Pop culture

Sgt. Chesty XIII, Marine Corps mascot, to retire

By Hope Hodge Seck on August 23, 2013 Animals, Battle Rattle, History and heritage, Pop culture

The Marine Corps’ loveable mascot will retire Aug. 28 in a ceremony attended by the commandant of the Marine Corps. Officials at Marine Barracks Washington said Sgt. Chesty XIII, an English Bulldog, will retire in an 8a.m. ceremony held at 8th and I. The pooch has served as Marine Corps mascot for five years, greeting the public at community engagements around Marine Barracks Washington and making appearances at evening parades in the summer. Sgt. Chesty served the post honorably, though he once received a demotion for snapping at then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s dog, Bravo, during an event. Sgt. Chesty’s predecessor,…

Clothing retailer gets props for pulling dress blues-style jacket

By Hope Hodge Seck on August 20, 2013 Military appearance, Pop culture, Uniforms

A trendy clothing retailer moved fast to pull a coat off its website after Marines complained it looked just like the famous Marine Corps dress blues jacket. Popular mall store Hot Topic posted the item, which replicated the blues coat’s standup collar and red trim, in early August, but took it down just two days later. “Replicating the Marine Corps dress blues or making it as a fashion trend is simply unacceptable,” one military user commented on the store’s Facebook page. After the creator of the “Terminal Lance” comic, Max Uriarte, shares the item on his page, dozens more users…

Handwriting experts: you shouldn’t cross the commandant

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 29, 2013 Battle Rattle, Commandant, General officers, Pop culture

Dynamic. Self-assertive. Self-protective. These are words some experts used to describe Marine Corps commandant Gen. Jim Amos–or at least, how they believe his signature describes him. Writing for MilitaryTimes’ Off Duty section, handwriting experts Sheila Lowe, Kimon Ianetta and Reed Hayes took a look at the John Hancocks of all the military service leaders, including the Commander-in-Chief. President Barack Obama’s mostly-illegible signature “signals a strong need for privacy,” Lowe said, while Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is “unable or unwilling to tell it like it is” judging from his autograph, she said. As for…

WATCH: Star Wars Composer John Williams directs Marine Corps Band

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 11, 2013 Events, History and heritage, Pop culture

The U.S. Marine Band is celebrating its 215th anniversary this month with a series of free public outdoor concerts in Washington, D.C.–and a special fanfare by one of the best-loved composers of all time, John Williams. Williams’ legacy of music includes iconic scores for films including the Star Wars saga; the Indiana Jones adventure Raiders of the Lost Ark; Jurassic Park; and Jaws, to name just a few. This year, in honor of the 215th anniversary of “The President’s Own,” the 81-year-old composer composed a distinctive fanfare just for the band (appropriately titled “For the President’s Own”) and directed the…

UFC Marine Brian Stann gets sportscasting gig

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 11, 2013 Battle Rattle, Mixed marital arts, Pop culture, Sports

Marine UFC legend and military fitness icon Brian Stann is adding a new title to his resume: college football announcer for Fox Sports South. Fox Sports South reported Wednesday that the “All-American” will join veteran sportscaster Wes Durham and Emmy-winning sports reporter Jenn Hildreth to cover Atlantic Coast Conference football. Stann will kick off his broadcast career on August 31, the first of 17 regular-season ACC games that Fox Sports South will air. “Brian brings a dynamic and energetic perspective to the booth,” Jeff Genthner, senior vice president and general manager of FOX Sports South and SportSouth, said in a news release. A…

Young Marines win fight to keep “God” in prayer

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 5, 2013 Battle Rattle, Marines, Pop culture

A Young Marines program in Louisiana is getting attention after refusing to back down over a prayer. The Shreveport Times of Shreveport, La., reports that the Bossier, La., Young Marines program lost at least $15,000 worth of federal funding because of a voluntary prayer program cadets can recite. The decade-long institution of praying during program meetings has never been questioned or criticized, staff said, but a random audit of the program called its federal funding into question. According to reports, the Department of Justice requested that the word “God” be removed from the prayer in order to maintain the subsidy,…

Behind the Cover: Busted for ‘Sammich’ Jokes

By Hope Hodge Seck on May 21, 2013 Behind the Cover, Pop culture, Rumors, The blogosphere

A female Marine finds photos from her personal Facebook account re-posted on a Marine humor page and subjected to derogatory and sexual comments. This happens not once, but again and again, and it doesn’t stay online: she gets honked and yelled at in the street when she’s walking near her base, and her friends tell her she’s developed a reputation as a “barracks mattress,” because Marines think that if she gets posted to these sites, she must be a slut. On Facebook pages like “Just The Tip, Of The Spear,” and others, most users say there’s no problem with what…

Behind the cover: No more knife hands

By Gina Harkins on April 1, 2013 Battle Rattle, Behind the Cover, Boot camp, Leadership, Marines, Pop culture

It’s no April Fools’ joke, Marines — some leaders want you to think about sheathing your knife hands. Most Marines are introduced to the crisp, flat-palmed gesture in boot camp. It’s one of the tools drill instructors use to emphasize to civilian recruits how they want things done. But beyond a training environment, some say Marines should exchange knife hands — and the yelling that typically accompanies them — for better leadership tools. The shift from 12 years of combat to a garrison environment is going to pose challenges for leaders. They’ll need to continue to motivate the young corporals and sergeants,…

The Corps gets the Jeopardy! treatment

By Hope Hodge Seck on March 29, 2013 Battle Rattle, Competitions, Marines, Pop culture, Rumors

What is Oorah? The classic trivia game show Jeopardy had a motivated night on Thursday with a second-round category titled “The United States Marines.” Contestants Rebecca Rider, Brian Daner, and Tom Carroll could have used some time in history and heritage training; of the five questions in the category, they got two wrong. Maybe they need more practice: a search of the fan-curated episode archive shows that while a category on Marine biology pops up about once a year, the last time the Corps got a dedicated category was 2009, when the National Museum of the Marine Corps was featured. See…

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs raises a glass to salute vets

By Gidget Fuentes on March 22, 2013 Events, Marines, Miramar, Pop culture

Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the National Day of Honor, which the president proclaimed in 2012 to mark the anniversary of the Iraq invasion and, particularly, the 4,500 troops killed in action. Among the events being held nationwide this week to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the start of the war was a visit to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, Calif., by hip-hop rapper and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs, who counts among his business ventures a partnership with Ciroc Vodka, appeared at Miramar in the event co-sponsored by Maxim magazine. “I have always been in…

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