A Florida teenager who fought back against an alligator attack last week has his sights set on joining the Marine Corps. Andrew Hudson, 17, was swimming with friends in Little Econ River near Geneva, Fla., on July 9 when a alligator swam up behind him and pulled him under, Fox Orlando reported. Hudson told Fox he never saw the almost 10-foot gator approaching. [HTML1] “All I felt was a big thud and felt the pressure on my head, and just straight took me under,” Hudson told Fox. “I felt like the belly of him on my back and on my…
Author Gina Harkins
A Navy Cross recipient’s call to a Florida police department led to a change in policy: Effective immediately, cops in Sanford will no longer wear Defense Department ribbons on their uniforms. Capt. James McAuliffe with the police department in Sanford, Fla., told Marine Corps Times on Wednesday that they immediately suspended their current awards system and will no longer use Defense Department ribbons when honoring their police officers. The change came as a result of a phone call made by Jeremiah Workman, a former Marine who earned the nation’s second highest valor award for heroics in Iraq. Workman was watching the…
A Marine who earned the nation’s second-highest military valor award for heroics in Iraq is questioning why a police officer who took the stand during George Zimmerman’s trial was wearing ribbons she did not earn, including one reserved primarily for World War II veterans. Like many Americans, Jeremiah Workman was watching Zimmerman’s trial play out on TV Monday. It’s a trial that has been long-awaited since Zimmerman, a Hispanic, was charged with second-degree murder in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year-old. The case brought the debate on racism in the U.S. to the forefront in the…
If reading Marine administrative messages in all capital letters makes you feel like your old drill instructor is screaming a new policy at you, the Navy might be providing some hope for change. Navy Times reported that the Navy’s personnel chief issued a policy directive likely unique from all other naval messages before it — the bulletin featured lowercase letters. The Navy is shifting to a new message-routing system that is cheaper and easier to operate and has the side benefit of sending messages that are easier to read. The issue has been getting a lot of attention in recent…
A New Hampshire 18-year-old who completes boot camp this week is returning to his high school for his graduation, but was told he has to cover his new uniform if he wants to participate in the ceremony. Brandon Garabrant will graduate from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on Friday, WMUR reported. He’ll then fly back to New Hampshire to attend his high school graduation and was planning to wear his new Marine Corps uniform there. But his mom told WMUR that the school’s principal emailed her to tell her that all students should wear school caps and gowns to…
As the Corps solidifies its role as the nation’s go-to crisis-response force, new opportunities to serve in unique units are opening up to Marines. The Marine Corps is standing up specialized units that focus on missions relating to crisis response. This includes the new type of special purpose Marine air-ground task force, like that which recently deployed to U.S. Africa Command, which is made up of hundreds of Marines including a reinforced rifle company. With aircraft and logistical support, the special purpose MAGTF-Crisis Response Force, is capable of responding to various emergencies in the region, including embassy reinforcement. Similar forces…
Every Marine knows that drill instructors can yell, but you might not realize how much training they go through in order to be able to do it right. Military Times’ Senior Video Journalist Colin Kelly got up close and personal with some students at DI school aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. There, they learn how to project their voices correctly to avoid serious damage to their vocal chords. The staff noncommissioned officers run drills just like they will in boot camp to train their voices not to break. The instructors at the schoolhouse stand a set pace…
An Iraqi who fled the country over security concerns after working with Marines as a translator for five years took the Oath of Citizenship this weekend and officially became an American. Maher Ibrahim worked as an interpreter from 2004 to 2009 in Iraq’s al-Anbar province. He spent some of that time working with soldiers, but the majority of those years were spent working with Marines. He also worked with the transition teams, which trained, mentored and advised Iraqi national forces and police officers, he said. But Iraq was a dangerous place for translators, Ibrahim said. So he headed to the…
A Marine Corps recruit’s supposed account of his boot camp experience is an entertaining read, but raises a few questions — including how he was apparently able to send an email to his buddies. The recruit, apparently currently attending boot camp at one of the Marine Corps’ training depots, is supposedly telling all his friends about how they’re called gay slurs by their drill instructors between 10 and 50 times per day. He also states that anyone with “brown-skin” is referred to as a “terrorist” and is the butt of consistent racist jokes. But he’s apparently telling them via email,…
A wounded warrior who was awarded the nation’s third highest honor for valor last week is the same injured Marine Delta Airlines issued a public apology to in December after staff members embarrassed him on a flight. Cpl. Christian Brown, a former squad leader with 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, was awarded the Silver Star aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Friday. He is credited with heroic actions during the unit’s 2011 deployment to Afghanistan. On Dec. 7, Brown responded when a designated marksman was critically wounded in the head, calling in a medevac and leading his squad to where it was safe for…
