III MEF

Marine Corps provides partners in the Philippines with equipment for earthquake relief

By Gina Harkins on October 17, 2013 Battle Rattle, III MEF, Pacific issues

The Marine Corps has provided two water purification units for use in the Philippines as the military there assists with relief efforts following an earthquake that left more than 140 people dead. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol Island in the central Philippines on Tuesday. Buildings and roads have been destroyed, and the death toll has reached 144. The Armed Forces of the Philippines requested two water purification units the Marine Corps has staged there, said Chuck Little, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Pacific. The request came from the Assistant J7 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The units will…

How long will Regional Command-Southwest in Afghanistan survive?

By Dan Lamothe on August 14, 2013 Afghanistan, General officers, I MEF, III MEF, Infantry

Month by month, it increasingly looks like it could be a matter of time before the two-star Marine headquarters in southwestern Afghanistan ceases to exist. Regional Command-Southwest, as it is known, was established in 2010 as the U.S. rapidly expanded military operations in Afghanistan, surging thousands of troops there. The Marine Corps was among the first involved in that surge, seeing its footprint grow in Helmand province from about 11,000 in 2009 to 20,000 the following summer. Maj. Gen. Richard Mills took command that spring of the newly formed RC-Southwest, which split off from the neighboring two star-headquarters in Kandahar…

Jungle cuisine: Marines wash down insects with snake blood during Cobra Gold

By Gina Harkins on February 21, 2013 Allies and training, III MEF, Marines, The Pacific

Marines participating in exercise Cobra Gold took the concept of tasting the local cuisine to new levels when they sliced open a freshly caught cobra and drank its blood. With the pivot to the Asia-Pacific region, Marines could soon find themselves spending more time in jungle environments. About 5,000 members of III Marine Expeditionary Force are participating in Cobra Gold 2013, a joint multinational exercise based out of Thailand. In addition to local troops there, they are working with military members from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia. Thai troops were giving Marines a lesson on jungle survival, which…

Okinawa Marines dance “Gangnam Style”

By Gina Harkins on December 6, 2012 Bored Marine Video, III MEF, Japan, Marines, Pop culture

Marines are always pretty quick to jump on the latest pop song craze, and “Gangnam Style” is no exception. Marine wife, Erin Giove, posted this video of the III MEF Rock Band taking the stage in their dress blues and Santa hats during a holiday show in Okinawa, Japan, to her Facebook page yesterday. In the video, the Marines bust out their moves to South Korean musician PSY’s pop hit to a cheering crowd. Giove’s video has already been shared about 6,000 times on Facebook and has about 1,800 Likes. The Weather Channel’s “Coast Guard Florida” TV show shared it…

It’s official: VMM-265’s final Phrog flight from Futenma

By Gidget Fuentes on November 30, 2012 Aviation, III MEF, Japan, Marines

Battle Phrog, move over to make room for the fighting Osprey. In the latest milestone in the Marine Corps’ slow, bittersweet farewell to the CH-46E Sea Knight — aka the Battle Phrog — the last of the twin tandem-rotor transport helicopters with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 flew their final departure flight from the flight line at Futenma Marine Corps Air Station in Okinawa, Japan. It wasn’t a long trek: The helicopters were headed to Camp Kinser, the Corps’ logistics camp on the island, for “official disposition,” according to a III Marine Expeditionary Force article. Those longer legs will be sought-out by III Marine…

Marine Corps Times map as of Oct. 5

By Gina Harkins on October 5, 2012 Afghanistan, Africa, Deployments, Events, I MEF, III MEF, Infantry, Japan, Life at sea, Life at Sea, Marines, MEU operations, Status of forces map, Training

The Marine Corps Times interactive map showing what Marines are doing around the world has been updated with new information provided by public affairs for the week ending Oct. 5. [HTML1]

Report: Deadly attack on Marines at FOB Delhi was carried out by unvetted Afghan teen

By Andrew deGrandpre on August 18, 2012 Afghanistan, Allies and training, III MEF, MARSOC, Safety

The Washington Post published a disturbing report Friday evening, detailing the deadly Aug. 10 attack on Marines at Forward Operating Base Delhi in the Garmser district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Among the revelations, according to reporter Kevin Sieff’s story: These killings were carried out, allegedly, by a 15-year-old Afghan boy — described as a personal assistant to the district police chief, who’s been accused of having an affinity for young boys and abusing them. Moreover, Sieff’s report contends the boy lived on the base but was never put through the coalition’s rigorous vetting process used for all members of the…

A flap grows Down Under over new USMC rotations

By Gidget Fuentes on April 23, 2012 Allies and training, Australia, III MEF, Marines, Pacific issues

The recent arrival of a company of Hawaii-based Marines in Darwin, Australia, stirred up some unfavorable sentiments on the continent and around the region. Now comes former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, who apparently is quite unhappy about seeing any more Marines Down Under. Fraser, who led the nation-continent for eight years until 1983, complained that “over 20 years now we have given the impression of doing that which America wants. We seem to believe that our security can be best assured if we do what we can to win brownie points with the U.S. This is a mistaken assumption.”…

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