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Matthew R. Rodriguez died while conducting combat operations FAIRHAVEN, Mass. —A 19-year-old Marine from Fairhaven has been killed in Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Rodriguez died Wednesday while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province, the Department of Defense announced. He was assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif Rodriguez's father, Roland Rodriguez, told the Standard-Times of New Bedford the family is headed for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where his son's body is expected Saturday. He said declined to make extensive comments, but said his son "made a lot of...

The Navy initially told the LaLoups that parts of their son’s scalp were missing. Only when Beverly LaLoup inquired what would happen if they were later recovered did an official “accidentally” let slip that the scalp was intact but the heart was missing. Why was he (Brian LaLoup), encouraged to keep drinking the night of his death, despite talk of suicide? How was a weapons room left unlocked? And why was his body left in Greek custody when Marine and diplomatic protocol called for it to be returned to U.S. soil before any autopsy?

OKLAHOMA CITY – A burglary quickly turned into a chase Monday afternoon, but this time, it wasn’t police trailing the criminals; it was the victim. ***snip*** Perhaps more brazen, the criminals came back for seconds just as police left the house with the first report. Sanders heard a truck rounding a corner with his trailer connected to the back. A former Marine, the man wasn’t going to hold back when he saw the thieves. He jumped into his truck and started chasing the burglars. “I think that’s just part of his personality,” said Hayley. “That’s why he signed up for...

‘You don’t understand how bad it is here’ The Marine told his father about training the Afghan police and described their chief as “a bad guy.” “They’re going to kill me here,” the son told his father. “They’re going to murder me inside my facility. These people are bad people, Dad.” “You people don’t understand how bad it is here,” he explained. “They don’t care about us. They don’t want us here. They said it to me. But we have to do what we’re told to do because we’re Marines.” Buckley Jr. described how he how he wasn’t scared about...

In a unique battlefield commendation, a Marine Corps member of Delta Force has been awarded the nation’s second highest military honor for coming to the defense of Americans last year at a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya. Delta Force, a counterterrorism unit in the secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), has been thought of as a strictly Army outfit. But it does take on qualified “operators,” as they are called, from other services. The Washington Times has reported that two Delta Force members were among a seven-person rescue team sent from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli to Benghazi on the...

Lt Samuel Nicholas was recruiting his first recruit for the Marine Corps in Tun's Tavern, Philadelphia, November 10, 1775. His first recruit came up to him. "Here , sign your name or make your mark. Here's $10 pay for your first month. Did you bring your rifle?" The first Marine Recruit signed his name, took the money and said, "Yes, Sir, I have my rifle." "Lt Nicholas said, "Outstanding! Go sit down in the room in the back!" The second Marine recruit shows up. Lt Nicholas says, "Here, sign your name or make your mark! Here's $10 for your first...

Bittersweet day today I saw the daughter of an old friend graduate from Parris Island today, and she is welcomed as my new little sister in the Marine Corps. On a sad note, one of the family members sitting on the section for the Woman Marines platoon 4037 had an apparent heart attack while watching his daughter or granddaughter in her ceremony. His condition is unknown, they did not stop working on him and they took 10 or more minutes once he was in the ambulance and it did NOT leave screaming from the scene. If anyone can tell me...

An email sent through a Marine's personal email account warning of a threat may end his 13-year career.

(VIDEO) Marine Blaine Cooper calls out John McCain on his treason for aiding and abetting the enemy of the United States.

Col. Daren Margolin has been relieved as head of Security Battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. (Marine Corps) The two-star head of Marine Corps Installations Command has relieved the commanding officer of Quantico’s Security Battalion following an incident involving a personal weapon, Marine Corps officials said. Col. Daren Margolin, a 24-year officer was removed from his post Oct. 18 by Maj. Gen. Juan Ayala due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command, said Capt. Maureen Krebs, a Marine Corps spokeswoman. Krebs said the decision stemmed from a single incident last week involving one of Margolin’s personal...

Well known for his portrayal of “Lt. Dan” in “Forrest Gump,” actor and musician Gary Sinise was named an honorary U.S. Marine during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Friday, according to a statement released by the U.S. Marine Corps website. “This was one of the most extraordinary nights,” Sinise said in the statement. “I was totally surprised by what the general gave me tonight. I’m humbled, shocked, moved and motivated to keep standing up for our men and women and giving back to them.” Gen. James F. Amos, the Marine Corps’ commandant, hosted the ceremony at his home at...

Camp Pendleton road rage incident. See link above for video.

"Jesse, 28, lost both of his legs in Afghanistan in 2009 after stepping on an IED, which was all caught on video by a fellow marine wearing a helmet camera." The footage was even used in a documentary about Jesse called "Coming Home." "If I hadn't stepped on that IED I wouldn't have met her," Jesse told ABC News. "I wouldn't take it back ever."

HYPOLUXO, Fla. – A U.S. Marine who served overseas in Iraq has returned home in Hypoluxo only to be told he cannot fly his American flag. Days after Gregory Schaffer installed a flag pole in his front yard, he received a citation from the Town of Hypoluxo listing the flag as a code violation. “It’s sad. It’s sad that we have to go through that just to fly a flag,” said Schaffer

We make fun of the NCAA because they are an easy punching bag. They lack consistency, transparency and an understanding of the basic concepts of common sense. You would think it difficult for them to find a new low after years of draconian punishments mixed with unsatisfactory wrist slaps but never doubt the potential depths to which Mark Emmert’s organization can plunge. Steven Rhodes is a 24-year-old Marine sergeant. He finished his five-year commitment to the armed forces this summer and called up Middle Tennessee State’s football coaches and asked if they had a spot for him as a walk-on....

Every day it seems more like the "war on terror" is at home in the U.S. rather than abroad in a foreign country. Whether it's the NSA denying they scoop domestic communications while their chief tells hackers "we're looking for the terrorist among us," or it's the growing militarization and equipping of domestic police forces, it seems more and more crows keep coming home to roost. Well, one former Marine colonel has had about enough. In a rousing confrontation at a local council meeting in Concord, NH, he calls out his government for facilitating what he feels is a needless...

Are the current personnel cuts the beginning of the end for the U.S. Marines? Could these actually be the last days of the U.S. Marine Corps? A decade ago, such a notion would have been absolutely unthinkable, but times have changed. The Marine Corps was already in the process of drawing down from a peak of 202,100 Marines to 182,100, and now Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is warning that the sequester cuts may force the Army to be cut down to a size of 380,000 and the Marine Corps to be cut down to a size of 150,000. Unfortunately for...

The Marines call Naval Criminal Investigative Service to conduct the probe into a fatal training accident, officials with Headquarters Marine Corps said Wednesday afternoon. The investigation has been ongoing since a 66mm mortar shell exploded in its tube Monday night during training at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada, killing seven Marines and wounding eight more.

A heartwarming story came out of Northern Michigan this week involving a member of the US Marine Corps who was running a 5K race at the Venetian Festival in Charlevoix. Here’s the story from the “Seal of Honor” Facebook page: http://lite987.com/soldier-boy-5k/

Go read the url http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20130718/CAREERS03/307180027/Commander-22nd-Marine-Expeditionary-Unit-relieved-command