren’t eligible this year, and 13 in demand fields that will open up for early lateral moves on July 1.
Officials did issue one word of caution: Re-up in July before boatspaces fill up. That’s right, boatspace caps are back once again, which means the Corps simply doesn’t have enough room for everyone to stay in.
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Petraeus replaces McChrystal
June 23rd, 2010 | Battle Rattle | Posted by militaryonline
President Obama fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal Wednesday after he and his team made offensive comments to Rolling Stone magazine about the president, vice president and other key members of the national security team.
Despite wide-spread speculation that Marine Gen. James N. Mattis would be the new four star in charge of the Afghanistan war effort, Obama instead named Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Central Command. Petraeus also oversaw the surge and new counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq.
Did Obama make the right decision in firing McChrystal? And is Petraeus the right choice to take his place? Let us know what you think.
Making sense of the numbers
June 17th, 2010 | Battle Rattle | Posted by militaryonline
President Obama has tapped Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, the former Mississippi governor, to formulate “a long-term Gulf Coast restoration plan.”
Details about the plan are not clear, but it’s likely to span several decades. BP also has recently agreed to put $20 billion aside for claims, but the New York Times reported that legal costs could soar to more than $60 billion if criminal charges are filed. Just to put that into perspective, that’s more than double the Corps’ total budget request for fiscal 2011.
Get some … Xbox LIVE points
June 16th, 2010 | Battle Rattle Recruiting | Posted by militaryonline
You can earn your share of 200,000 Microsoft points when you download Marine Corps gamer themes, like the one above, and pictures packs from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
So far, 883 have said they “like” the announcement on the Corps’ official Facebook page and 169 have commented on the post. Although most of those comments consist of Ooh-rahs, a handful of Marines have asked the Corps to show some love for PS3. It’s not clear if there are any plans in the works for that.
Never forgotten
June 16th, 2010 | Battle Rattle | Posted by militaryonline
Panorama de St. Mihiel, 12 Septembre, 1918
A World War I veteran whose remains were lost for nearly a century is to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery next Wednesday, a Marine official said.
First Sgt. George H. Humphrey died Sept. 15, 1918 during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel — one of the first U.S. solo offenses during the war. Humphrey is believed to have served with 6th Marines, 2nd Infantry Division. Fellow Marines buried his body in an unmarked grave west of the French town of Rembercourt-sur-Mad, but post-war efforts to locate the gravesite were not successful, said Gunnery Sgt. William J. Dixon, the Corps’ funeral director.
Search efforts were renewed last year after French nationals, who were hunting war relics in the village located about 17 miles northeast of St. Mihiel, found artifacts that they believed to belong to an American soldier. The artifacts were reported to the French authorities, who then notified the Joint Prisoners of War, Missing in Action Accounting Command, or JPAC, Dixon said.
A JPAC team traveled to France Oct. 20-23 and excavated the burial grounds, he said.
Humphrey will be buried with full military honors June 23 at 3 p.m. The service is open to all service members, families and friends to attend, Dixon said.
“There is no greater honor to me than to direct this funeral in honor of such a fallen warrior who laid down his life in defense of the world,” Dixon said. “His remains were lost to time, but only for a moment to the Marines.”
Supersonic
June 15th, 2010 | Battle Rattle | Posted by militaryonline
The Corps’ jump jet version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter flew faster than the speed of sound June 10.
For the first time in military aviation history, supersonic, radar-evading stealth comes with short take-off vertical landing capability,” said Bob Price, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Marine Corps program manager, in a press release. “The supersonic F-35B can deploy with small ships and austere bases near front line combat zones, greatly enhancing combat air support with higher sortie-generation rates.”
Marine Lt. Col. Matt Kelly, the pilot of the test aircraft known as BF-2, climbed to 30,000 feet above Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and then accelerated to Mach 1.07, or 727 miles per hour. The test team will push the aircraft to Mach 1.6, the JSF’s top speed, in future tests.
Although BF-2 is the first Marine Corps variant to reach supersonic speed, two Air Force variants, or conventional takeoff and landing variants known as the F-35A, have already broken the sound barrier, according to the Lockheed release.
Corps to test new packs
June 11th, 2010 | Battle Rattle | Posted by militaryonline
A Marine walks with his pack during Land Force Cooperation Afloat Readiness Training in Okinawa, Japan in March. Credit: Marine Corps
The Corps will start testing possible replacements for its standard ruck this summer, a top acquisition officer said at a recent conference outside Washington.
The Individual Load Bearing Equipment pack, which was approved in 2004, not only clashes with the existing body armor, but Marines also complain that it causes chaffing and pain in their knees, back and shoulders, causing them to rate it “completely unacceptable” in a survey conducted last year, said Lt. Col. A.J. Pasagian, program manager of the Corps’ infantry combat equipment at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.
The new pack will be designed with an adjustable suspension system to fit closely against a Marine’s body regardless of whether he is wearing body armor or not. It also will have a built-in hydration system and multiple adjustment points, reducing the stress on a Marine’s body, he said.
“Our ILBE pack was not designed with the intent of being worn with body armor,” Pasagian said. “This was back before the prolific expansion of the body armor as we know it today. We need to fix that. We are doing that by scaling across the entire playing field and we are looking at government designs as well as across industry.”
The testing this summer will focus on existing government designs, such as the Army’s Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment pack, or MOLLE, as well as several bags already used by U.S. Special Operations Command. The service then hopes to seek proposals from industry in fiscal 2011, Pasagian said.
Lady Gaga and Afghanistan
May 6th, 2010 | Afghanistan Battle Rattle | Posted by militaryonline
OK, I know that this is supposed to be a blog about Marines, but I just can’t resist posting this video of soldiers with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan.
If you haven’t seen it already, check it out. It’s already had more than 3.5 million hits and is bound to be an instant classic. Of course, we are always interested in funny pictures or videos of Marines down range. So if you have any, feel free to send them our way.
