Free Republic

A petition on the White House website asking President Obama to demand the release of a Marine sergeant in a Mexico prison has garnered more than 100,000 online signatures -- a threshold that typically elicits an administration response. “The effect of this unjust incarceration on a decorated combat Marine is despairing,” says the petition, which as of Saturday afternoon had 116,051 signatures. Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi was arrested March 31 after crossing the Mexican border with three guns in his truck. Tahmooressi said he accidentally crossed the border and immediately told Mexican authorities that he had three guns in his...

VIDEO AT LINKAt a petite 5’3’’, Sage Santangelo may not look like a combat fighter at first glance. But the female second lieutenant has never let that hold her back from pursuing her dream of becoming an infantry officer in the Marine Corps. Growing up, Santangelo found she was always able to keep up with the guys and enjoyed playing hockey on all boys’ teams. But when she joined the Marines, Santangelo found the playing field changed; she was segregated into female-only training units and as a woman, was relegated to less strenuous physical training than her male counterparts. And...

Andrew Tahmooressi, 22, was arrested for driving into Mexico with firearms A U.S. Marine Corps reservist who had been living in San Diego will remain in a Mexican jail after firing his attorney. Andrew Tahmooressi, 22, was expected to testify before a Mexican judge during a court hearing Wednesday. Instead, he fired his attorney. Now the case is up in the air. On Monday, Tahmooressi's mother Jill told NBC 7 that her son said his attorney had instructed him to lie under oath. Tahmooressi was arrested April 1 after driving his black Ford pickup over the border at San Ysidro...

The U.S. Marine who has been jailed since accidentally crossing into Mexico nearly two months ago with three registered guns will appear before a judge for the first time Wednesday in Tijuana, where his mother says he is ready to face his accusers. Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has been held in two Mexican prisons since his arrest, one of which he tried to escape after receiving threats, according to his supporters. On Wednesday at 9 a.m. local time, he'll go before a federal judge in Mexico's sixth-largest city. According to his Tijuana-based attorney, Alejandro Osuna, Tahmooressi will be afforded the chance...

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day in honor of our American servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives defending us both at home and abroad. Many of our troops enlist in the military upon adulthood and have served in wars before their classmates have even graduated from college. These men and women are true American heroes and we must protect them just as well as they protect us. Unfortunately, despite President Obama’s Memorial Day proclamation that we shall “never forget” the sacrifices of our soldiers, he and Secretary of State John Kerry have forgotten about a living American hero...

“THE BATTLING BOYS OF BENGHAZI” We're the battling boys of Benghazi No fame, no glory, no paparazzi. Just a fiery death in a blazing hell Defending our country we loved so well. It wasn't our job, but we answered the call, fought to the Consulate and scaled the wall. We pulled twenty Countrymen from the jaws of fate Led them to safety, and stood at the gate. Just the two of us, and foes by the score, But we stood fast to bar the door. Three calls for reinforcement, but all were denied, So we fought, and we fought, and...

Americans say the U.S. Army is the most important service branch to national defense, but the Marine Corps is still considered the most prestigious, said a Gallup poll released Friday. The annual poll​, timed to mark the start of the long Memorial Day weekend, showed that 26 percent of Americans say the Army is the most important military branch, followed closely by the Air Force at 23 percent. The Marine Corp was called the most important by 19 percent, the Navy by 17 percent and the Coast Guard by 3 percent, the poll found.

Priorities: A Marine Corps combat veteran remains in a Mexican jail after missing a freeway ramp and crossing the border with legally owned American firearms — without a single hash tag from the White House. It is a tough time for veterans these days, starting with those left to die — or even commit suicide — while on Veterans Administration waiting lists, seemingly abandoned by their commander-in-chief who early on promised to make things right and redress their grievances. Also seemingly abandoned is Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, a 25-year-old combat veteran, who was jailed in late March after he missed a...

Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter doesn’t remember much about the day he and a fellow Marine were caught in the blast of a hand grenade in southern Afghanistan while manning a rooftop security post. There was almost no time to react before the explosion tore into him in a searing, angry ball of white light. Carpenter recalls that he “got right with God” as he was enveloped by the sensation of warm water pouring all over him. It was his own blood. “My last few seconds before I lost consciousness,” he said, “I had accepted the fact that ... I was...

Michael Bay’s upcoming TV series The Last Ship on TNT — premiering next month — is the latest in a long line of programs that have featured the U.S. Navy and Marines. From action adventures and comedies to dramas and primetime soaps, the sea services have been represented in almost every genre (even dipping into reality TV, with shows such as Lone Target and Navy SEALs: BUDS Class 234). Some were hits, many were misses.

New Berlin, Wisconsin - For 2,500 trained canines and handlers serving America’s military and law enforcement, the idea of “man’s best friend” is no overstatement. Dogs are known to be loyal, stalwart companions that love and defend their owners at any cost. Some of these dogs have even paid the ultimate sacrifice. Sportsman Channel invites viewers into the lives of these military and law enforcement service dogs and handlers with its new original series Saving Private K-9, premiering Thursday, May 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Hosted by (NRA Board Member) actor and former Marine R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket),...

CAMP PENDLETON — A surf contest pitting top area surfers from several branches of the armed forces against surfers from the British Army is set for May 24 at Camp Pendleton. This is the fourth year Red Bull is holding the Rivals Surf Competition on base, but the first year that the contest has international participants. The U.S. team’s 12 active-duty military surfers were picked based on performance at last month’stryouts at the base’s Del Mar Beach. Teams compete at the Del Mar Jetty in a modified version of the National Surf League’s game format. The one-day contest is similar...

An unusual government search of Marine Corps defense attorneys’ offices at California’s Camp Pendleton could cast a cloud over dozens of criminal cases. The search May 2, which lasted about two and a half hours, included investigators opening more than 100 case files compiled by defense attorneys, Marine Corps officers say. The search went beyond what was necessary and exceeded applicable legal standards, officers think.

What started as a hard-charging Marine comment to Congress has turned into a public relations emergency for Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Micheal Barrett. Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on Wednesday, Barrett was making the case that personnel costs needed to be reined in to maintain readiness — as all the services have in recent testimony — but went a step further by saying that lower pay would actually improve discipline within the Corps. “I truly believe it will raise discipline,” Barrett said. “You’ll have better spending habits. You won’t be so wasteful.” (snip) Barrett...

(Reuters) - Iranian-American Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine whose previous death sentence in Iran on espionage charges was overturned, has been secretly retried, convicted of collaborating with the U.S. government and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the New York Times reported on Friday, quoting his lawyer. The newspaper quoted lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei as saying Hekmati, held since 2011, was not told by Iranian officials about the retrial, conviction or prison sentence. The Times quoted Tabatabaei as saying Hekmati was retried by a revolutionary court in December and convicted of "practical collaboration with the American government." :snip: The...

Sgt. Major Michael Barrett greets Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. (American Military News) Idiot Sgt. Major Michael Barrett, the highest enlisted member of the US Marine Corps, told Congress Marines don’t need higher pay. Barrett said he believes lower pay will “raise discipline.” Nice job looking out for your brothers, Sergeant Major. American Military News reported: The highest enlisted member of the United States Marine Corps said that lowering salary of Marines will “raise discipline” and make Marines less wasteful. The comments come as a debate in Washington talks about cutting active duty member pay in order to make sharp...

Can you believe this guy? Who is he representing, the president of the troops he is supposed to stand up for? Last time I checked our Marines are plenty disciplined and far from entitled. http://americanmilitarynews.com/2014/04/top-enlisted-leader-marine-corps-says-lower-pay-marines-will-raise-discipline/

Authorities say the shooter at the Marine Corps base camp is no longer active A Marine fatally shot a fellow service member at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina Tuesday, the base said in a statement. The shooting occurred at around 5:30 p.m. The gunman, a Marine standing guard at the base’s main gate, discharged an M4 rifle, killing another guard. Camp Lejeune’s provost marshal said the shooting is not thought to be an act of terrorism and that the shooter is no longer active.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Marine Corps commandant has reacted swiftly to a female Marine officer’s complaint that women are unfairly precluded from trying a second time to pass the prestigious Marine Corps Infantry Officers Course, when men can have a second try. In response to a question from a female Army officer at an Atlantic Council forum April 1, Gen. James F. Amos said he has ordered a change in the rules and lavished praise not only on Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Sage Santangelo, who protested the restriction, but on all his female Marines. And, Amos said, he offered Santangelo...

Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter is speaking out against a reported proposal being considered by the Navy to ban the sale of tobacco products on all its bases and ships, calling it a “political decision.” The Military Times reported Monday that Navy officials are considering removing tobacco from all retail outlets, including exchange-operated sales venues and Morale, Welfare and Recreation program outlets. Navy commissaries do not sell tobacco products. Hunter, a Marine veteran who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, said in a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus he strongly opposes the ban, saying it...