James Sanborn

New EOD Marine Memorial Scholarship to aid children of fallen technicians

By James Sanborn on February 25, 2014 Battle Rattle, Camp Pendleton

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has created a new scholarship to honor four explosive ordnance technicians killed during a November training accident at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and has pledged up to $30,000 for each of their seven children to help them pursue higher education. Their children, now all under 10 years of age, will be eligible for aid to attend an accredited college or university as part of the foundation’s existing Heroes Tribute Scholarship Program for the Children of the Fallen, according to a foundation press release. The program provides dependents of those killed in the line of duty with…

National Museum of the Marine Corps exhibit to commemorate one of the Iraq War’s hardest hit units

By James Sanborn on February 18, 2014 Battle Rattle, Iraq, Marines, Off-duty

One of the Iraq War’s hardest hit units, which lost 22 Marines and a corpsman on a single deployment, is being commemorated by a temporary exhibit at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. The exhibit, which commemorates the dead of Columbus, Ohio-based Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines — known as “Lucky Lima” when it deployed to Iraq in 2005 — will be open to the public from Feb. 20 through March 3. It consists of oil paintings of each of the 23 casualties created by Columbus-based artist Anita Miller. Together they comprise a touring…

Video: Late Medal of Honor recipient John McGinty discusses nightmare mission in Vietnam

By James Sanborn on January 21, 2014 Awards, Battle Rattle, Marines, Veterans

[HTML1] We’ve uncovered a 2011 interview with Medal of Honor recipient Capt. John J. McGinty, III who recently passed away at age 73 in Beaufort, S.C. In the video by the publishers of ‘Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty’ McGinty recounts the harrowing 1966 battle for which he earned the medal. On July 15 of that year, his company was in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, when they were assaulted by wave after wave of a North Vietnamese Army battalion. He and his men narrowly survived the hours-long fight after calling in danger-close air support and…

MLK-weekend Twitter post by Marine Corps Special Operations Command sparks online backlash

By James Sanborn on January 17, 2014 Battle Rattle, MARSOC

A recent Twitter and Facebook post to official Marine Corps Special Operations Command social media accounts has sparked online backlash. “Don’t be lone shooter #MLK weekend! make sure you’ve got security- stay safe!” the post read. The post was made at 10:52 a.m. leading into the long three-day weekend, but removed about thirty minutes later after social media users questioned the posts wording and intended meaning. Some were bothered that it appears to reference the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. who was killed by a lone shooter. MARSOC could not be reached for comment, but…

Death of Afghan child during Marine operation fuels tension with Karzai administration

By James Sanborn on January 10, 2014 Battle Rattle

The recent death of a young Afghan child who was caught in the cross fire between Marines and insurgents has increased tensions with Afghan politicians as U.S. leaders negotiate the terms of their military presence beyond 2014. The death of the child in Nad-e Ali province occurred when Marines returned fire during an attack, Reuters reported Jan. 10. Exact details of the incident remain unclear, but it has prompted renewed calls by the Hamid Karzai administration for U.S. troops and the entire International Security Assistance Force to cease unilateral operations in Afghan villages and homes. The accident is being blamed…

I MEF (Fwd) deploys as last unit to command Marines in Afghanistan

By James Sanborn on January 7, 2014 Battle Rattle

I Marine Expeditionary Force’s command element deployed to Afghanistan Jan. 4, to take over Regional Command Southwest. The unit will become the last to lead troops in Helmand and Nimroz provinces where about 5,000 U.S. personnel — mostly Marines — continue to operate on the eve of a U.S. withdrawal from the country. Most forces will be gone by late 2014. Commanded by Brig. Gen. Daniel D. Yoo, I MEF (Fwd) will be responsible for shuttering or transferring the last Marine bases and combat outposts as they move man and machine out of the country. The recently deployed command element…

Marines engage Afghan insurgents in pitched battles as 2014 withdrawal looms

By James Sanborn on December 16, 2013 Afghanistan, Battle Rattle

A recent story by combat correspondent Cpl. Paul Peterson, offers a look into ongoing operations on the eve of the Afghanistan drawdown. The majority of U.S. and allied troops are slated to leave the country in 2014, but Marines in southern Afghanistan continue to engage in intense, hours-long firefights even as the Corps prepares to begin shipping men and equipment home. A few recent command shifts have taken place preceding the pull out including the handover of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing forward to Col. Scott Jensen from Brig. Gen. Gary Thomas. But, those on patrol continue to take regular contact.…

Colonel takes over Marine Corps air operations in Afghanistan

By James Sanborn on December 9, 2013 Afghanistan, Aviation, Battle Rattle, Camp Leatherneck

A new commander is taking charge of Marine air operations in Afghanistan. Col. Scott Jensen took command of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (FWD) from Brig. Gen Gary Thomas, Dec. 9 during a ceremony aboard Camp Leatherneck in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Jensen, who was the unit’s assistant wing commander, will run operations through February when 3rd MAW will take over in preparation for the final withdrawal of U.S. forces next year. As operations are curtailed and Afghan forces assume more responsibility for local security, Marine units like 3rd MAW are adapting their command structures. “Over the past several months, significant gains…

HISTORIC PHOTO: The first female Marines ever to complete infantry training

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By James Sanborn on November 19, 2013 Battle Rattle, Infantry, women

These are the first four women in Marine Corps history to complete infantry training. This image, which appeared Nov. 9 on the social networking site Instagram, was first published earlier Tuesday by Business Insider. It was taken by Pfc. Harlee “Rambo” Bradford, who is pictured in the center. The other three women in the photo remain unidentified. Marine officials have kept confidential the identifies of all female students attending infantry training because they are considered test subjects participating in the service’s ongoing study to determine what additional ground combat jobs should open to women. Marine Corps Times caught up with…

Former Marine Corps operator creates beard care product to help wounded troops

By James Sanborn on November 15, 2013 Battle Rattle, Marines, MARSOC

Veteran Marine Corps Special Operations Command operator Capt. Nick Karnaze, has launched a new beard care product line with a mission. Dubbed “Stubble & ‘Stache,” his first product is a moisturizer and conditioner that helps alleviate pesky beard itch. A portion of the proceeds are donated to organizations that help wounded troops grappling with the fallout of combat. Karnaze is now trying to raise money to expand his business through the crowdfunding web site Indiegogo. Check out his new commercials — one serious, the other hilarious — and pick up Marine Corps Times, on newsstands Monday, for the full story.…

Author James Sanborn