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http://www.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/img/0909/202681.jpg CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq – On the road between Ramadi and Fallujah lies the sediment of six years of violent conflict. The concussive forces of war, insurgency and terrorist brutality have turned much of the mason block construction into what must surely be the dictionary description following the word rubble. If this to block and mortar, what then to the lives of the Anbaris who lived here? It is Sunday morning, Sept. 6. A man runs hose water over his shiny green sedan. A shopkeeper props open the doors with jugs of juice. Barefoot children play in the dusty streets...

Thousands of miles from his Hawaii congressional district, Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie has discovered a lifeline for his state's struggling construction industry - and a potential boost in his campaign for governor. His idea is to legislate high wages for a massive construction project in the federal territory of Guam, restrict the ability of foreigners to get those jobs and hope Hawaii residents, although 3,800 miles away, will flock there for the work... The cost to U.S. taxpayers if he gets his proposal through Congress is $10 billion by one official estimate, doubling the price tag of the project. At...

NATO-led forces are investigating the death of four Marines in eastern Afghanistan after their commanders reportedly rejected requests for artillery fire in a battle with insurgents, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Tuesday's incident was "under investigation" and details remained unclear, press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference. A McClatchy newspapers' journalist who witnessed the battle reported that a team of Marine trainers made repeated appeals for air and artillery support after being pinned down by insurgents in the village of Ganjgal in eastern Kunar province. The U.S. troops had to wait more than an hour for attack helicopters to...

A team of taxpayer-supported lawyers arguing on behalf of President Obama's eligibility to occupy the Oval Office say not even the U.S. Supreme Court has any input into the question at this point, and such cases should be barred from the courts. "The Constitution's commitment to the Electoral College of the responsibility to select the president includes the authority to decide whether a presidential candidate is qualified for office," said a brief filed by government lawyers in a California lawsuit over Obama's eligibility under the Constitution's demand for a "natural born citizen" in the White House. That's because, the brief...

RALEIGH, N.C. - Lance Cpl. Patrick Malone was relaxing on his bunk at an Iraqi combat base when a direct superior interrupted his late-night movie. It was time for a game Marines sometimes play to build confidence in colleagues: Point a gun at a comrade and ask, "Do you trust me?" Cpl. Mathew Nelson raised his weapon - and the 9 mm pistol went off, striking Malone in the head. The higher-ranking Marine rushed to the wounded man's side and tried to perform CPR, but Malone was mortally wounded. The game, which has cropped up in barracks across Iraq and...

There is a Marine in Southern Washington, Camas to be exact, who became famous because of YouTube and a sternly worded lecture at a Town Hall meeting. David Hedrick had the fortitude to bluntly call Representative Brian Baird to account on several issues. Health care, the teaching of our children, and the upholding of one’s oath to the Nation, were among the issues this brave Marine took Baird to task for.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marine Breaks Bomb Suit Run World Record 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs Story by Cpl. Ryan YoungDate: 09.11.2009Posted: 09.11.2009 12:37   SAHL SINJAR AIRFIELD, Iraq – The morning sky over Sahl Sinjar, Iraq, is barely lit by the sun, which has not yet broken past the horizon as most Marines throughout the forward operating base are getting their final moments of sleep. Meanwhile, a Marine explosive ordnance disposal technician sits on the back steps of a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle parked in the sand near a desolate stretch of road aboard the base. The...

On 9/11/09, my son had just started his third year in a Manhattan high school. Although about a mile north of Ground Zero, he saw the thin coating of ash covering the cars, and he inhaled the stench of burning buildings and suffering humanity. It took a long time to get home to the northern suburbs that night, but as we finally sat at dinner, not knowing what to expect next, I asked him if this had changed his plan to attend the US Naval Academy. He replied that, had he not been too young, that he would already have...

GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition. "We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to...

GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition...Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier assurances that air cover would be five minutes away... U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes...

See if you can notice any difference.YouTube Video

Again, this is a sad day for the Marines, but I sense that there is more here than casualties. Or better said, there is more here than a mere tactical or intelligence failure. I fear that we are attempting to win hearts and minds without the necessary concomitant force projection. We all know that the Anbar experience will not directly apply to Helmand, or Kunar, or anywhere else for that matter. But if we can look past that nuance we can learn from the campaign for Anbar and what lessons it might have for us in Afghanistan.

GANJGAL, Afghanistan — We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition. "We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to...

We walked into a trap, a killing zone of relentless gunfire and rocket barrages from Afghan insurgents hidden in the mountainsides and in a fortress-like village where women and children were replenishing their ammunition. "We will do to you what we did to the Russians," the insurgent's leader boasted over the radio, referring to the failure of Soviet troops to capture Ganjgal during the 1979-89 Soviet occupation. Dashing from boulder to boulder, diving into trenches and ducking behind stone walls as the insurgents maneuvered to outflank us, we waited more than an hour for U.S. helicopters to arrive, despite earlier...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Sept. 8, 2009 – A boy who wanted to become an architect ended up enlisting to be a part of the brotherhood of the Marine Corps. Today, as an officer, he uses his experience as an enlisted Marine to help those in his charge. Growing up, Marine Corps Capt. Alexis Sanchez went to a fine-arts high school to study and prepare his art portfolio to be submitted to a college. But a sudden change of heart led the 18-year-old to become a Marine. Sanchez, the operations officer for Headquarters Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17,...

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American Soldier One died for your soul; the other for your freedom.

Two months ago, 4,000 US Marines descended upon the Afghan village of Garmsir in southern Afghanistan and managed to take the territory over which the British had battled over for three years. Go big, go strong, go fast, their Brigadier General, Lawrence Nicholson, had ordered – and they did. Yet yesterday there was a notable absence of arrogance among the new inhabitants of the British military's most southerly and often most lethal front. The Marines speak with nothing but respect for those who held this ground in far fewer numbers – the British servicemen who passed, as some might say,...

A military appeals court has ruled against CBS in a battle over unaired portions of a "60 Minutes" interview with a key figure in the 2005 slaying of 24 Iraqis in the city of Haditha. The U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Appeals rejected the network's claim of reporter privilege in its battle with Marine Corps prosecutors who want access to the outtakes of Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich's interview. Wuterich is charged with nine counts of voluntary manslaughter and related offenses in the incident that was triggered by a roadside bombing that killed one Marine and injured two others. His case...

With the family trying for a compassionate discharge that would give their patriarch a brief stay at home, the ad sought letters of support from readers.

While an Associated Press photographer was embedded with Marines in Helmand last month, a Marine convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG. It struck Lance Corporal Joshua M. Bernard severing his legs. He was treated on the scene, but later died at a combat field hospital. The AP took still photos and video of the attack, and of Bernard, as he lay dying. Several weeks later, while working on a feature story about the war in Afghanistan, the AP reporter met with Bernard's family and told his father that they had photos and video of their son before...

Abercrombie's response: "Of course I'm playing to working people. The building trades and working people have been the foundation of my political career for 36 years," he said. "If I didn't do this, people would say, 'What's wrong with him?'"

Nearly four years after the so-called "Haditha Massacre," which was cited by U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., when he publicly accused U.S. Marines of being cold-blooded killers, and after being cleared by multiple levels of military courts, a Marine officer is facing a new round of allegations stemming from the firefight in Iraq. According to some members of his legal team, the attorneys at the Thomas More Law Center, the original investigation that failed to produce evidence for a conviction took more than 65 investigators and cost millions of dollars. After an lengthy process in which prosecutors lost at every...

Today, my daughter, FReeper Anoreth (since 11/29/03) graduates from Coast Guard Basic Training. We're also celebrating "The Boy," son of FReeper AnAmericanMother, who is graduating today from Marine Corps Basic. And "ForgotenKnight," grandson of Monkey Face, recently deployed with a Stryker unit to Afghanistan. Other FReepers with children (grandchildren, nieces and nephews, etc.) in the military, please join us in celebrating all our family members who are serving our country in the military.

Recently we were informed that female US Marines are wearing headscarves in Afghanistan, and that President Karzi wants to set the rules for our troops over there. Apparently though we have to bend over backwards even more as President Karzai has blown a fuse when questioned about possible voter fraud in the recent Afghan election. Excuse me, but Karzai is nothing without US blood and money. Aren't we supposed to be calling the shots there? Once again Obama and Co. get no respect.

"Send a warrior to Congress." "Does this look like a Rino?" In the battleground of American political power, candidates for office tend to use every weapon at their disposal to be heard above the din. Now, a U.S. Marine who helped lead the initial charge into Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein is taking that approach literally by brandishing his M-16 assault rifle in some eye-catching campaign fundraising ads. "I'm taking full credit for that," says 28-year old Jesse Kelly of Tucson, Ariz., a Republican seeking to boot Democrat Gabrielle Giffords from the U.S. House of Representatives. "If you're not going...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- While artillery men generally consider blowing things up a slice of heaven, the loud booms emanating from Camp Pendleton day and night of late has left many outside the gates saying they are experiencing a slice of hell. "I don't object to noise during normal hours and I don't mind it up until about 10 p.m., but they need to have a little consideration for people who need peace and quiet so they can sleep," said Allen Mortend, a longtime Oceanside resident who lives just outside the base gates. Base officials say they have received dozens of...

MCRD Parris Island needs a hand, and someone needs to step forward to see that it happens. The Iwo Jima Memorial at Parris Island needs to be replaced and the private sector should raise the money to do it. The statue by the parade deck is one of the most significant fixtures in Beaufort County. Because Parris Island is one of only two boot camps for the Marine Corps, it's a memorial with national importance. The memorial depicts a moment in American and Marine Corps history that still is seared in the nation's mind 64 years after five Marines and...

A shocking and disturbing video that is now making its way across the internet has captured the attention of the Hanford Police Department. The six minute video shows a karate instructor ordering a student to beat and possibly kill a mentally challenged man. "It is such a disturbing video and whether it's real or not that still needs to be confirmed," said Hanford Police Chief Carlos Mestas. Chief Mestas says his department is assisting in the investigation of a possible crime committed 25 years ago in the state of Virginia.

Recent events in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the antics playing out in Congress are starting to wear thin with those of us who have loved ones serving in the military. ....When asked how I felt about the current situations our soldiers face, I said I would rather not comment...My son and many others like him joined the Marines out of a sense of duty to their country. He enlisted when he was 17, signing the papers for him to do so was hard, but as he explained: 9/11 and the War On Terror had a profound effect on...

KABUL (AP) — Sen. John McCain called Tuesday for more American troops in Afghanistan, saying that doubling the number of Marines in one southern region could lead to "significantly more success." The former Republican presidential candidate, along with other members of a visiting congressional delegation, also said that Afghanistan's elections this week were a milestone event, but that the U.S. was not backing one candidate over another. The group's two-day visit included meeting with Marines in southern Helmand province, where U.S. and Afghan forces are staging a major offensive aimed at clearing out Taliban militants ahead of Thursday's vote.

The Iraqi Navy and Marines are the smallest of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense armed forces. With only 68 kilometers (43 statute miles) of coastline and two oil terminals, Iraq does not require a large naval force. However, what Iraq has now and what is on order is insufficient for the duties assigned. The Iraqi Navy has one Saettia class Patrol Ship, five Preditor class Patrol Boats, 26 Defender class small Patrol Boats, and 24 Fast Attack Boats (FAB). The 50 Defenders and FABs are used by the two Marine battalions. The Iraqi Navy is receiving three more Saettia class...

The US Marine Corps is trying to reduce its enormous energy footprint as it sends an extra 10,000 troops into Afghanistan. A team of energy conservation experts seeking for ways to reduce cost of keeping American boots on the ground will accompany the soldiers as they deploy. Fuel is one of the Marine Corps's largest expense. In the harsh Afghan climate the Marines burn through some 800,000 gallons of fuel a day. Getting fuel and water supplies into land locked Afghanistan is expensive and the convoys are often targeted by roadside bombs. ...SNIP... Despite their reputation a rugged warriors,...

A gang of marines sexually assaulted the wife of a Brooklyn-raised Marine in front of him before killing both of them - revelations that sent the slain woman's mom fleeing from a courtroom Wednesday. The four men used a sex toy to attack Quiana Pietrzak on a table as her bound-and-gagged husband, Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak, watched helplessly in their California home, cops testified. The attackers - who thought Jan Pawel Pietrak had a hidden stash of cash - also planned to force the newlywed to dance naked in hopes of getting her husband to "break," police said. Tyrone Miller,...

CAMP PENDLETON – More than two dozen protesters, including children who brought their pets, gathered outside Camp Pendleton's main gate Wednesday afternoon to denounce the use of pigs in military-trauma training. Jena Hunt, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which organized the protest, said there are more humane ways for soldiers to train, including advanced human simulators that could function as victims and having soldiers rotate into military-trauma centers where they can learn life-saving techniques. “This is just torture,” said Scott Adams of Murrieta, a 53-year-old retired paramedic. Adams, who said he served in the Army...

A US commander has criticised British troops in Helmand province, attacking everything from their gathering of intelligence to their personal hygiene. The unnamed Marine commander claimed that British Forces spent insufficient time living among the Afghan people, were not posted for long enough, had too many bases and suffered too many non-battle injuries. The confidential briefing, given in the spring, according to the New Statesman, also suggested that the British military "are cautious about the enemy and overestimate their strength". The commander was quoted as saying: "Your standards of personal hygiene and field discipline aren't good enough."

Today brought such a mixture of emotions that it left me feeling just physically and emotionally drained. Of course the first and foremost emotion was sadness for the tragic loss of such a fine young man and the absolute heartbreak his family and loved ones are experiencing. Then came the awe of realizing that this 29 year old man gave his life in order to keep people like me safe in our country. Pride, not only in our country, but in the citizens of Richmond Hill, was just overwhelming. So many times we think our community just doesn't give a...

DAHANEH, Afghanistan – Helicopter-borne U.S. Marines backed by Harrier jets stormed into a strategic Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan before dawn Wednesday, battling to gain control of the area ahead of next week's presidential elections.

U.S. Marines have mounted a helicopter assault to seize the Taliban-held town of Dahaneh in southern Afghanistan and are fighting gain control of the area ahead of next week's presidential elections. The assault began before dawn Wednesday, with Marines entering the town as others battled militants in the surrounding mountains

Time to make our men and women in Afghanistan know we are proud of them. Just got alerted to this from PR Friend American Genie ... the text below is a cut-and-paste. There is nothing more important than thanking the men and women that are defending our lives with theirs. Thanks for your help!

PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. _ Here in Beaufort County, we make Marines. We're better known for making memorable vacations, houses, food, art and golf courses. But the most important thing we make by far are Marines. More than 1 million Americans have come to Beaufort County as wide-eyed kids and left as Marines. They come to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, an intriguing place rich with history and open to the public. Locals joke that it was Beaufort County's first gated community. The Marine Corps says it's "where the difference begins." Call it what you will, but what...

Seven months after she poured out her heartbreak in a wrenching letter to then President-elect Obama, the mother of murdered Brooklyn Marine Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak finally got a response - a form letter. "Thank you for contacting President Obama," the note to Henryka Pietrzak-Varga begins. "We hope the issue you brought to the President's attention has been resolved." Pietrzak-Varga, whose son and daughter-in-law were tortured and murdered last year allegedly by four other Marines, told a Polish newspaper she doubts Obama saw her letter. "This is a standard response, something that can be sent out to anyone for any...

An immediate ban on commercial social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace went into effect for all Marine Corps personnel using the unclassified Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) NIPRNET this past Monday. This ban does not affect the personal use of social media by Marines on their own private computers or wired devices. But perhaps it should. The ban went into effect — according to the memo — because the “very nature of social networking sites creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage.” The stated...

KABUL, Afghanistan — Five American Marines died Thursday, four of them in a single strike by a roadside bomb, making it one of the bloodiest single attacks against American service members in recent weeks. The four Marines were killed in a vehicle near Herat in the western part of the country. A fifth Marine, wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Farah Province on Wednesday, died from his wounds. Taking a page from the war in Iraq, Afghan insurgents have been rapidly making homemade bombs their preferred weapon against the soldiers of the American-led coalition. There were 465 bomb attacks...

<p>Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams and a tough old U.S. Marine Sergeant were captured by terrorists in Iraq . The leader of the terrorists told them he'd grant each of them one last request before they were beheaded and dragged naked through the streets.</p>

The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade is proud to host a brass and drum troupe from the Naval Forces Europe and Africa Allied Forces Band, based in Naples, Italy, to join this year’s Gu�a Trumpet festival. The six-member band will be a guest of Gu�a festival from August 6 – 9, 2009. The band will play on the stages and streets of Gu�a and on the main stage on August 7th at 22:30h. The band is eager to play in Serbia and to learn more about “truba�i� music and Serbian traditions.

The U.S. Marines have banned Twitter and Facebook. That the Marines have banned Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and various other social networking sites comes in an article from Wired magazine. The Marines banned Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace as part of a move to protect their systems and personnel, and further keep themselves protected from online influences. The ban isn't limited to just those sites, but many social media and social networking web-sites. The Marines' ban will last at least one year, and has been drawn up as a response to the ever growing concern that these sites can be a dangerous...

And other social networking sites as the Pentagon weighed a similar prohibition over cybersecurity concerns. The Marines had already banned the use of social media on military networks but issued a more detailed order this week defining which sites were out of bounds and noting possible exceptions to the rule, a Marine Corps spokesman, Lieutenant Craig Thomas said. "These Internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries," the Marine Corps said in an order posted on its website. "The...

BATH, Maine (AP) - In a solemn ceremony punctuated by talk of courage, service and sacrifice, the mother of a Marine corporal on Saturday christened a warship honoring her son, who died after covering an exploding grenade to protect his comrades in Iraq. After composing herself and taking a deep breath, Deb Dunham smashed a bottle of champagne over the bow of the 510-foot warship Jason Dunham, then held the bottle aloft before a cheering crowd of more than 1,500 people. She was joined by the Marines who served with her son, by her husband, Dan Dunham, and their daughter...

History comes to life as R. Lee “Gunny” Ermey leads viewers on a fascinating ride through the engineering and development of weapons in the new one-hour series, LOCK N’ LOAD with R. Lee Ermey , premiering Friday, July 31 at 9pm ET on HISTORY. Get hands-on with some of the world’s fiercest firearms, including machine guns, tanks, pistols and rockets, as Gunnery Sergeant, drill instructor, Vietnam veteran, actor and former MAIL CALL host R. Lee Ermey demonstrates the weapons that made battlefield history. For example, Ermey unleashes a torrent of ammo using a Dillon Aero Minigun, which shoots three thousand...

Only one flag besides the Stars and Stripes that represents the United States has ever flown over the White House in Washington, DC. Only one flag is ever displayed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. That flag is not one that represents an individual state, branch of service, or other select group. It is the POW/MIA (Prisoners of War/Missing In Action) Flag that calls to mind the sacrifice and plight of those Americans who have sacrificed their own freedom, to preserve liberty for all of us. It’s presence serves to remind us that, while we enjoy the privileges of freedom, somewhere...