But will they be running (off) on Dunkin’?
April 6th, 2012 | Camp Pendleton Food Pop culture | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
When officials mark the opening of the new and enlarged Marine Corps Exchange at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in early May, they might want to brace for an unusual crowd: Dunkin’ Donuts lovers.
We’re talking coffee and donuts, and muffins and bagels, too.
Dunkin’ Donuts, a Massachusetts-based company, has more than 7,000 restaurants across the country, in 36 states plus the District of Columbia, and there’s even seven overseas. But there’s not a single one in California, a huge state where Starbucks and McDonalds are a dime a dozen. But come May, the state’s first Dunkin’ Donuts eatery will open inside the new MCX.
It’s been more than a decade since the company shuttered its few California shops, putting the nearest Boston Kreme, Powered Cocoa and Spiced Apple donuts in the far reaches across the border – no, not Mexico, although it might as well be – in Nevada and Arizona. Why they did that is just mind-boggling, even in a state that screams healthy and fit but gorges on In-N-Out burgers and burritos.
That gap in time has been agony for throngs of fans, East Coasters mostly, relegated to reminiscing about Dunkin’s Hazelnut coffee and Salt bagels and waiting for the day to travel back East, where a trip to the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts is a required pilgrimage.
But with the new Camp Pendleton store, the 64,000 people who work or live at the base will be the lucky ones able to get their coffee and donut fix daily. At least that’s what the corporate data keepers expect. “We are honored and excited about the opportunity to serve the 64,000 people who live, work and train at the military base and look forward to keeping the Marines running on Dunkin’ with our coffee and snacks,” the Dunkin’ Brands public relations manager, McCall Gosselin, said in a response to questions, picking up the company’s motto of “America runs on Dunkin’.”
Running they will be. At a base with quite a few transplanted East Coasters – including the base commander – and Southerners more familiar with the brand’s sweets, the official grand opening set to run from May 3 to May 6 just might become more of a swarm. A big one. It won’t just be base workers and residents who can access the store, not far from the main gate and Interstate 5, but thousands of military retirees in the region, which itself has a sizeable population.
“This will be off the charts,” predicted Brig. Gen. Vincent Coglianese, the Marine Corps Installations-West commander. The New Jersey native knows: He described his wife as a big Dunkin’ fan. And a recent interview veered off into warm memories of hot coffee and tasty pastries, and anticipation of the “VIP” opening on May 2.
Coglianese expects to see as big a reception to Camp Pendleton’s Dunkin’ Donuts as the Marine Corps has seen at the Camp Lejeune, N.C., store, which reportedly had more business than the Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants outside the base in Jacksonville. The company rep wouldn’t confirm but said there are 25 other Dunkin’ Donuts at U.S. military bases, and service members apparently don’t shy away from its goodies. “The military population is a great audience for us and we are actively looking to develop new Dunkin’ Donuts locations on other military bases,” Gosselin said.
The company’s original announcement that the Camp Pendleton location will be the only site in California had left die-hard Dunkin’ Donuts fans out West thinking: Are they hazelnuts?
But how soon new sites would open isn’t clear. “It will be some time before we consider expanding into California,” said Gosselin. “We recognize there is high demand for Dunkin’ Donuts on the West Coast, as evidenced by the fact that California is the #1 state for sales of our bagged grocery coffee. However, Dunkin’ Donuts is moving westward with focus on disciplined development in contiguous markets that are adjacent to our existing base in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas. We will enter the market once our infrastructure is established to meet the demands of our guests.”
Fans anticipate the reaction at Camp Pendleton will be hot. But if the it turns out to be more lukewarm, well, that means there’s just more coffee and donuts for the rest of us.
Feminist calls Katy Perry’s Marines video “shameful”
March 30th, 2012 | Battle Rattle Camp Pendleton Marines Pop culture | Posted by Gina Harkins
Feminist Naomi Wolf, author of “The Beauty Myth,” is calling Katy Perry’s new video a propaganda piece for the Marine Corps and has suggested her fans boycott the singer.
Perry recorded the video for her new song “Part of Me” at Camp Pendleton, Calif. with the help of 40 female Marines. The video debuted March 21. Wolf posted the following comment about the video on her Facebook page four days later:
Some have come to Wolf’s defense, including people who identify themselves as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Others are not so happy with her remarks, even saying she insults Marines.
Wolf added a new comment this morning saying she very much respects the brave men and women in the Marines, but very much disrespects the war profiteers who abuse their patriotism and feeds them into the war machine.
She also commented that Perry shouldn’t be glorifying war:
Some replies:
“We feel you insulted the marines and the rest of us in the military by calling Katy Perry video “glorified violence” because the video was basically depicting her in basic training, something we all go through…All she was trying to do was show us some support and by you insulting someone who has our back [you are] insulting us.”
“…the uniform code of military justice, says that we are here for YOUR protection…therefore, our “training” may be to violent for you, but for our sake, it may be nice to feel a little more appreciated for just the training we endure for your sake.”
“Becoming a Marine is one of the most challenging things you can do. Her video was about becoming self-reliant, not dependent on some man to feel empowered and happy. Your type of feminism is about an ideology that would melt like ice in the face of real, independent women.”
Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent says farewell at I MEF
April 27th, 2011 | Camp Pendleton Leadership The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent speaks to Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Tuesday. He retires June 9.
Cross another item off Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent’s list.
The Marine Corps’ senior enlisted Marine traveled to the West Coast this week for what could be the last time before he retires, speaking to Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force and other commands.
A brief Marine Corps account of the trip is posted here. As noted in this recent Marine Corps Times feature on Kent, it’s no surprise he’s making the rounds as the clock ticks down on his time in the Corps.
Larry the Cable Guy’s TV show to feature Marines
April 7th, 2011 | Camp Pendleton Pop culture | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., will be featured on "Only in America," starring Larry the Cable Guy. (AP Photo)
Git-R-Done!
That simple saying evokes one of two reactions in most of the American public: a violent, disgusted shudder or amused glee.
I’m in the gleeful category, which is why I was amused to hear everyman comedian Larry the Cable Guy has taken his new TV show, “Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy,” on the road to feature Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif. The History Channel will air the show Tuesday, April 12, at 9 p.m., according to the Facebook page for the Marine Corps Motion Picture and Television Liaison Office.
The show’s website doesn’t say much about it right now, but notes that “Larry gets embedded with the grunts at Camp Pendleton.” As you might expect, the episode also includes footage of Larry diving into world of deep-fried food in Texas, and is titled, “Larry Deep Fries Everything.”
If you haven’t seen the series, here’s the History Channel’s description of it:
Larry the Cable Guy believes the United States of America is the greatest country on the face of the earth and he’s out to prove it. In Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, Larry crisscrosses the nation, going totally off the beaten path to find the people, places and things that define this nation’s unique history. Each episode uncovers surprising information about America’s history from the story of how moonshine-making during Prohibition gave rise to one of America’s most celebrated past times–NASCAR racing–to the history of etiquette from Emily Post’s heirs in Vermont, complete with a lesson in good manners. From panning for gold in the hills of California to leading a cavalry charge in a Civil War reenactment in Virginia, Larry gives history a fun, down-home twist.
Sounds about right. Ahem… Git-R-Done!
UPDATE: This photo just appeared on the Midwest Marines Facebook page. Yep. Larry the Cable Guy in MARPAT.
Six years after son’s death, Marine dad gets Gold Star license plate
December 14th, 2010 | Camp Pendleton Iraq | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Cpl. Mike Anderson, is shown here in February 2004 near Mt. Suribachi. He died on Dec. 14, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq. (Photo courtesy the Anderson family)
Cpl. Mike Anderson was deeply entangled in one of the largest battle’s in Iraq when he died six years ago today.
A 21-year-old squad leader with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., he was shot to death while raiding houses in Fallujah. He kicked open a door with eight insurgents behind it, and immediately faced a hail of gunfire. He died in the doorway, and a 35-minute firefight ensued, said his father, Mike Anderson Sr. One of Mike Jr.’s last letters home later lived on after it was published in Newsweek.
All of this comes up today for a related reason: Four years after beginning a push to have California develop a Gold Star license plate for the closest family members of those lost in combat, Anderson Sr. received the first Gold Star license plate in California history last week. The plate was awarded at a ceremony in Sacramento attended by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Jeff Denham, who will soon become one of California’s newest congressmen.
Despite its strong military concentration, California became just the 45th state to have its own Gold Star license plate. One of the hangups was money — the state faces a severe budget crisis, so it passed a law in 2008 allowing for the creation of the plates on the condition that the necessary $300,000 was raised through private donations.
Battle Rattle caught up with Anderson Sr. by telephone today while he met with seven of his son’s closest buddies in 3/5 at Pendleton. They flew across the country to meet him there — an annual tradition.
“I’m deeply honored to be included in their circle,” Anderson Sr. said. “They were some of Mike’s closest friends, and we’re like a band of brothers.”
Anderson said it was frustrating that it took two years to raise the money after the bill’s passage, but he’s proud of how military families and charities combined to make it happen.
“It’s an acknowledgement of sacrifice,” he said, adding that he thinks his son would be proud of him. “I think he’d probably be looking at me and be saying, ‘Dad, I can’t believe you did that.’”
Get some — from the air
November 26th, 2010 | Aviation Camp Pendleton Training | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Let’s face it: There’s usually little to get excited about when it comes to practicing formations, that time consuming but traditional necessity of military life. But up in the air, formations can be, well, more thrilling and less tedious than those on the ground. Add some ammo, and there are few who’d pass up the chance to sling some lead from a helicopter. Like the “Purple Foxes” of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, who took to the air over Camp Pendleton, Calif., earlier this month to refresh their skills in aerial formation flights.
Along with the requisite “parade” formations, helicopter crews flew the more inspiring “tac form” or tactical formation, the kind of zigzag, gut-churning, gyro-challenging flight driven by pilots when insurgents and other daring enemy fighters try to lob grenades or gunfire their way, for example. Then came the fun part – aerial gun shoot – that really makes the day all worth it for crew chiefs, pilots and really anyone who gets to fire the .50-cal and .240G machine guns from a bird’s eye view.
Cpl. Daniel Zawiki fires a .50-cal during a Nov. 15 aerial gunnery and formation flight training at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Zawiki is a member of the "Purple Foxes" of HMM-364. (Photos by Lance Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot)
Marine is best enlisted leader — at Army Ranger School
October 29th, 2010 | Camp Pendleton | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
Sgt. Grant Royal receives the Enlisted Leadership Award at Ranger School graduation Oct. 22, from Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Smith. (Army).
It seems the Army’s Fort Benning, Ga., agrees with Sgt. Grant Royal.
Not only did he kick butt at last year’s Army Sniper Competition, taking first place by a mile with teammate Staff Sgt. Joshua Huskey, but he outshone the rest of the soldiers (and one other Marine) in his Ranger School class, too.
Having successfully completed the notoriously grueling 61-day course in one shot, Royal, who is an instructor at the Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton, Calif., walked away with the Enlisted Leadership Award voted on by his student peers.
He was presented the award by Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Smith at the Oct. 22 graduation, standing out in his green MARPAT uniform among the glowing ACUs of his fellow Army students.
It might have looked a little big on him, though.
“I dropped weight for sure,” he said. “I got a little fat before I went; now I have a six pack. I dropped about 20 or 30 pounds.”
High-tech flying – without leaving the ground
July 16th, 2010 | Aviation Camp Pendleton Science & Technology Training | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Two new full-motion flight simulators will immerse UH-1Y Huey and AH-1Z pilots with high-definition graphics and advanced digital cockpit systems nearly identical to what they encounter in the real helicopters. (Photo by Gidget Fuentes)
A generation ago, helicopter pilots learned the intricacies of flight and the complexities of the cyclic and collective pretty much the old-fashioned way: They just flew, for real, taking to the air and clocking hours in the cockpit. For perhaps five or 10 percent of the time, they passed the time grounded in digital flight simulators, with simple graphics on flat two-dimensional images and primitive sets of controls.
These days, thanks in part to meteoric advances in video-gaming technologies and high-fidelity computer graphics, Marine Corps pilots will spend 50 percent of their training time flying simulated missions seated in a growing collection of high-tech flight simulators.
The latest trainers to go operational became official at Camp Pendleton, Calif., on July 15, when the Marine Corps dedicated its newest and first pair of high-tech full-motion flight simulators to train pilots in its growing inventory of new and upgraded four-bladed helicopters, the UN-1Y Huey and the AH-1Z Super Cobra. The simulators, built and designed by Flight Safety International, Bell Helicopter Textron’s prime subcontractor for the project, bring to four the number of H-1 trainers (and six overall helicopter trainers at Camp Pendleton) available at the base to aircrews, although the newest pair are the only full-motion simulators.
“This is going to make us better warfighters. It’s as simple as that,” Maj. Gen. Thomas Conant, who commands 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, said at the dedication ceremony. Over time, “it’s going to save a lot of lives. We could use so much more of these simulators.”
The Marine Corps spent nearly $31 million for both simulators. It spent another $2 million to renovate the former warehouse building, a project that included four supporting piers buried 90 feet into the ground, deep enough to reach the bedrock that lines the nearby Santa Margarita River.
Officials say the project cost pales when compared to the tradeoff in improved warfighting and aircrews’ skills and, ultimately, safer flight training. “It does make a difference,” said Col. Thomas Weidley, a helicopter pilot who commands the “skid” community of Hueys and Super Cobras at Camp Pendleton-based Marine Aircraft Group 39. “Every dollar spent on these devices is worth it.”
For now, about a dozen Yankee and Zulu pilots are training in the simulators each day, but it won’t be long before 20 pilots can flow through the trainers, said Maj. Phillip Tucker, officer in charge of Marine Aviation Training Systems Squadron at Camp Pendleton.
At first glance, the pair of flight simulators – they look like huge marshmallows atop a set of legs – seemed like they were about to walk out of the brightly-lit, air-conditioned building. It’s no video game, and certainly not the $16 flight simulator rides you’d find at amusement parks and aircraft museums.
Pilots will experience hi-def graphics and full-motion training in the Marine Corps' new flight simulators for its growing inventory of updated UN-1Y Huey and the AH-1Z Super Cobra helicopters. (Photo by Gidget Fuentes)
But inside each trainer, aviators wearing advanced helmets with mounted displays encounter a cockpit identical in just about every way as the real thing, with switches and buttons and “glass cockpit” digital screens, even the fuse box placed exactly where they are in the Huey and Super Cobra. Large domed projection screens provide realistic, 270-degree views from the cockpits. While officials didn’t turn on the simulators’ “full motion” mode for the dedication ceremony, instructors say that even just the moving graphic images can be enough to get someone dizzy or even nauseous, just like in real flight.
The simulators, with a half-million lines of software codes and more than 100 hardware systems and software programs integrated in the domed trainer, are designed to mimic the real thing. In fact, officials say, the simulators provide a virtual reality of flight that is 99 percent of what pilots experience for real when flying the real aircraft.
It can even impress even pilots accustomed to 2G corkscrew turns in combat or landing on naval flight decks pitching in high seas. “Their jaws just drop. They’re like, wow,” said Mohammed Ali, a software engineer with Bell Helicopter, the Fort Worth, Texas-based aircraft manufacturer that’s building the H-1s. Instructors with Cubic Corp., a San Diego-based defense firm, can put pilots just about anywhere, including naval ships and gas-oil platforms as well as bases in Afghanistan, in any environment, from electrical storms to sandstorms, and through any of 271 malfunctions and flight emergencies. Autorotation, anyone?
Not too far into the future, officials say, networking will enable pilots flying in simulators to join in missions with aircrews training in simulators at other locations. Marine Corps officials expect to see the full integration of its training systems that ultimately will enable the virtual training of an air-ground unit, for real. “They haven’t seen an integrated aircraft trainer like that. It’s completely integrated,” Ali said of the new simulators. “We can also pair with the older devices and bring them on the network.”
He’s got some explaining to do
May 8th, 2010 | Battle Rattle Camp Pendleton | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
Ken Alexander (Photo provided by Pure Combat)
Kenneth “The Machine” Alexander, a professional mixed martial arts fighter who headlined a free event for Marines Friday night at Camp Pendleton, Calif., has been less than sincere with the media about the details of his military background.
Multiple reports documenting Alexander’s rise in the MMA world (here’s one and here’s another) have suggested the former Marine staff sergeant was a real stud when he served — a sniper with a Special Forces affiliation and multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Um … not exactly, he told Marine Corps Times this week. Acting on a tip from an alert reader, we called “The Machine” two days before his fight at Pendleton, and he acknowledged having never set foot in Iraq, Afghanistan or Africa — only Kuwait and Kyrgyzstan.
Check out the story.
So who’s to blame for the misinformation circulating about Alexander? He told us the media keeps getting his story wrong and that he’s never bothered to “waste my time” correcting the record. Here are his words:
In the fight game, people talk about what they want to talk about and you could tell them the truth ’til you’re blue in the face, but half of them hear what they want to hear anyway. … I know what I did. Those who knew me know what I did, and no one else matters.
Very well, though I suspect more than a few current and former Marines would dispute that logic. But you decide for yourself. Have a look at this TV report, which aired in California just before the Pendleton fight, and tell us what you think.
Apocalypse Yea!
May 7th, 2010 | Aviation Camp Pendleton Miramar | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Helicopters fly over coastal clouds during May 4 formation flight./Photo by Cpl. Christopher O'Quin
Crank up “Ride of the Valkyries.”
Nearly two dozen Marine helicopters – including new four-bladed UH-1Y “Yankee” Hueys and AH-1Z “Zulu” helicopters – took to the air over north San Diego County on May 4, flying in a chevron formation above Interstate 5 as they flew between Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Miramar Marine Corps Base in San Diego. Check out a video and report by the local CBS affiliate here.
It was a sight that, in the pre-9/11 world, would have drawn numerous complaints of vibrating walls and interrupted conversations from residents in the hilly communities along the freeway. Still, a few complainers aired their gripes at several online forums.
It’s not an every-day occurrence. The training squadron at Camp Pendleton’s air station, home to the Corps’ West Coast “skid row,” organized the three-hour midday flight to give aircrews experience in larger flight formations, much more than helo pilots in typical two- or four-plane sections would normally do. “Most of it was a flight designed to showcase what we do here,” Maj. Rodney Dean, a pilot with Marine Light Attack Training Squadron 303, told KFMB-TV.
Check out a few photos here taken before the formation left Miramar to return home. If you can’t get enough, there’s another video view here from the local NBC affiliate.