Marines

Pendleton Marines to host Battle of Fallujah reunion

By Joshua Stewart on October 8, 2014 Battle Rattle, Iraq, Marines, Veterans

Update: This event is open to all Marines, not just ones who fought in the Battle of Fallujah. A decade after the Battle of Fallujah, California-based Marines are holding a reunion and ceremony to honor those who were a part of one of the most significant fights in Iraq and some of the heaviest urban warfare in the Corps’ history. Members of 1st Marine Division is will host the Nov. 7 event for veterans ranging from privates to general officers at Camp Pendleton, California. Now-retired Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski, the commander of 1st MARDIV during the battle, is attending. By…

Marines returned Obama’s latte salute on social media, and the results are hilarious

By Joshua Stewart on September 25, 2014 Battle Rattle, Marines

Obama’s controversial latte salute has entered the world of self-parody — and it’s hilarious. Maximilian Uriarte, the grunt-turned satirist who created the “Terminal Lance” comic strip, posted a slew of pictures on Facebook of people doing their own salute with a beverage in hand. We can’t guarantee they are all Marines, but the vast majority of Uriarte’s audience is comprised of active and discharged Marines. Some substituted the latte for a beer, a glass of scotch, a giant bottle of vodka or put on a horse mask and saluted with a half-filled bottle soy sauce (that contributor wrote “Of course…

Girl at shopping mall kicks JROTC’s member’s butt in pushup contest

By Joshua Stewart on September 11, 2014 Battle Rattle, Marines, Recruiting

Update: This post originally identified the male as a Marine. Upon further inspection, the uniform is not consistent with Corps regulations, but those of the Marine JROTC program. The girl in the video, Kaylyn Mintz, is headed to tryouts for the Junior Olympics team. That, at least, would explain how she cranked out so many push-ups. Losing can be tough on the psyche, but losing in front of a crowd in a shopping mall must be brutal. One JROTC cadet is likely licking his wounds after getting trounced by a sandal-wearing opponent in a push-up contest at a mall. “She…

“Going out to pick a fight:” Marines from 1/9 remember one of their own

By Hope Hodge Seck on May 27, 2014 Battle Rattle, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Marines

During my short visit to Helmand Province, Afghanistan earlier this month, I was struck by the way honoring and remembering fallen brothers becomes an integral part of everyday life for Marines. One of the first stories I heard from a Marine on the C-17 ride over from Kabul to Camp Leatherneck was about a white board hanging in a company office with a simple inscription: “Going out to pick a fight.” It was a favorite catch-phrase of Sgt. Daniel Vasselian, a Marine with Bravo company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, a unit that is now returning home after a deployment providing…

Marine Corps seeks volunteers for co-ed ground combat element

By Gina Harkins on May 23, 2014 Marines

Corps officials will be soliciting Marines to volunteer for the latest step in testing the integration of women in combat arms positions across 14 duty stations between May 28 and June 9. Here’s are five things Marines should know: 1. The Corps is looking for about 500 volunteers — women and men — to serve as the ground combat element of an integrated task force that will be stood up at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in June. 2. Marines interested in volunteering can do so three ways: on the Corps’ Manpower and Reserve Affairs website; by calling (703) 432-2513; or…

We weren’t surprised about how Marines kept fit in Sangin. Well … except for this one guy

By gpingersoll on May 2, 2014 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Marines

By Hope Hodge Seck FOB Sabit Qadam—It’s springtime in Afghanistan, and that means the mercury is already pushing into the triple digits here in Sangin. That didn’t seem to make a difference for Sgt. Sylvester Brooks, who tore through the FOB at top speed on a 45-minute run, wearing a high-altitude mask to make an already sweltering workout more challenging. During a quiet deployment focused on drawdown efforts, the outdoor gym seldom sits idle as Marines bide their time by knocking out endurance workouts and strength training. Marine officials said the gym will remain in place as drawdown efforts continue,…

Commandant wishes female Marine vet a happy 100th birthday

By Hope Hodge Seck on April 25, 2014 History and heritage, Marines, women, World War II

Mary Cochrane enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1944 to “free a man to fight” in World War II by serving as a truck driver. On April 18 she celebrated her 100th birthday–made sweeter with a cake brought to her home by a detachment of reserve Marines, and a letter of congratulation from Marine commandant Gen. Jim Amos. The Marines, an inspector-instructor detachment from Peru, Indiana, spent time discussing Marine Corps memories with Cochrane and reviewing photos from her time as a young Marine. “I had never seen a Marine, by the way,” Cochrane said of arriving in San…

Rep. Jim Moran slams the Duffel Blog, somehow misses the joke

By Gina Harkins on April 17, 2014 Marines

A congressman issued a statement after fielding a number of calls and emails criticizing a story about his so-called plan to require war veterans to inform their neighbors that they served in combat — only the story was fake, a product of the satirical military news site, the Duffel Blog. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., put a statement on his website Tuesday disassociating himself with the satire, that “while meant to be humorous, was in poor taste and hurtful to our veterans.” But the Duffel Blogwas created by a veteran — former Marine Sgt. Paul Szoldra, who served as a mortarman and…

Four key graphics show the future face of Marine Corps operations

By Gina Harkins on April 16, 2014 Battle Rattle, Marines, MEU operations

The Marine Corps released a new graphic at the recent Sea Air Space expo that highlighted the way it will respond to future crises around the world. I picked up a copy of this poster at the Sea-Air-Space exposition last week, where several generals discussed how Expeditionary Force 21 will work. The graphic diagrams a Marine expeditionary brigade that is forward deployed and can be scaled to whatever size needed to respond to various crises. The first slide shows a crisis breaking out on land, but not too far from the shore. Expeditionary Force 21 points out that most of…

Researchers want to help Marines develop their ‘spidey sense’

By Gina Harkins on April 2, 2014 Battle Rattle, Marines

Experts want to tap into the way Marines make decisions based on hunches to see if there’s a way to further develop their “sixth sense” and help them guess right more often than not. Most warfighters develop their gut instincts through time and experience, said Lt. Cmdr. Brent Olde with the Office of Naval Research, according to a news release. But now ONR experts want to apply their studies in neural, cognitive and behavioral sciences to help Marines and sailors develop those instincts earlier in their careers. The goal is to help them tap into their “spidey sense” when making…

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