Free Republic

Marines fire rounds downrange during Combat Pistol Program qualification training and firing at the Puuloa Range Training Facility in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, April 30. The new pistol program will replace annual pistol training and is more combat-oriented than the pistol qualification previously implemented. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Nathan Knapke/Released)The Marine Corps has fielded its first new service pistol in 35 years, Pentagon officials announced Tuesday, with M18s now being issued across the service. Marine Corps leaders said the M18 Modular Handgun System will replace all other sidearms, including the M9, M9A1, M45A1 and M007. The transition, which...

The Marine Corps has officially begun procurement of the Army's Modular Handgun System to replace its existing pistol arsenal, the service announced on Tuesday. The M18 service pistol — a compact variant of the striker-fired M17 that, based on Sig Sauer's P320, the Army adopted under the MHS program in 2017 — will finally see fielding this fiscal year, according to Marine Corps Systems Command. MARCORSYSCOM spokesman Maj. Ken Kunze had previously pegged the start of fielding at some time during the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, with a target completion date in "late 2023." The M18 will replace...

Explanation: This fifteen degree wide field of view stretches across the crowded starfields of Sagittarius toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy. In fact, the center of the galaxy lies near the right edge of the rich starscape and eleven bright star clusters and nebulae fall near the center of the frame. All eleven are numbered entries in the catalog compiled by 18th century cosmic tourist Charles Messier. Gaining celebrity status with skygazers, M8 (Lagoon), M16 (Eagle), M17 (Omega), and M20 (Trifid) show off the telltale reddish hues of emission nebulae associated with star forming regions. But also eye-catching...

Reputed gang members have been disappearing from the streets of South Florida. Four members of the Latin Kings in Broward, gone. The leader of a Mara Salvatrucha-13 crew in Lake Worth, nowhere to be seen. Members of Los Vatos Locos and 18th Street Gang, vanquished from the streets of Miami. On Friday, it was revealed why. LocalLinks During the past few weeks, authorities have rounded up 22 suspected gang members in South Florida as part of a national sweep that netted 375 gang members in 23 states. The initiative is part of Operation Community Shield, an anti-gang program aimed at...

Deportees from U.S. feed the violence of groups targeted in disputed crackdown. ILOPANGO, El Salvador — Minutes after hooded commandos stormed his tiny shack in the middle of the night and hustled him off to jail, Juan Carlos Diaz was smiling. Had he shot a bus fare collector in cold blood before 25 horrified commuters, as the police said? The 18-year-old high school dropout grinned before answering: "Not even close." But he acknowledged joining the M-18 gang four months earlier and proudly looked down at the 10-inch-high "18" tattooed on his chest and abdomen. "For me," he said, "that number...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...