This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Marine Corps

  • RIP; Chester Nez, the last of the original Navajo Code Talkers

    Folks have been sending us a link to the sad news that Chester Nez has left us and, with him, took a huge piece of purely American heritage with him;

    he passing of Nez — the last of the first 29 Navajo men who created a code from their language that stumped the Japanese in World War II — marked the closure of a chapter in the story of a special group of veterans.

    Nez died Wednesday morning in Albuquerque, where he lived with his son Michael. He was 93. His family said he died of kidney failure.

    He was a member of the all-Navajo 382nd Marine Platoon.

    “It’s the chapter about the first Navajo Code Talkers coming to a close,” said Smith, 52, whose late father was also a Code Talker, but not one of the original group. “People talk about it, and you never think it’s going to happen in your lifetime. They are carrying the past with them.

  • Poll: Army most important service

    Hey, that’s not me talking, it’s the poll of Americans from Gallup at the Washington Times;

    Gallup started asking Americans about the importance of U.S. military branches in the 1940s, using a variety of questions over the years.

    Americans until the mid-2000s always viewed the Air Force as the most important branch of the military. While it still ranks high today, it no longer dominates, the pollsters said.

    Importance does not necessarily equal prestige.

    The Marine Corps has consistently been considered the nation’s most prestigious military branch, even if not the most important, with nearly half of Americans — 47 percent — saying they respect Marines the most.

    The Air Force was a distant second, with 17 percent saying is was the most prestigious branch, said the poll.

    “Despite successful Navy SEALs raids that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011 and helped rescue the captain of the merchant marine vessel Maersk Alabama from pirates in an incident that was the basis of the movie ‘Captain Phillips,’ the Navy’s image has not benefited,” Gallup noted.

    Yeah, this is me gloating over here; Chief Shipley and I have a running email battle in regards to Army/Navy insults. Maybe the Navy needs to make more movies about what .01% of their personnel do to improve their image.

  • Marine falls from Osprey in North Carolina

    A Marine who was a crewmember of an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft fell from that aircraft that was operating in the skies of North Carolina’s Bladen County. There is a search effort underway for the Marine according to Charlotte’s WBTV;

    According to Mike Barton, Public Affairs Director for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the Marine was taking part in a “normal training mission” when the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. Monday. Barton said the accident happened approximately 45 miles west of New River Air Station, where the Osprey is based.

    Barton cannot identify the Marine at this time due to privacy regulations, however the Marine was a crewmember of the aircraft that was conducting a training flight at the time of the mishap.

    WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC

    Another reminder that training for war can be just as deadly as the war itself.

  • Well, This Just Freaking Takes the Cake

    Most TAH readers know that the President’s air transportation is provided by DoD.  No issue with that.

    Most TAH readers know that the USMC provides his official rotary-wing transportation – “Marine 1”, it’s called, when occupied by the POTUS.  No real problem with that, either.

    However, the Marine VIP helicopter fleet dedicated to the task is aging.  So a contract has apparently been let to replace it.

    However, I do have a huge problem with that.  You see, the overall cost of the replacement program is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to be around $17 billion over multiple years – for 23 helicopters.  The cost for each helicopter is estimated to be around $400 million.  The rest of the $17 billion is presumably operations and maintenance costs associated with the program over its life cycle.

    Yes, you read that correctly.  $400 million. Per. Freaking. Helicopter.

    To put things in perspective, that’s about the same unit cost as the Air Force One Boeing 747.

    The USMC and Navy have been down this road before.  They previously spent $3.2 billion on a failed effort to replace the Marine VIP helicopter fleet.  That effort was terminated because it was “too costly”.

    Adding that cost, the total spent to replace the Marine VIP helicopter fleet comes to a cool $20 billion.

    Oh, and did I mention that the new helicopters won’t be ready until 2022?  Or that the program cost does not include the cost of maintaining and operating the existing Marine VIP helicopter fleet until the new aircraft are available?

    You know, it just seems to me that we could have negotiated a better deal than $400 million per helicopter.  But I also have to wonder just hard we really tried to negotiate – seeing as only one firm (Sikorsky) bid on the latest contract.

    And in case you were wondering:  yeah, Sikorsky builds the current VIP fleet.

    Sheesh.  Perhaps the best comment I’ve heard on the situation was from a former senior DoD official, who quipped that at that price, “Marine One should be able to have a solid gold toilet for the president – except that it would add too much weight.”

    Further details are found in this UK Daily Mail article.  Don’t read it unless you want to get royally p!ssed.

    But I guess in a way this is good news.  After all, like I said yesterday:  this means DoD – and especially the USMC and the Navy – must be absolutely flush with cash, right?

  • MARSOC MSgt to Receive Silver Star Today

    MSgt Donovan E. Petty, assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC, will receive the Silver Star today.  The decoration will be presented by the  Maj Gen Mark A Clark, Commander, MARSOC, at a ceremony at Stone Bay.

    MSgt Petty is receiving the award for heroism in Afghanistan on 1 November 2012.

    The Marine Corps Times has an article giving some of the details of MSgt Petty’s actions that day.  After reading it, I’d say the decoration is fully deserved.  Cojones muy grandes, indeed.

    Damn well done, MSgt Petty.  Kudos.

  • Navy Cross for Gunnery Sergeant Richard Jibson

    Navy Cross for Gunnery Sergeant Richard Jibson

    Richard Jibson

    The Army Times reports that Tuesday Marine Gunnery Sergeant Richard Jibson was awarded the Navy Cross at Twenty-nine Palms;

    On May 28, 2012, Jibson, an infantry adviser with the Georgian Liason Team, Regimental Combat Team 6, was patrolling a village, Mazr Abad Janubi, with 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 23rd Georgian Battalion, and partnered Afghan National Security Forces. A group of Marine explosive ordnance disposal technicians disarming a bomb nearby came under enemy small-arms fire.

    Without hesitation, Jibson bounded towards the EOD techs, placing himself between them and the enemy until they could reach cover. As the enemy attack persisted, Jibson continued working to break the onslaught.

    “Throughout the multiple engagements over the ensuing five hours, he bravely left covered positions and crossed open terrain many times under withering small-arms and machine gun fire to provide suppressive fire, inspire his comrades and direct the fire and maneuver of the entire coalition force,” his citation reads. “When a fellow Marine was shot in the head by an enemy sniper, Gunnery Sergeant Jibson fearlessly charged into a hail of enemy machine gun fire, pulled the exposed wounded Marine to cover, and then assisted a corpsman in rendering emergency measures to stabilize him.”

    Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Andrew Owensby, who ran through the machine gun fire with Jibson, will receive the Bronze Star.

    “After pulling the Marine to safety under enemy fire, he immediately recognized a lack of airway due to extensive trauma to the mouth,” Owensby’s citation states. “Not able to establish an airway, he performed several advanced lifesaving techniques, including a cricotracheotomy. When the Marine stopped breathing, Petty Officer Owensby began breathing directly into the airway adjunct.”

    He restored the Marine’s pulse and stabilized him for 45 minutes until casualty evacuation arrived.

    All the while, Jibson continued to coordinate defenses. His leadership, tactical expertise and calm under fire are credited with allowing for the successful withdrawal of the 53-man Georgian force he advised and the evacuation of casualties “with minimal loss of life.”

    DVIDS interviewed Gunny Jibson who talks about the engagement;

  • Sgt. Reckless, Revisited

    Jonn got an e-mail from one of our TAH readers recently, and forwarded it to me.  It was the story of “Sgt Reckless” – the equine Marine.

    I guess the reader must have missed the story I wrote and posted at TAH about Sgt Reckless some months back.   Still, it’s worth repeating.

    ———————

    Yesterday (author’s note:  this article was originally published here at TAH on 27 July 2013), the Commandant of the Marine Corps honored a “Marine” from the “Forgotten War” – Korea.  A statue was dedicated in her honor at a park near the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

    Yes, you read that correctly – “her”.  The statue was of “Sgt. Reckless”.  She had four feet – or, more precisely, four hooves.

    “Sgt. Reckless” was a war horse.  Literally.

    Though not today particularly well-remembered, pack animals were used by the US military in both World War II and the Korean War.  They were at times literally lifesavers.

    For the Marines fighting near Outpost Vegas in March 1953, “Sgt. Reckless” was indeed a lifesaver.  (emphasis added)

    When the Chinese first attacked, lighting up the sky with tons of incoming fire, Reckless was frightened. She ran to a bunker, where the Marines found her covered with sweat. But the Marines calmed her and sent her on her mission.

    Reckless is credited with making 51 trips in a single day from the ammunition point to the recoilless rifles, which were firing continuously as Marines fought to push the Chinese back.

    She carried 386 rounds of ammunition totaling more than 9,000 pounds and walked over 35 miles. Most of the time she walked alone, knowing the route by instinct. “Her gun crew kept firing,” Wadley said.

    Outpost Vegas was retaken after a five-day battle.

    The Army Times has an excellent story on the dedication, giving additional background.  It’s well worth taking the time to read it.

    And in case you’re wondering:  yes, the USMC did indeed bring her back to the US at the end of the war.  She died at Camp Pendleton in 1968.

    Well done, “Sgt. Reckless”.  Damn well done.

  • Barrett’s letter to his Marines

    Barrett’s letter to his Marines

    After a couple of days of being criticized for his performance in front of Congress the other day, The Marine Corps Times reports that Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike Barrett tries to explain himself to his Marines, if they can hear him from under the bus, where he tossed them.

    SMMC letter

    Basically, he’s saying “suck it up, cupcake”. According to the Military Officers’ Association of America, the gouge into an E-5’s pay after Congress gets done is going to be about $5000/year. What would you sacrifice to spend $5000 a year less than you are now? The sergeant major writes in his letter that Congress was concerned about the troops and the impact that cutting their pay and allowances would have on the Corps’ readiness and the sergeant major’s response didn’t reflect the realities of their intentions. It wasn’t helpful at all – well, except to his continued employment.

    He could have told Congress to look elsewhere for their cuts to spending, that cuts to personnel costs will damage recruiting and retention efforts. He could have told them that the brain drain of the Corps would be so bad that they’ll never recover from it. But, the sergeant major’s response was “we’ve never had it so good, so yeah, slash the shit out of us so we’re all poor and go back on food stamps before we forget how”.