PATROL
U.S. Marines Corps Cpl. Dan Clark patrols with fellow Marines along a fence line during combined pre-deployment training at 2nd Marine Logistics Group's Battle Skills Training School, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Oct. 15, 2008. Clark is a field military policeman from MP Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. U.S. Marines Corps photo by Cpl. Aaron Rooks

Labels: 2nd Marine Logistics Group, Battle Skills Training School, Camp Lejeune, Military Police, photos, USMC

Labels: Beirut, Fallen Heroes, terrorism, USMC

From Multi-National Force - Iraq:


An Iraqi man holds his drowning child in Karmah, Iraq, Sept. 28, 2008. Navy Chief Roger Buck, a 34-year-old battalion medical chief from Niceville, Fla., saw the limp child cradled in his father's arms and immediately began administering CPR, saving the boy’s life. Photo by Lance Cpl. Achilles Tsantarliotis, Regimental Combat Team 1.


Sunday, 19 October 2008

KARMAH — Corpsmen are often considered the medical ray of light for Marines in a combat zone.

Sometimes their light shines bright enough to reach local Iraqis in need, whether during a routine combined medical engagement, or for one Iraqi child who almost drowned, on the spot emergency medical attention that saved his life.

Navy Chief Roger Buck, a 34-year-old battalion medical chief from Niceville, Fla., with Task Force 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, saw the limp child cradled in his father’s arms during an Iraqi key-leadership, joint-forces dismounted patrol.

Buck ran to the boy and immediately began administering CPR.

“[Our] interpreter explained I was like a doctor,” said Buck. “They told us they found him face first in a canal. He had a light, faint pulse. I tried to calm the parents down then immediately started applying medical treatment. I cleared his airway and started giving him CPR.”

Within a few minutes the boy regained consciousness, coughed up water and was taken to a local hospital for follow on care.

“He did everything he should have,” said Gunnery Sgt. John Schidlmeier, a platoon leader with Lava Dog Assesment Reaction Team, 1st Bn., 3rd Marines. “His actions were admirable; especially for the situation. He reacted even though he was posting security; made sure a Marine took his position and treated the kid immediately.”

Buck said he was merely in the right place at the right time and just doing his job, and the look of gratitude and appreciation on the terrified parents was all the thanks he needed.

Buck insisted that all Corpsmen carry a great load of responsibilities, starting from the first day of corpsman training, to adapt and be versatile with varying situations. To him, it was just another day of life in the operating forces.

“I was just happy I could bring the kid back,” he said.

Days later, the battalion recognized Buck’s heroic actions and awarded him a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his reactive measures and successful treatment.

“There are a thousand things a day that corpsmen do that go unseen,” he said. “It's always good to save a life. You don't always get to save everyone, so when you do it's very rewarding.”

(By Lance Cpl. Achilles Tsantarliotis, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines)

Labels: 1-3 Marines, combat medic, Good News, heroes, Regimental Combat Team 1, US Navy, USMC

Former Marine Acquitted of Iraqi Killings in Landmark Trial

IRVINE, Calif. — A former Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi detainees was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter Thursday in a first-of-its-kind federal trial.

The jury took six hours to find Jose Luis Nazario Jr. not guilty of charges that he killed or caused others to kill four unarmed detainees on Nov. 9, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq, during some of the fiercest fighting of the war.

The verdict left the 28-year-old defendant in tears. He cried so loud that the judge smacked his gavel to call for order. Nazario's family and friends also sobbed in the courtroom.

"It's been a long, hard year for my family," Nazario said outside the courtroom. "I need a moment to catch my breath and try to get my life back together."

Thursday's verdict marks the first time a civilian jury has determined whether the alleged actions of a former military service member in combat violated the law of war.

One of the jurors, Ingrid Wicken, hugged Nazario's sobbing mother, Sandra Montanez, without speaking after the verdict was read. "I watched her all week. She was being tortured every day," Wicken said later.

Wicken said the panel acquitted Nazario because there was not enough evidence against him.

"I think you don't know what goes on in combat until you are in combat," she said.

Amen.

The rest is here. (opens in new window)

Labels: Fallujah, Good News, Iraq, Jose Luis Nazario Jr, Troops on Trial, USMC

Shulla Search
Iraqi Army Soldiers watch as U.S. Army Soldiers check an AK-47 handed off to them by the owner during a joint patrol conducting a weapons search in Shulla, Iraq, June 19, 2008. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez.


Weapon Cleaning
Fire Controlman 3rd Class Randy Sorensen, assigned to Combat Systems CS-7 Division, performs maintenance on a close-in weapon system (CIWS) aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), May 28, 2008. U.S Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Johndion Magsipoc.

THUNDERING OVERHEAD
Four Air Force Thunderbird F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in formation behind an F-22 Raptor for more than 6,000 spectators during the June 24, 2008, air show at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The "Soaring into Solstice" air show provided an opportunity for the local community to visit and get a close-up view and demonstration of the capabilities of the Air Force's aircraft.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eric T. Sheler


STALLION PICKUP
A U.S. Marine CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter lands in the Jazeerah Desert, Iraq, to pick up Marines taking part in Operation Defeat al Qaeda in the North, June 24, 2008. They are part of the 3rd Marine Air Wing's Heavy Helicopter Sqaudron 462. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jason W. Fudge


Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf transits through Chesapeake Bay
PORTSMOUTH, Va.- A 45-foot Coast Guard Response Boat-Medium from Station Little Creek, Va., transfers passengers from the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf as it transits through the Chesapeake Bay, Va., today. The Bertholf, the 1st National Security Cutter to be built, hosted media and VIPÕs while on its maiden voyage transiting to Baltimore, Md., before it heads out to its permanent home port in Alameda, Ca. (Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Henise)

Labels: aircraft, At Work In..., Combat Systems CS-7 Division, CVN 72, Eielson Air Force Base, F-16, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photos, ships, US Army, US Navy, USAF, USMC, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Bertholf

Play Time
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Max W. Donahue plays with Paco, his military working dog, in Lahib, Iraq, June 16, 2008. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stuart Wegenka.

Labels: Iraq, Lahib, military working dog, photos, USMC

Face the Future
An Iraqi child watches U.S. Marines with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment patrol in Hadari Precinct, Fallujah, Iraq on June 3. The U.S. Marines patrol the area to help reduce violence in the area. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel Martin Moman.

Labels: 3-6 Marine Regiment, children, Fallujah, Hadari Precinct, Iraq, photos, USMC

HONOR AND DUTY
A Marine renders honors to the USS Arizona Memorial from the observation deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, May 26, 2008. The Marine is assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Barker

Labels: 11th MEU, Pearl Harbor, photos, US Navy, USMC, USS Arizona, USS Tarawa

ROUGH WATERS - A MH-53 helicopter assigned to a Marine squadron flies low over the Gulf of Aden to drop a Zodiac boat and pararescuemen assigned to the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron during a training mission with Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, Gulf of Aden, May 31, 2008. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Labels: 82nd Expeitionary Rescue Squadron, aircraft, CJTF-HOA, helicopter, MH-53, photos, USMC

EUPHRATES VIEW - U.S. Marines head into the Euphrates River near Haditha, Iraq, May 25, 2008. The Marines are assigned to the Company L, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. U.S. Navy seamen, assigned to Riverine Squadron 3, assisted the Marines in a mission to clear islands in the river. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Erik Villagran

Labels: 3-4 Marine Regiment, Euphrates River, Haditha, Iraq, photos, Riverine Squadron 3, US Navy, USMC

State Marine Dies In Iraq
Waterbury Man Remembered For Positive Attitude

DAVE ALTIMARI And SHAWN R. BEALS
Hartford Courant Staff Writers

June 1, 2008

WATERBURY — - A former Wilby High School student who talked about going into the Marines all through high school died in his first tour of duty in Iraq.

The military notified 21-year-old Christian Cotner's family on Friday that he had died. Details about how he died have not been released, and the military has not publicly announced his death.

Cotner is the 42nd person with ties to Connecticut to die in either Afghanistan or Iraq.

The news of his death came the same day U.S. officials announced that the number of military deaths had plunged in May to the lowest monthly level in more than four years. U.S. officials said 21 American service members were killed in May, one more than the lowest monthly figure for the war set in February 2004.

When reached by phone Saturday at their Waterbury home, Cotner's parents said they could not talk about their son's death yet. Funeral services are pending.

A Crescent Street neighbor, Ned Kurtz, remembered him as a nice young man who liked being a Marine.

"He was a very nice kid," Kurtz said. "He was polite and helpful. I can't say enough about him. He had a positive attitude about the Marine Corps."

Read More about this Fallen CT Hero here.

Labels: CT Heroes, Fallen Heroes, USMC

This is beyond horrible.

By THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press Writer

CLEVELAND - On leave from the violence he had survived in the war in Iraq, a young Marine was so wary of crime on the streets of his own home town that he carried only $8 to avoid becoming a robbery target.

Despite his caution, Lance Cpl. Robert Crutchfield, 21, was shot point-blank in the neck during a robbery at a bus stop. Feeding and breathing tubes kept him alive 4 1/2 months, until he died of an infection on May 18.

Two men have been charged in the attack, and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said Friday the case was under review to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

"It is an awful story," said Alberta Holt, the young Marine's aunt and his legal guardian when he was a teenager determined to flee a troubled Cleveland school for safer surroundings in the suburbs.

Crutchfield was attacked on Jan. 5 while he and his girlfriend were waiting for a bus. He had heeded the warnings of commanders that a Marine on leave might be seen as a prime robbery target with a pocketful of money, so he only carried $8, his military ID card and a bank card.

"They took it, turned his pockets inside out, took what he had and told him since he was a Marine and didn't have any money he didn't deserve to live. They put the gun to his neck and shot him," Holt told The Associated Press.

The death penalty is too good for these scumbags. Far too quick. I'd recommend handing them over for a Marine boot-shining party, but I wouldn't want the Marines to have to deal with pieces of garbage so far beneath them.


You can read the rest here, but it isn't going to be a comfortable read.

Labels: crime and punishment, Fallen Heroes, USMC

COBRA PASSING - A Marine AH-1A Super Cobra fast-attack helicopter passes by the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa during sunset over the Pacific Ocean, May 21, 2008. The USS Tarawa is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility operating in the western Pacific and Indian oceans. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel A. Barker

Labels: 7th Fleet, AH-1A, aircraft, helicopter, photos, Super Cobra, US Navy, USMC, USS Tarawa

RUTBAH FARMER - U.S. Marines question an Iraqi farmer during a patrol through western Al Anbar province, Iraq, May 18, 2008. The company patrols the outskirts of Rutbah, Iraq ensuring the farmers are free from danger and receiving the supplies they need to cultivate their crops. The Marines are assigned to Company D, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 5.U.S. Marine Corps photo

Labels: 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Iraq, photos, Regimental Combat Team 5, Rutbah, USMC

They carried P-38 can openers and heat tabs, watches and dog tags, insect repellent, gum, cigarettes, Zippo lighters, salt tablets, compress bandages, ponchos, Kool-Aid, two or three canteens of water, iodine tablets, sterno, LRRP-rations, and C-rations stuffed in socks. They carried standard fatigues, jungle boots, bush hats, flak jackets, and steel pots. They carried the M-16 assault rifle. They carried trip flares and Claymore mines, M-60 machine guns, the M-70 grenade launcher, M-14's, CR-15s, Stoners, Swedish K's, 66 mm Laws, shotguns, 45 caliber pistols, silencers, the sound of bullets, rockets, and choppers, and sometimes the sound of silence. They carried C-4 plastic explosives, an assortment of hand grenades, PRC-25 radios, knives and machetes.

Some carried napalm, CBU's, and large bombs; some risked their lives to rescue others. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damages. Some made very hard decisions, and some just tried to survive.

They carried malaria, dysentery, ringworms, and leaches. They carried the land itself as it hardened on their boots. They carried stationery, pencils, and pictures of their loved ones real and imagined. They carried love for people in the real world, and love for one another. And sometimes they disguised that love: "Don't mean nothin'!"

They carried memories!

For the most part, they carried themselves with poise and a kind of dignity. Now and then, there were times when panic set in, and people squealed, or wanted to, but couldn't; when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said, "Dear God," and hugged the earth and fired their weapons blindly, and cringed and begged for the noise to stop, and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and God and their parents, hoping not to die. They carried the traditions of the United States military, and memories and images of those who served before them. They carried grief, terror, longing, and their reputations.

They carried the soldier's greatest fear, the embarrassment of dishonor. They crawled into tunnels, walked point, and advanced or flew into fire, so as not to die of embarrassment.

They were afraid of dying, but too afraid to show it. They carried the emotional baggage of men and women who might die at any moment. They carried the weight of the world, and the weight of every free citizen of America .

THEY CARRIED EACH OTHER.



Sent by Major Ross W., via Seamus

Labels: Memorial Day, tributes, USMC