Free Republic

Dorothy Schmidt Cole, who enlisted in the Marine Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and went on to become the oldest living Marine veteran, has died. She was 107. She had hoped to join the Navy, but at 4-foot-11 she was deemed too short, according to The Charlotte Observer. But the strong-willed woman found another route, learning to fly planes and becoming an early member of the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve.

Twenty-two-year-old Marion Morrison, known to his friends as Duke, was carrying a table on his head across the soundstage of a John Ford movie. He was working as a prop man at the Fox Studio in Los Angeles early in 1930. Director Raoul Walsh was looking for a leading man for an epic western film he was developing about a great wagon train journeying across vast deserts and mountains to California. Walsh didn’t want a known star to play the lead. He was looking for someone who would “be a true replica of the pioneer type.” He didn’t want the...

Ferrell anticipated performing well on the range but never expected to walk away with the highest rifle score in the history of the depot. He would score a near perfect 248 out of 250 on Table One of the Department of Defense’s toughest basic marksmanship challenge, the Marine Corps rifle qualification test. “I grew up with a rifle in my hand; from the time I was six I was shooting and building firearms with my dad, he was the one that introduced me to shooting, and when I got to Parris Island, what he taught me was the reason I...

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is facing backlash from both sides of the religious liberty debate after it planned a training session that was later canceled over the speaker’s background in Christianity -- fueling Congressional scrutiny of both the military and the nonprofit which appeared to prompt the cancellation. Air Force veteran Jay Lorenzen was slated to speak at an annual training for JAG reservists on Friday, but that came to a screeching halt after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) relayed its reservist clients’ concerns about Lorenzen’s beliefs influencing his talks. An MRFF press release boasted on Saturday that...

GUNSHOTS have reportedly been fired at a US military base in California. Several reports have emerged on social media of an “active shooter” at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) in California. The base also known as 29 Palms, is the largest US Marine Corps base.

My first ever and only thread I posted on FR was just prior to leaving for Navy Chaplain school back in 2004. Today is a 2nd (likely last) bookend post with a thank you for your prayers and support for our service members. I started out as a Marine infantryman back in 1992. Got out in 1996 with a calling to ministry. After college and seminary I was commissioned as a Navy chaplain in 2004 and retired on July 1 with twenty total active duty years. I feel very fortunate and privileged to serve my country in this capacity and...

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) banned display of the Confederate flag at its military installations Friday, on everything from bumper stickers to coffee mugs. "The Confederate battle flag has all too often been co-opted by violent extremist and racist groups whose divisive beliefs have no place in our Corps," the service branch said in a statement."Our history as a nation, and events like the violence in Charlottesville in 2017, highlight the divisiveness the use of the Confederate battle flag has had on our society." “This presents a threat to our core values, unit cohesion, security and good order and discipline,”...

The nation’s top Marine, Commandant Gen. David Berger, took to social media Tuesday morning to stress the service’s “most important matters.” A series of eight tweets telegraphed a wide range of areas the officer wants his chain of command to focus on in 2020, which includes a push for more female infantry officers and and examination of the cost of one-year paid maternity leave. Gen. Berger wrote: “While I am aware of the good work already being done across the force in support of my planning guidance implementation, these are some of my most important matters for immediate execution. (1/8)”...

A 104-year-old US Marine Corps veteran wants people to share some love this Valentine’s Day. Maj. Bill White, who served in World War II and was injured in the Battle of Iwo Jima, is asking members of the public to send him cards for the Feb. 14 holiday, KTXL reports. The California native hopes to add the cards to his scrapbooks, where he keeps a lifetime’s worth of memories on bookshelves arranged by year. “I’ll save every one of them like I’ve been saving little things that have come up until right now and they’ll be a personal part of...

Marine Corps senior leaders have begun to express cautious openness to the idea of making the service's boot camps fully co-ed. But if Congress has its way, the service may be pushed toward full integration sooner than expected. The final conference version of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision that would require the service to integrate both its East Coast and West Coast entry-level training facilities within the next eight years.

As Commander in Chief, I send my best wishes to the United States Marine Corps on its 244th birthday. Since 1775, Marines have been known for always being faithful in their duty to defend our country and Constitution and for striking fear in the hearts of America’s adversaries. From their inception at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Marines have fought in “every clime and place” without ever losing their nerve. As we solemnly look ahead to the 75th Anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima this coming February, we are reminded that even in the face of hostile enemy fire, Marines...

All the U.S. military services suffer a shortage of competent and experienced cyber talent. But with a tiny pool of eligible candidates willing to do work for the Department of Defense, hiring programs need to rely on more than just patriotism to be successful. The most recent attempt to shore up cyber capabilities comes from the Marine Corps’ announcement that it will create a Cyber Auxiliary. Here too, this program runs aground by asking for too much and offering too little. The Cyber Auxiliary seeks volunteers willing to provide the “training, education, advising, and mentorship” needed within the Marine Corps,...

The U.S. Marine Corps announced that the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is officially ready to deploy, one year ahead of schedule. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration said on Monday that the JLTV program had reached "initial operational capability," making the vehicles ready for use worldwide, on Aug. 2. The four-wheeled vehicle, developed with the U.S. Army, will fully replace the Marines' aging fleet of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. The new transports offer different variants with multiple mission package configurations, including packages for personnel, heavy guns and close combat weapons. "The warfighting capabilities the JLTV provides...

A commercial helicopter pilot from Idaho has become the first woman in the Marine Corps to fly an F-35 fighter jet, a supersonic stealth aircraft. Marine Capt. Anneliese Satz, a 29-year-old Boise native, completed her training program this past June at South Carolina’s Air Station Beaufort, the Marine Corps announced last week. Satz’s training lasted four years, taking her to bases in Florida, Texas and Mississippi. “The first flight in an F-35 is by yourself,” Satz said. "The syllabus thoroughly prepares you for that first time you take off and for every flight after that, it’s an exhilarating experience." Now,...

The Commandant’s Planning Guidance (CPG) provides the 38th Commandant’s strategic direction for the Marine Corps and mirrors the function of the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Planning Guidance (DPG). It serves as the authoritative document for Service-level planning and provides a common direction to the Marine Corps Total Force. It also serves as a road map describing where the Marine Corps is going and why; what the Marine Corps force development priorities are and are not; and, in some instances, how and when prescribed actions will be implemented. This CPG serves as my Commandant’s Intent for the next four years. ......

The commandant of the Marine Corps will have five years to stop separating men and women at the service's oldest boot camp, if a new amendment added to the 2020 defense authorization bill survives to ratification. Rep. Jackie Speier, a California Democrat and chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel subcommittee, proposed the amendment on Wednesday, "Training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina, may not be segregated based on gender," the measure states. "The Commandant of the Marine Corps shall carry out this subsection not later than five years after the date of the enactment...

Marine Aircraft Group 16 recently staged a mass-flight exercise involving more than 40 aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Calif. The exercise included 27 MV-22B Ospreys and 16 CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters. Here’s a look at the display of Marine Corps combat power.

VIDEO My Marine nephew, Kenneth, recently came home to Miami on leave from Hawaii to celebrate his birthday. Here are a few scenes including his amazing birthday cake. Oh, and it tasted as good as it looked!

You've probably never heard of Dave Berger. President Trump nominated him on March 27 to be the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps. I met him when we were both assigned to Camp Pendleton, and I remember his deep interest in mastering the Corps's tactics, logistics, and weapons systems. From the beginning of his career, he showed a quiet devotion to the Corps's excellence. His career is filled with aggressive, on-the-ground combat, including leading a regiment at Fallujah and a division in Afghanistan. He is one of America's best and most experienced combat commanders. The Berger nomination is in contrast...

Memo: Marines Forced to Cut Readiness to Pay For Hurricane Damage, Unplanned Expenses By: Megan Eckstein Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller speaks with a Marine during an exercise in Bridgeport, Calif., Feb. 11, 2019. Gen. Neller observed mountain warfare cold weather training and discussed ways to optimize training. This post has been updated to include a statement from Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer. The Marine Corps is facing “fiscal challenges without precedent” this year due to unexpected expenses forced on the small service by the Pentagon, the White House and Congress, and the commandant is looking...