gpingersoll

Targets that actually deduct from overall rifle score are in the works for big marksmanship changes

By gpingersoll on September 26, 2014 Battle Rattle

We just finished our cover story on changes coming to Marine Corps marksmanship qualifications. Naturally, we know that any changes to marksmanship are a huge deal (I can remember when ACOG rifle sights were incorporated, I thought my fellow Marines were going to lose their minds). Now, I’m not going to give you all the details, because I want you to buy the paper, but there is one little tidbit I’ve decided to share. The idea of shoot/no-shoot scenarios are almost certainly some changes coming to Table 2. More importantly, shooting a no-shoot target will result in penalty, and an…

Obama salutes Marines with coffee cup, outrage ensues

By gpingersoll on September 23, 2014 Battle Rattle

On his way to participate in a United Nations talk on Climate Change, and coming from his national address on airstrikes in Syria, President Barack Obama stepped off Marine One and proceeded to salute Marines with a coffee cup in his hand. White House aides later posted that video to Instagram, and that’s when things went downhill. The White House press department didn’t immediately respond to queries about the salute. ABC published a story dubbing it the “Latte Salute.” Washington Times ran a headline that incorporated the words “Semper Latte.” Finally, a Daily Caller story cited the manual for Marine…

Hey, Marines, the commandant of the Guatemalan marine corps rolls his sleeves better than you

By gpingersoll on June 27, 2014 Battle Rattle

I wasn’t the best at rolling sleeves in my time, wasn’t the worst either, probably right around the middle of the pack. Leading that pack from Guatemala, though, is their marine corps commandant. Seriously, those rolls are so sharp, they probably outmatch half the Marines in the Corps. Col. Medardo Monterroso Suarez is so pumped about U.S. Marines training his troops that he not only wants to completely adopt their doctrine, but apparently their uniform presentation as well. Recently, we sent Marine Corps Times reporter Gina Harkins and staff photographer Mike Morones down into the heart of Central America to…

There’s one simple reason troops shouldn’t confuse their sacrifices with Iraq’s implosion

By gpingersoll on June 12, 2014 Battle Rattle, Iraq, Veterans

The near-unanimous lament coming from troops, widows, and Gold Star mothers would be hard not to hear if the sound of Iraq imploding wasn’t so deafening. One wife, whose husband went twice to Iraq, summed it up to Military Times nicely when Mosul was taken: “What a waste.” When Fallujah fell to ISIS militants last year, Business Insider defense writer Paul Szoldra, wrote “Tell me again, why did my friends die in Iraq?” His write-up got immediate attention, with members of the media even asking Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno if he had read it. (Skip to the 15-minute mark…

Conway: Deserters should be treated differently when it comes to negotiations

By gpingersoll on June 9, 2014 Battle Rattle

Above the debate churning around the Bowe Bergdahl saga seems to be the notion that the U.S. should always seek to bring every service member home. Not so fast, says one former commandant. In an appearance this weekend on Fox News, retired Gen. James T. Conway talked about the recently recovered soldier and all the context surrounding his return to the U.S. Bergdahl had been in the hands of the Haqqani network of the Taliban ever since he had wandered off base five years ago. Reports and evidence suggest he left of his own will, investigations have yet to determine…

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,…

There are fewer than 300 Marines left in Afghanistan’s once most violent district

By gpingersoll on May 2, 2014 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Drawdown

By Hope Hodge Seck FOB Sabit Qadam—The Sangin district of Helmand province once was known as one of the most combat-intensive regions in Afghanistan. The gains made in the area—pushing the insurgents back and making the region more secure for civilians—proved costly in Marine lives, particularly during 2010 and 2011. Three years later, while the Taliban do still maintain a presence here, it’s now the Afghan National Security Forces who patrol and engage with the enemy, as is the case throughout Helmand province. The Marines still remaining here, a contingent of fewer than 300 from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th…

Camp Leatherneck is Afghanistan’s next ghost town

By gpingersoll on May 1, 2014 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle, Camp Bastion, Camp Leatherneck

By Hope Hodge Seck Camp Leatherneck–Greetings from Camp Leatherneck, a once-bustling base in Afghanistan’s Helmand province that is rapidly becoming a ghost town. Leatherneck is home to most of the 4,500 Marines remaining in Afghanistan, down from some 20,000 at the peak of fighting here. While the base still has a sprawling footprint, whole sections are emptying as units and elements complete their mission and go home. Meanwhile, Leatherneck is still home to an array of coalition troops, including Jordanian, Georgian, Estonian, and Danish forces, as well as some 2,500 British troops stationed at Camp Bastion, which borders Leatherneck. On…

We made the mistake of asking readers who would play Mattis in a movie. The response was swift and decisive

By gpingersoll on April 16, 2014 Battle Rattle

Given that Brad Pitt has been cast as the Army’s Gen. Stanley McChrystal in a movie, we felt inclined to ask our readers on Facebook who could possibly play the role of Mad Dog, were he a character to be cast in a blockbuster film (certainly only a matter of time, right)? In completely unscientific fashion, the results are in: #1. James Mattis as … James Mattis The thread was pretty clear and near unanimous: only Mattis can play Mattis. But, clearly there were other candidates who deserved the spotlight as well. #2. Clint Eastwood Eastwood is certainly Hollywood’s gun…

General’s speech about two posthumous Navy Cross recipients is nothing short of awe inspiring

By gpingersoll on March 20, 2014 Battle Rattle

We’re going to have some news about Cpl. Jonathan Yale and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter in this Monday’s paper, so I just wanted to re-post a pretty epic piece of literature about the two Marines. Actually, it was oration, a speech, borderline eulogy, given at a luncheon by Gen. John Kelly just a four days following the death of his own son in combat in Afghanistan. If you don’t know the story of Yale and Haerter, it’s pretty amazing, I summed it up like this once at my old employ, Business Insider: “Five years ago, two Marines from two different…

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