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Preparing to deploy to combat terrorism, Special Operations Marines and sailors again are undergoing certification training in urban warfare in the New Orleans area, the military has confirmed. The training began Tuesday and continues through Jan. 28, but the nature of the exercises was not released publicly. Similar training occurred in August, months after U.S. Special Operations forces underwent training in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. That training wasn't announced in advance and involved military helicopters appearing in the night over the French Quarter and Central Business District areas. Portions of the training that began this week “will...

Call it Melissa Harris-Perry's "corpse-man" moment . . . In a segment on the role of the US military during her MSNBC show this morning, Harris-Perry, quoting the Marine Corps motto, pronounced it Semper "Fee." Marines of course pronounce it "fye." Perry surely meant no disrespect. But it is a mark of how detached she and so much of the liberal media is from military culture that she could make such a mistake. View the video here.

"When their mounted patrol came under intense enemy fire, Corporal Wooldridge and his squad dismounted and maneuvered on the suspected enemy location. Spotting a group of fifteen enemy fighters preparing an ambush, Corporal Wooldridge led one of his fire teams across open ground to flank the enemy, killing or wounding at least eight and forcing the rest to scatter. As he held security alone to cover his fire team’s withdrawal, he heard voices from behind an adjacent wall. Boldly rushing around the corner, he came face-to-face with two enemy fighters at close range, killing both of them with his M-249...

Almost two years ago, Nunez decided he wanted to "be one of the best," so he picked up the phone and called his local U.S. Marine Corps recruitment office. After checking off various requirements, the recruiter asked Nunez about his weight. The 18-year-old gulped. Always a heavy kid, Nunez crushed the scales at 338 pounds. The recruiter told him he should probably consider a different career path.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Jacob M. Hess, 22, of Spokane, Wash., died Jan. 1, 2014, while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Hess was assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. The incident is currently under investigation.

More than half of female Marines in boot camp can't do three pullups, the minimum standard that was supposed to take effect with the new year, prompting the Marine Corps to delay the requirement, part of the process of equalizing physical standards to integrate women into combat jobs. The delay rekindled sharp debate in the military on the question of whether women have the physical strength for some military jobs, as service branches move toward opening thousands of combat roles to them in 2016. Although no new timetable has been set on the delayed physical requirement, Marine Corps Commandant Gen....

The Marine Corps has delayed the requirement for female Marines to do three pullups because most women have so far been unable to pass the test. For 40 years, male recruits were required to perform three pullups to prove their upper body strength for combat, where they would need to carry heavy equipment and potentially lift themselves out of mud walls. Starting Jan. 1, female recruits would have been required to do the same. But 55 percent of female recruits could not complete all three pullups, compared to just 1 percent of male recruits who could not, so the requirement...

(CNSNews.com) -- Females in the Marine Corps currently are not required to do even a single pull-up, and a deadline mandating that by Jan. 1, 2014, they be able to do at least 3 pull-ups as part of their training has been delayed for at least a year, the Corps quietly announced on social media. Unlike their female counterparts, male Marines have long been required to do at least 3 pullups as part of the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). That's the minimum requirement for males. - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/barbara-boland/female-marines-not-required-do-1-pull#sthash.d11sA26X.dpuf

Female Marines: They’ve got your back – As long as it doesn’t involve upper body strength. (NBC) It's an Obama world… Female Marines can’t do pullups but will be allowed on the front lines anyway. KPCC reported: Starting Jan. 1, every woman in the Marines Corps was supposed to meet a new physical standard by performing three pullups. But that has been put off. The Marine Corps announced it quietly. There was no news conference — just a notice on its social media sites and an item on its own TV show, “The Corps Report.” Lance Cpl. Ally Beiswanger explained...

According to President Karzai, the Obama administration said that the Taliban are "not our enemies." If not them, who? United States Marines and soldiers like Marine Reserve Maj. Jason Brezler or Lance Cpl Greg Buckley (below)? It would seem so by the treacherous actions of the Obama administration. There's a stunning new development in the murder of Lance Cpl. Greg Buckley Jr. Atlas readers are long familiar with the horrible murder of Lance Cpl. Buckley. The murderer of this great American hero in one of a string of insider attacks was Aynoddin, the 19-year-old "tea boy" of Afghan District Police...

The Corps Report Ep. 27 — Typhoon Aid and the Corps Adopts a new Universal CoverUSMC Corps Report11/15/13 Click here for the video, which features a couple other stories. This week's episode of The Corps Report features Marines providing humanitarian relief in the Philippines, the Corps adopts a new universal service and dress cover, and a robotic pack-mule that lends a helping hoof.

The four Marines killed Wednesday while clearing unexploded ordnance at Camp Pendleton were bomb removal technicians. The four were killed around 11 a.m. during a routine sweep to make a range safer for future training exercises at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, said a Marine official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. There was no live firing on the range at the time.

4 Marines reported killed in "Range Maintenance Operation" at Camp Pendleton. Accident happened around 11AM Pacific.

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) - Typhoon-ravaged Philippine islands faced a daunting relief effort that had barely begun Monday, as bloated bodies lay uncollected and uncounted in the streets and survivors pleaded for food, water and medicine. Police guarded stores to prevent people from hauling off food, water and such non-essentials as TVs and treadmills, but there was often no one to carry away the dead - not even those seen along the main road from the airport to Tacloban, the worst-hit city along the country's remote eastern seaboard.....

For 238 years, The United States Marine Corps has proudly served our great Nation with unfailing valor – bolstered by the enduring fortitude of our fellow Marines, our families, and our friends. This is why each year on November 10th, Marines from all generations gather together, in groups large and small, to celebrate the birthday of our Corps and to reflect on the proud legacy and warrior ethos we share. This is what unites us as Marines. From our first battle at New Providence to today in Afghanistan, Marines have always shown that they were made of tougher stuff –...

238th Marine Corps birthday message:Enduring Fortitude, Unfailing Valor. [video] The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen James F. Amos, and the SgtMaj of the Marine Corps, SgtMaj Micheal P. Barrett, speak to Marines and Sailors about the timeless Marine qualities of courage and perseverance by looking back on the landing on Tarawa in WWII, the Battle of Hue City during Vietnam, and crossing the berm into Iraq during the War on Terror. Marine determination, grit and valor make the Corps the ready force America relies on in times of crisis.

TAMPA — Ethan Arbelo will make it onto the “Wall of Fame” after all. The 12-year-old boy’s mom, Maria Maldonado, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has one kitchen wall covered with photos of friends and relatives who have served in the Marines — brothers Joe, Randy and Edward, cousin Ray, uncle James, Parris Island boot camp buddy Shannon, and Maldonado herself. “In my family, we pass on our love for the Marine Corps to the next generation,” Maldonado said. “He’s been groomed for it since birth. That’s been one of the big disappointments when he got sick — he said,...

... There are allegations that the Marines' top officer, Gen. James Amos, illegally interfered with the judicial proceedings in an effort to ensure harsher penalties. Amos spoke about the video and other incidents last year during a worldwide tour of Marine bases. And in a written statement after the video came to light, he said the Marine Corps would not rest until the allegations were resolved. He appointed a senior officer, Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, to investigate. Waldhauser said Amos told him he wanted those involved "crushed" and kicked out of the Marine Corps. ... A Marine lawyer, Maj. James...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRBwNgfVL58#t=80 This is the amazing story of the OEF enduring tribute for our 89 fallen heroes that traveled from sea to shining sea; Vermont to San Mateo and was finally unveiled in the 5th Marine Memorial Park at the journey's end. The OEF Monument, built by "Rock of Ages Corporation" in Graniteville, Vermont, was made possible by the generous outreach of so many "Friends of the Fifth," Adoptive Cities, and Marine Supporters. Please allow the time to watch this documentary. The 10 day journey of the OEF Monument to San Mateo, home of the 5th Marine Regiment, was delivered by...

There's a big story getting passed around in military circles and beyond from The New York Post that President Obama wants the Marines to start wearing 'girly' caps... As a Marine veteran who knows how these changes actually happen, I can tell you the story is 100% B.S. The bottom line: The President doesn't involve himself in what troops happen to be wearing... "The President in no way, shape, or form directed the Marine Corps to change our uniform cover," said Capt. Maureen Krebs, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps. "We're looking for a new cover for our female Marines...