Operation Bold Alligator 2012 underway
February 5th, 2012 | Battle Rattle Blue-Green operations Embedded journalism Life at sea Life at Sea MEU operations Training | Posted by Dan Lamothe
A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) approaches the well deck of the amphibious assault ship Wasp on Saturday as part of rehearsals for an amphibious landing during Bold Alligator 2012. (Mike Morones / Staff)
ABOARD THE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP WASP — Greetings from the Atlantic Ocean, where we’re covering the largest amphibious exercise on the East Coast since the beginning of the Iraq war.
Bold Alligator 2012 involves at least 14,000 personnel from the U.S., France, Great Britain and other countries, and at least 25 ships. The majority of them are American, but Canada and France have both chipped in with their own hardware, as well.
Conceptually, the forces at sea are currently in the early stages of planning an attack on enemy forces from the fictional country of Garnet, a common enemy in what military officers call the “Treasure Coast” scenario. A mechanized Garnetian division has invaded the neighboring country of Amber, and is pushing north toward Amberland, which has asked for coalition assistance to stop advance. Garnet already has mined several harbors and established anti-ship missiles on the coastline, military officials said.
In reality, Bold Alligator will require naval officers to think on their feet to develop strategy and defeat their fictional enemy. They’ll be tested on how they do, and be forced to adapt to real-world changes ranging from scheduling mishaps to bad weather. An amphibious raid will be launched from several ships and coordinated from the Wasp over the next couple of days.
Exploring the ship, it’s clear that many of the Marines on board have been to sea only a few times until Bold Alligator, if ever. For example, Sgt. Michael McDaniel told me that he deployed with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Iraq for both the initial push to Baghdad in 2003 and urban combat in Fallujah in 2004-05. He’s still with the unit, and has never participated in an amphibious exercise on this scale.
“We’re down here for quite a few hours every day doing maintenance,” he said in Wasp’s well deck, over the clanks, scrapes and groans of Marines moving and cleaning vehicles and weapons. “As long as we stay on top of maintenance, everything should be pretty good.”
Bold Alligator has significant attention from some of the top officers in the Navy and Marine Corps. On board Saturday was Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations; Gen. Joseph Dunford, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps; Lt. Gen. John Paxton, commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, commander of Marine Corps Forces Command; and Vice Adm. David Buss, deputy commander of Fleet Forces Command. That’s in addition to Rear Adm. Kevin Scott and Brig. Gen. Christopher Owens, who are leading the exercise from the Wasp.
The exercise also has attracted attention in Congress. At least four members of the House were here Saturday, including Rep. Buck McKeon, R.-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
To the extent possible, photographer Mike Morones and I will keep posting updates from the exercise, which we’ll be covering for the next several days. As you might expect at sea, Internet service has been spotty. However, a “Super Bowl Bash” is listed on the ship’s plan of the day Sunday. As a Massachusetts native and Patriots fan, that suits me just fine.
Aliens: Colonial Marines – Trailer
February 3rd, 2012 | Battle Rattle Pop culture Science & Technology | Posted by Blair Tomlinson
I’m not a “gamer” but I cannot deny how insanely awesome the graphics are in the Aliens: Colonial Marines trailer. The video game is being developed by Gearbox Software and will be released in Fall 2012. The game recreates the extraterrestrial creatures from James Cameron’s classic movie, Aliens.
The official site states one of the features is enlisting in the Marine Corps and getting tooled up with classic Marine weapons including pulse rifles, motion trackers and flamethrowers. Aliens: Colonial Marines will be available on Xbox360, Playstation 3 and your PC.
Wounded warrior Marines star in ‘Still in the Fight’ music video
February 1st, 2012 | Afghanistan Pop culture Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine Corps Times posted my long-form story about Lance Cpls. Kyle Carpenter and Nick Eufrazio on Sunday. By now, you’ve hopefully heard their story: they were hit by a grenade blast in Afghanistan in November 2010, and Marines serving alongside them that day in combat insist Carpenter deserves the Medal of Honor. The Marine Corps acknowledges it is investigating what happened.
One of the things I mentioned in the story was Carpenter appearing in the music video for “Still in the Fight,” a song by Lt. Col. Mike Corrado. It’s worth a look, if you haven’t seen it. Carpenter, who has undergone more than 30 surgeries after sustaining catastrophic damage to his neck, face and arm, appears with retired Master Sgt. William “Spanky” Gibson and Cpl. Aaron Mankin in an upbeat song dedicated to their fellow wounded warriors.
As I write this, the song has been viewed more than 37,000 times on YouTube. It’s also for sale on iTunes, with proceeds going to the Fisher House Foundation. The organization offers the families of wounded warriors housing and support near military hospitals while their loved ones undergo treatment.
Carpenter spoke highly of Corrado, calling him “the man” during our interview. As reported in the story posted Sunday, Carpenter also said there’s no sense dwelling on his injuries.
“I think for guys who get severely injured and can’t move forward, it’s because the ‘what-ifs’ absolutely destroy their recovery,” he said. “It’s human nature for everyone to say ‘what if,’ but I try to snap out of it as quickly as I can because I’m never going to be able to go back and change what has happened.”
Army 3-star general: Army should be more like Marines
January 31st, 2012 | Afghanistan Manpower Reserve | Posted by James Sanborn
The head of the Army Reserve said Tuesday that the Army should be more like the Marine Corps — at least in the way the Marine Corps cultivates a strong life-long brotherhood.
Although Marines and soldiers usually boast about being better than the other, Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, head of the Army Reserve, said at this year’s Reserve Officers Association symposium in Washington, D.C., that the Marine Corps does a good job inculcating the idea of “once a Marine, always a Marine.” That helps them pull active duty Marines into the Reserve at the end of their service.
The Army would do well to mimic that as a way to retain hard-won experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While many soldiers see their four-year contract as finite, many Marines see it as just the first chapter of their military career. Army leadership, he said, often paints a black and white picture by asking soldiers near the end of their service if they are re-enlisting or getting out. They should be asking if soldiers are re-enlisting or transitioning to the Reserve, he said. They could do more to make a career in the reserve an enticing prospect.
Behind the Cover: Every Marine’s 2013 pay chart
January 30th, 2012 | Behind the Cover | Posted by Dan Lamothe
This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story hits Marines right where it counts: the wallet.
The piece, written by Pentagon correspondent Andrew Tilghman, highlights the ups and downs for U.S. service members across all branches of service. Pay will continue to increase in 2013, and Marine Corps Times breaks down the boost by rank for officers and enlisted personnel.
This week’s newspaper also offers a variety of analytical piece following last week’s big budget announcements at the Pentagon. We outline how the Corps shrinking to 182,100 Marines may occur and how the service may end up deploying to new locations in the Pacific on a rotational basis, including the Philippines.
The issue is out on newsstands this week. Or, you can subscribe here online and read it now.
VMM-365 Marines replace 162 operating Ospreys in Afghanistan
January 24th, 2012 | Afghanistan Aviation | Posted by James Sanborn
Members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, pile into an MV-22B Osprey Jan. 17, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. The flight was VMM-162's last on a six-month deployment.
Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 — The Blue Knights — deployed to Afghanistan earlier this month to replace VMM-162 which conducted its last mission there Jan. 17.
The Blue Knights out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., departed Jan. 6 and will take over resupply and transportation missions in Helmand province for 162 which spent six months at Camp Bastion. The Marines of 365 spent their final days at home preparing their Ospreys for an aircraft swap with the pilots of 162. Due to cost, units don’t take their own aircraft when they deploy. Instead they use Ospreys already in Afghanistan and give their own to the retuning squadron.
Video: Marine ‘screams like a little girl’ on amusement park ride
January 23rd, 2012 | Afghanistan Marines | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
Making the rounds today is a video posted on You Tube by Matteroni2 that made us laugh our butts off. It shows a guy screaming in sheer terror on a giant slingshot ride in Orlando, Fla., while his friend tells him “it was worth it just to hear you scream like a little girl.”
Apparently the screamer is a Marine, but it’s hard to tell for sure.
Before the slingshot hurtles him and his friend into the sky he says he’d rather be in Afghanistan than sitting there on the ride with the anticipation of waiting to take off. His buddies in Afghanistan probably heard the scream from there.
If you’re the Marine in the video, thanks for the laugh… and way to let it all hang out!
Behind the Cover: ‘Kyle covered that grenade’ — Marines weigh in on grenade blast survivor’s heroism
January 23rd, 2012 | Afghanistan Awards Infantry Marjah Medal of Honor | Posted by Dan Lamothe
It’s rare indeed that Marine Corps Times will publish back-to-back cover stories on the same subject.
Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter’s story is exceptional, though. As I reported last week, the Marine Corps is investigating what happened in the moments before he and Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio were hit with grenade explosion in a guard post near Marjah, Afghanistan, on Nov. 21, 2010. Carpenter took the brunt of the blast, and the service is researching whether he deliberately attempted to protect Eufrazio.
The story prompted a strong response from our readers — and for several of Carpenter’s fellow Marines present that day to step forward to tell their side of the story. They’re adamant in their response: based on what they saw, Carpenter deserves the Medal of Honor, they say.
This week’s cover story reflects that. It outlines what they remember and what the Corps has asked them to do as the investigation moves forward. Combined, the two cover stories share Carpenter and Eufrazio’s ordeal in a way that no other publication has, more than a year later.
As we’ve mentioned before, the case is complicated by chance. All of the Marines interviewed for this story were close when the grenade exploded, but could only hear it and respond. Carpenter said he doesn’t remember what happened, and Eufrazio has been unable to speak about the incident due brain damage he suffered as a complication.
The issue is on newsstands now beginning today. You can also read it by subscribing here online.
Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey blasts ship captain… in Italian?
January 20th, 2012 | Marines Pop culture | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
A Facebook page dedicated to the tar and feathering of ship’s captain Francesco Schettino, who appears to have fled the $45 million cruise ship Costa Concordia and its passengers and crew after grounding it off the coast of Italy’s Tuscany region, has turned to a famous Marine Corps icon to express its disdain for the man some Italians have named “chicken of the sea.”
Among dozens of satirical illustrations created using well known images from movies, music albums and other pop culture, is the famous shot of retired Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey shouting — in Italian — at a superimposed profile shot of Schettino.
The photo illustration is headlined with the words “Get back to your ship immediately” in Italian. Ermey, who has a propensity for telling it like it is, no doubt would have some choice words for Schettino if he ran into him.
The Facebook page ridiculing Schettino, who, among other excuses for having fled the sinking ship, has said he tripped and fell into a life boat, has close to 62,000 followers.
1/8 Marines to replace 1/6 in Afghanistan
January 20th, 2012 | Afghanistan Infantry Kajaki Marjah Sangin | Posted by Dan Lamothe
First Battalion, 6th Marines, was split among three districts in Helmand province, Afghanistan, during its recent deployment. (Photo by Cpl. James Clark)
After another long deployment, “1/6 HARD” is coming home.
First Battalion, 6th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., will return to the U.S. soon, according to a Marine Corps news release published today. The Corps has been flying forces from Lejeune’s 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, to replace them in combat, the service acknowledged earlier this week.
It has been a whirlwind few years for 1/6′s Marines, some of whom pushed through major offensive on three consecutive deployments.
In 2008, 1/6 served as ground combat element of the Lejeune’s 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit as it kicked in the door in Afghanistan, putting a conventional Marine battalion on the ground there for the first time in three years. Marines 1/6 assaulted Garmser district at a time when most of Helmand province was overrun by the Taliban.
In 2010, 1/6 served as one of the main battalions involved in the taming of Marjah district, another Taliban stronghold in central Helmand. It sustained heavy casualties and combat that was captured in the excellent documentary “Battle for Marjah.”
That brings us to this deployment. We’ve covered some of 1/6′s operations on this blog, particularly Operation Eastern Storm, an assault in October aimed at taming portions of Kajaki district in northern Helmand. That effort was led by the unit’s Bravo and Weapons companies. Its Marines stayed in the region after the assault, facing combat like this firefight captured on video.
The unit wasn’t just in Kajaki, however. Charlie Company 1/6 deployed to Marjah again, reinforcing sections of the district that still had Taliban resistance. Alpha Company deployed to volatile Sangin district, where it supported 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and, later, 1st Recon.