Gina Cavallaro

Marine Corps 3-star to replace Petraeus in Afghanistan?

By Gina Cavallaro on March 10, 2011 Afghanistan, General officers

Speculation and street talk are part of what goes on “inside the Beltway” in Washington, and today’s rumor has it that Lt. Gen. John R. Allen will take over as commander in Afghanistan whenever Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has been in charge there since last summer, relinquishes command. The Marine Corps could not confirm the report by former Washington Post correspondent Tom Ricks, who said in his blog “Best Defense” that he had heard of the Allen choice “around town.” If it became a reality, Allen would be the first Marine Corps general at the helm of U.S.…

24TH MEU commander fired following Walmart theft charge

By Gina Cavallaro on February 5, 2011 Camp Lejeune

Col. Robert G. Petit, commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C., was relieved of command Saturday following his arrest a week ago in connection with a theft at Walmart in Jacksonville. The decision by II Marine Expeditionary Force commander Lt. Gen. John M. Paxton to fire Petit “followed a Marine Corps inquiry into the facts relating to Petit’s Jan. 29, 2011 arrest by the Jacksonville Police Department for misdemeanor larceny,” according to a Saturday evening press release from Paxton’s office. Petit was relieved “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the release…

Amos: Corps will "step out smartly" to implement new policy on homosexuals

By Gina Cavallaro on December 19, 2010 Leadership, The CMC

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Jim Amos has said it before and he said it again tonight: The Marine Corps will demonstrate its fidelity to the constitution of the United States by implementing the new policies that will govern the service of openly gay men and women in the military. “As stated during my testimony before Congress in September and again during hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month, the Marine Corps will step out smartly to faithfully implement this new policy, ” Amos said in a statement released Sunday evening. He and Sergeant Major of the Marine…

Toys for Tots Marine gets shanked on Black Friday

By Gina Cavallaro on November 26, 2010 Reserve

This is how the store manager, Orvin Smith, tells it in the Augusta Chronicle. Cpl. Phillip Duggan, 24, was stabbed in the back around 1:15 pm Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, as he and three other Marines in their dress blues collected festive holiday gift items for the Toys for Tots program in front of the Best Buy store in Augusta, Ga. Surveillance cameras caught a shoplifter stuffing a laptop under his coat and when he was approached by store clerks to drop it, a scuffle ensued. The robber let go of the laptop then ran toward the front door.…

Behind the Cover: New rules for MCMAP

By Gina Cavallaro on November 22, 2010 Behind the Cover, MCMAP

Less training hours, more safety rules, new testing on values and stricter injury reporting criteria. These are just some of the details contained in this week’s Marine Corps Times on the new rules for the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. All Marines will still be required to have a tan belt, the lowest belt on the five-belt MCMAP system, but Marines wishing to move up can do so more quickly as the requirement for training hours has been significantly reduced. It’s all in the chart on page 20. If a Marine gets hurt beyond reason, not only will the injury…

Cpl. Jason Dunham: Marine, hero, destroyer

By Gina Cavallaro on November 12, 2010 Infantry, Iraq

On April 22, 2004 in Karabilah, Iraq, Cpl. Jason Dunham snuffed out a grenade with his helmet and body and, in dying, saved the lives of other Marines. He’s gone now and, like other Marines before him, will never hear the praise for his heroics, wear his Medal of Honor at ceremonies or stand in formation again. But after Saturday, Nov. 13, when the 9,200-ton, 509-foot warship USS Jason Dunham is commissioned in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the world will see a guided missile destroyer sail by, proudly bearing his name and cutting through the high seas with a crew of…

Amos, on the spot at the Marine Corps Marathon

By Gina Cavallaro on November 2, 2010 Battle Rattle, The CMC

When he crossed the finish line at the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 31 with a time of 2:24:08, 1st Lt. Sean Barrett got a good old hand slap from Gen. Jim Amos, the new commandant of the Marine Corps. Barrett was the first Marine to finish the 35th annual race, trailing top winner Air Force 2nd Lt. Jacob Bradosky by about a minute. Bradosky won the marathon with a time of 2:23:30.

Behind the cover: The new commandant's plan

By Gina Cavallaro on November 1, 2010 Behind the Cover, The CMC

In this week’s print edition, details of what the first aviator to head the Corps, Gen. Jim Amos, has in store for you and the Marine Corps over the next four years. There’s a lot of attention paid to the big stuff like equipment, training and fossil fuel, but we’ve pulled out the information that matters most to the individual Marine and it’s clear that Amos wants to make sure Marines and their families are taken care of. His TOP priority, without a doubt, is to make sure everyone’s got what they need for the fight in Afghanistan. Related to…

Marine is best enlisted leader — at Army Ranger School

By Gina Cavallaro on October 29, 2010 Camp Pendleton

It seems the Army’s Fort Benning, Ga., agrees with Sgt. Grant Royal. Not only did he kick butt at last year’s Army Sniper Competition, taking first place by a mile with teammate Staff Sgt. Joshua Huskey, but he outshone the rest of the soldiers (and one other Marine) in his Ranger School class, too. Having successfully completed the notoriously grueling 61-day course in one shot, Royal, who is an instructor at the Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton, Calif., walked away with the Enlisted Leadership Award voted on by his student peers. He was presented the award by Command Sgt.…

Running for Cpl. John Peck — in a gas mask

By Gina Cavallaro on October 28, 2010 Afghanistan, Events, Wounded warriors

Jeremy Soles will run the Marine Corps Marathon this Sunday in a gas mask. Why? Because it’s hard, but not as hard as the life of a wounded Marine. “The mask is an icon,” said Soles, who got out of the Corps in 2004 and has run several races wearing a gas mask as part of Team X-T.R.EM.E., which is raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project. “The time I spend in a mask is short, difficult and requires mental and physical fortitude,” he said, pointing out that doing it is not unlike what so many wounded guys go through,…

Author Gina Cavallaro