The leatherneck league
May 25th, 2010 | Photos The greenside | Posted by Phil Ewing
MC2 Ace Rheaume caught this commonplace, yet utterly surreal scene in Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, where Seabees and Marines played a game of pick-up softball on Saturday. These figures frozen against the dimensionless, dusty background, complete with that construction equipment on the horizon, all combine to make this image like something an early Renaissance artist would paint if he were commissioned to show what softball looks like in hell.
SecDef’s blast effects
May 11th, 2010 | leadership The greenside Washington | Posted by Phil Ewing
Has Defense Secretary Robert Gates portended a big shakeup for the sea services, or did he just reiterate their party line? // MC1 Leah Stiles / Navy
What do you make of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ recent fusillade against the sea services? Was it, in fact, a fusillade, or is it the “swan song” for a SecDef on his way out the door? Should the Navy and Marine Corps be worried about big cuts, or can they just wait Gates out as they have earlier SecDefs?
The green-green team
April 28th, 2010 | Environment The deckplates The greenside | Posted by Phil Ewing
Lt. Julie Cunningham and AMEAN James Creek, of VAQ 129, the "Vikings," sorted garbage on the hunt for recyclables April 14 in Oak Harbor, Wash. Besides trash-bin sorties, what other lifestyle changes could the Navy's environmental focus have in store? // Nardelito Gervacio / Navy
Absolutely no disrespect meant here, but isn’t it funny to think about the Navy and Marine Corps — an immense, mechanized bureaucracy built around the basic goals of killing and destruction — as a crunchy-granola, hippie-dippie, save-Mother Earth commune? That’s the picture the Navy tried to paint as Earth Day came and went last week — ah, but one day wasn’t enough out at Naval Base San Diego: it celebrated a whole Earth Week.
There’s no question the Navy Department is serious about expanding its uses of alternative energy and being environmentally conscious, but does that mean sailors will be starting up drum circles and delivering sanctimonious lectures on the importance of locally grown produce? What effect do you think a low-impact, alternative-fuel, enviro-culture could have on the people of the Navy and Marine Corps?
SecNav unveils Murtha’s amphib
April 23rd, 2010 | Ships The greenside Washington | Posted by Phil Ewing
Navy illustrators added the hull number "26" to a July 2, 2009 photo of the amphibious transport dock New Orleans underway in the South China Sea. // Navy
As readers of Navy Times and Scoop Deck already knew would happen, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Friday named the Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphib for Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha. (Does that shot look familiar? It should.)
“Both in uniform and in the halls of Congress, chairman Murtha dedicated his life to serving his country both in the Marine Corps and Congress. His unwavering support of our sailors and Marines, and in particular of our wounded warriors, was well known and deeply appreciated,” Mabus said in an announcement.
Mabus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Murtha’s family members were on hand for the naming ceremony in Murtha’s hometown of Johnstown, Pa. Hundreds of Web users were on hand to comment on the decision on the Navy’s official Facebook page, and not all of them were fans:
What do you think of the name?
Seven in Seven
April 22nd, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Congress Environment Foreign navies Maritime operations Military Sealift Command Navy NECC ordnance Recruiting SEALs Ships Submarines The deckplates The greenside The Middle East The Pacific Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
The Navy nabbed a lot of headlines again this week. Leading the way is news that the Green Hornet on Thursday took to flight – the fighter jet, not the super hero. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was powered by a 50/50 blend of biofuel and JP-5.
That same day, a U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American security contractors. Two others will soon have their day in court.
And on Wednesday, the Navy implemented its first change in 17 years to the Defense Department’s much-debated “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
Alien spacecraft photo of the day
April 19th, 2010 | Aviation Photos The greenside | Posted by Phil Ewing
MC2 Coleman Thompson was in the right place at the right time to capture this amazing occurrence: Some kind of extraterrestrial transport, powered by a pair of nacelles crackling with pure energy, resting on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship Nassau. Fortunately the aliens’ tail markings are decipherable for us humans, so you can tell this bird somehow belongs to VMM-162, the “Golden Eagles.” One can scarcely imagine the kind of deadly ray-gun weapons this thing carries, or the monsters it can release when it lowers its ramp.
Seven in Seven
April 16th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Congress Foreign navies leadership Maritime operations Navy Personnel Seabees Ships Submarines The greenside The Middle East The Pacific Uniforms Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Boatswains Mate Seaman Apprentice Jacob Starks salutes during a burial at sea ceremony on the flight deck of the frigate Klakring, which is on a six-month deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean as part of Southern Seas 2010. (photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Darryl Wood)
The Navy nabbed a lot of headlines again this week. Leading the way is news that the Navy’s 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will be named for Rep. John Murtha – a story first reported by Scoop Deck’s own Phillip Ewing. An unfortunate T-39 crash killed four in Georgia also made headlines, as did the Thursday announcement that changes were coming to the performance evaluation system and advancement policy (check Monday’s Navy Times for more on that). And the president also reaffirmed his 2011 Afghan withdrawal plan this week.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
The gator named for Murtha
April 14th, 2010 | Blogs The greenside Washington | Posted by Phil Ewing
Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha met Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in 2007. The Navy will name its 10th San Antonio-class gator after Murtha. // MC3 Matthew Kuhlman / Navy
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has chosen the name “John P. Murtha” for the tenth San Antonio-class gator, heretofore only known as LPD 26, and the decision has caused a splash online. Not only does the name break with the convention of naming ships in the class for cities, there’s the matter of the namesake himself. On Navy Times’ Facebook page, five people had indicated they “like” the “John P. Murtha” on Wednesday morning, but at least as many commenters indicated they aren’t so sure.
Elsewhere on the Web, the responses have edged toward the skeptical: “I can’t think of any [Iraq] veteran who would like to sail her,” wrote our amphibian phriend, and Eagle1 was explicit:
Booo! Booo! Hiss! Un-freaking- believable. Surely there are lots of Marines who are far more deserving… than this political hack. Hell, there are even far more deserving political hacks. Please reconsider this one, Mr. Secretary, please.
Ship names get people riled up!
So what do you think about “USS John P. Murtha?”
Seven in Seven
April 9th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Life at Sea Maritime operations Navy NECC Pirates Science and technology Seabees Ships The greenside | Posted by Lance Bacon
The Navy kicked off the month by kicking pirate butt in three foiled attacks. The stories that nabbed most other headlines this week included the Nuclear Posture Review, which was all the talk in the beltway; F-35 training, which continues despite problems getting the jets; the Fire Scout, which scored its first drug bust; the smoking ban on subs and the Navy’s decision to restrict the wear of ball caps and coveralls.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice:
Motivational tank photograph of the day
April 8th, 2010 | Photos The greenside | Posted by Phil Ewing
Marine Sgt. Alex Sauceda gets today’s highly coveted, very rare, Tank or Armored Vehicle Photography Prize for this — let’s be honest here — completely badass shot of an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank firing on a range in Djibouti. The elements Sauceda has chosen to include in the image are simple: A badass tank from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit shooting a big, badass fireball from its 120mm gun. In high-res, you can see that the gun is painted with the word “Predator.” Conclusion: Badass.
Check out two other great Marine photos of Djibouti exercises here and here. And Drew Brees was there, for some reason — yes, that Drew Brees.