A Marine Corps Times story on the possibility of a universal cover for male and female Marines landed on Thursday night’s episode of “The Colbert Report.” The story written by James K. Sanborn on Monday stated that the Marine Corps Uniform Board was looking at adopting a universal cover for men and women to be worn with dress and service uniforms. The board collected feedback throughout the week and is expected to meet on Tuesday. The piece included a photo released by the Corps showing different cover options, including the possibility of “Dan Daly caps” for all Marines. Marines immediately began sharing…
Author Gina Harkins
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…
The Japanese government has agreed to pay for more than a third of the costs involved in moving about 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam. The State Department announced Thursday that Japan will pay $3.1 billion to fund facilities and infrastructure in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The U.S. has projected that final bill to move 5,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam to cost $8.6 billion. That means Japan will fund about 36 percent of the costs. The timeline to move all those Marines to Guam is still being worked out. Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, the commander…
Corps officials are soliciting Marines to consider a lateral move into a job with opportunity for new experiences, deployments and huge cash bonuses. The demand for Marines in the 0211 counterintelligence/human intelligence military occupation specialty has more than doubled over the past decade. The Marine Corps’ intelligence community is asking sergeants, corporals and even some lance corporals, to consider moving to the 0211 MOS. Not much was known about what 0211s did until the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq. CI/human intelligence Marines assisted commanders with gathering information they needed to be successful on the battlefield. Now as things wind…
A group of combat cameras produced a skit showing how the Corps is adapting to the government shutdown and budget cuts through several key changes: replacing rifles with Nerf guns, feeding Marines cold food instead of hot and forcing married couples to live in the barracks alongside single Marines. [HTML1] It’s titled “Adapt and Overcome” and features a mustached first sergeant telling his Marines how the cutbacks were going to affect the service. The combat cameras have to swap their Nikon cameras for disposable Fujis, he tells them. And their laptops are replaced with Etch A Sketches. “Don’t be a ninny…
As world leaders gather in New York this week at the U.N. headquarters, a Michigan congressman is inviting Americans to join a social media campaign designed to draw attention to a former Marine sergeant who has been held prisoner in Iran for two years. Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Michigan, is working to boost global awareness of the imprisonment of one of his constituents. Former Marine Amir Hekmati has been held prisoner in Iran for two years. Kildee is encouraging members of Congress to have their photos taken with a sign that says “#FreeAmir” and share them on social…
A 72-year-old was awarded the Bronze Star with combat “V” for heroic achievements during the Vietnam War. Retired Staff Sgt. David Nugent was presented with his award Aug. 26 aboard Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The former section leader with Mortar Platoon, Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, was surrounded by more than 100 family members and friends, according to an Air Force news release. “I am grateful that I was able to receive this now so my children, grandchildren, brothers and their children can see this ceremony,” Nugent said during the ceremony. “By seeing it, I hope…
A group of Marine reservists are leading a three-day, 81 mile hike in Florida this weekend to honor those who died in the Battle of Fallujah in 2004. Maj. Charleston Malkemus, an infantry officer who fought in the infamous Battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004, carries a flag he received from a Marine who was killed in action. He said he now displays it in his company office to remind other Marines of their commitment to uphold the expectations of their brothers-in-arms. And this weekend, he will carry the flag 81 miles as he helps lead a hike from…
About 850 Marines headed to the remote Australian outback to test the capabilities of a training range as the U.S. prepares to deploy a battalion-landing team-sized unit there next year. Exercise Koolendong 2013 kicked off on Tuesday at Bradshaw Field Training Area outside Darwin, Australia. The two-week long exercise will be conducted with about 1,000 Australian and U.S. troops. It is designed to assess the capabilities of the training field to accommodate live-fire training for a battalion-sized unit, according to a Marine Corps news release. Included are about 700 members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based out of Japan,…
A photo of a former staff sergeant who lost his legs in Afghanistan being carried on his wife’s back has gone viral on Facebook — here is the story behind the picture. Former Marine Staff Sgt. Jesse Cottle told KTVB in Idaho that he joined the Corps in 2003. The explosive ordinance disposal Marine was on a foot patrol in Afghanistan in 2009 when he stepped on a pressure plate that triggered a blast. Cottle was left a double amputee, having lost his legs after struck by an anti-personnel improvised explosive device. The explosion was caught on camera, KTVB reported,…
