[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ARJk4Fpn0&context=C35c9366ADOEgsToPDskLfZQj3yAYndDMYmy9SXISh[/youtube] Soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., an Army post about 90 miles south of Atlanta, were treated to a gargantuan BOOM recently by the Leathernecks who train there. An Army TV news correspondent starts her report by saying the U.S. Marine armor school detachment there, “made history… by detonating some of the largest explosions Fort Benning has ever seen.” A group of combat engineers was having some fun… er, conducting a training exercise with their mine clearing line charge, known as the MCLC and pronounced mik-lik, from their assault breacher vehicle and set off the kind of awesome explosion that…
Browsing: tanks
Last week, Marine Corps Times outlined how the deaths of four Marines in Afghanistan in a one-month period were under investigation. It looks like an explanation may be emerging for how one of those deaths occurred. A Marine sniper was killed in combat Oct. 6 when a tank platoon mistook Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt and other Marines for enemy forces, Schmidt’s father said he was informed. The story was reported by the San Antonio News-Express, which is based in Schmidt’s hometown. From the story: Although a military investigation has not been completed, Schmidt said the Marine, who is stateside, told…
Earlier today, I hopped on the horn with Maj. Gen. John Toolan, commander of Marine forces in Afghanistan. We discussed a wide variety of issues for several forthcoming articles in Marine Corps Times, but there’s at least one piece that I wanted to report today. Noting that the initial deployment of Marine tanks to Afghanistan was high-profile, I asked the general what the current unit downrange — Alpha Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. — is doing. One answer: Helping Marine snipers lay insurgents to waste. The unit is now partnered with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, deployed…
