The Marine Corps’ annual exposition of gear, weapons and vehicles kicks off today at Quantico, Va. It is expected to draw thousands of Marines and civilians from across the country, with a special emphasis on what industry is producing for the Corps. Marine Corps Times prepared for the expo by producing its annual State of the Marine Corps issue. Out on newsstands this week, it leverages insight from 15 general officers to paint a picture of where life stands in the Corps. If you’re on base and looking, you’ll find it available at the expo. Highlights of the event include…
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[HTML1] Marine procurement officials have ordered mandatory modifications to some, but not all, USMC Pack Systems produced by Eagle Industries. While packs produced by Propper International are unaffected, some by Eagle Industries require mandatory modifications to upper buckles on the shoulder harness assembly. Others also require mandatory modifications to the quick-release mechanisms that allow Marines to quickly doff their bags in an emergency. Marine Corps Times is still working to determine why Product Manager Infantry Combat Equipment at Marine Corps Systems Command ordered the modifications and what problems were occurring in the field. If you use the USMC Pack System,…
Danner, the original designer of the Marine Corps’ Rugged All Terrain boot, is having a limited-time sale on “second quality” boots. Both the temperate and hot-weather versions of the boots, normally $340 and $320 respectively, can be had for $79. That is potentially a huge break for Marines who need a replacement pair. Second quality, however, means the boots aren’t aesthetically perfect. “Form, fit, and function. These are the standards we will never jeopardize. A second quality boot maintains these standards and is only marked as second quality due to cosmetic defects. It requires the critical eye of our craftsmen…
Marine Corps Marathon is exactly one month away. With just a few weeks left to embrace the blisters, multi-hour training runs and insatiable cravings for carbohydrates that accompany marathon prep, my running partner, Jeremy Boutwell, and I have encountered a number of challenges in advance of the race. Last weekend Jeremy and I both missed one of the longest (and arguably one of the most important) training runs on our schedule. I got hit with a sinus infection that kept me in bed for a couple of days and Jeremy wrestled with a fever and increased pain in his lower…
Walk into any running store and you’re bound to get lost in a sea of neon-colored, fancy-treaded, gel-patterned athletic sneakers. Got flat feet? There’s a shoe for that. Do you overpronate — i.e., does your foot tend to roll toward the inside with each step? There’s a shoe for that, too. Want to channel your inner ultra-athlete? Go barefoot with a glove-like minimalist fit. If you had a chance to pick up this week’s edition of Marine Corps Times, you read about Staff Sgt. Jeremy Boutwell and how we’re running the Marine Corps Marathon together on Oct. 28. Boutwell medically…
[brightcove video=”1769121844001″ /] Last week, I traveled to Lothian, Md., with Senior Video Journalist Colin Kelly to visit the home of Cevon McLean, the owner of a rare 1965 Vietnam-era Bell Huey. McLean is selling his war-time collectible on Craigslist for $175,000. Fully stocked with gun mounts, ammo cans, and 2.75 rocket pods, the purchasing price also includes a trailer to tow the UH-1E away. McLean said he’s used Craigslist in the past to sell other pieces of equipment, but admits he doesn’t do it very often. “This is definitely the most unique item I’ve put on there,” McLean said. To…
This photo makes the Hell’s Angels look about as threatening as a litter of kittens. Those are Marine special operators in Afghanistan, looking like something akin to a well-organized motorcycle gang. The photo is courtesy of former Staff Sgt. Michael Golembesky, who spent two years with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, serving as a joint terminal attack controller. As Marine Corps Times first reported back in March, MARSOC teams use these small-engine bikes to get around in the Afghan mountains. Before some units deploy, the command sends them through a super-sensitive training program that provides five days of schooling…
Smile, Taliban. The Marines are watching you. As mentioned in my new story outlining the current fight in Afghanistan’s volatile Sangin district, Marine forces in northern Helmand province are using tethered “spy blimps” to watch for insurgent activity. The most common is the Precision Ground Surveillance System, a 70-foot aerostat balloon that floats over many combat outposts up and down Route 611 from Sangin to Kajaki. Army Times colleague Lance Bacon wrote about their capabilities last month. First Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., also has one larger Persistent Threat Detection System, which carries hundreds of pounds of…
KAJAKI, Afghanistan – It’s time to make a confession: I’ve been wearing a diaper in combat. Not because I can’t handle being in Afghanistan, mind you. Bad things can happen here, but you have to make peace with that before you step on the plane. No, I’m wearing an armored “diaper” because it has become a requirement for many Marines in theater. When I asked Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., about the new gear fielded to protect Marines’ groins from blast injuries, he issued the armor to photographer James Lee…
KAJAKI, Afghanistan – It’s time to make a confession: I’ve been wearing a diaper in combat. Not because I can’t handle being in Afghanistan, mind you. Bad things can happen here, but you have to make peace with that before you step on the plane. No, I’m wearing an armored “diaper” because it has become a requirement for many Marines in theater. When I asked Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., about the new gear fielded to protect Marines’ groins from blast injuries, he issued the armor to photographer James Lee…
