|
marineofficer
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Name: Jason
Gender: Male
Interests: mountains and oceans, snowboarding, longboarding, running, anything with wasabi, tuna/maguro, pollo campero, piano concertos and cello suites, indigent defense, tactics and warfighting, diversity, blogging, bilingual education (CAIS), friends and friendsters
Expertise: making cupholders out of popsicle sticks
Occupation: Legal
Industry: Government
Message: message me
Member Since:
8/10/2004
|
|
| Friday, May 8, 2009 at 12:03pm | Edit Note | Delete
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/07/bn07helicopterid145226/
I remember the name, though not the face. But we spent 10-weeks together in Charlie Company, Officer Candidate Class 187, and commissioned together as Second Lieutenants on December 10, 2004. Approximately 200 of us took our oaths - to defend the Constitution, against all enemies, foreign and domestic - together in Little Theater, Quantico Marine Corps Base, on that December 10 - C Co, OCC-187.
She was certainly there, behind the "classroom", when I announced, as candidate platoon sergeant, that 2nd platoon looked like a "sack of turds" only "because this candidate looks like a sack of turd, Staff Sergeant!" and proceeded to march 2nd platoon across the grass in the most direct line to the squad bay.
As with Gunny Jerome Murkeson, who I sat next to in the SIPR room without exchanging more than a passing greeting during the time we were at FOB Shield by Sadr City, and before he was shot and killed on a mission with the MiTT, you are still always left wondering about those you have crossed paths with. Who were these people, what of their families (Gunny was married and had two young children)?
The military is unique in the sense that even those you don't know well, there always remains a sense of "family" for having been "there" together, the commitment to shared sacrifice, and the belief in something much greater than our individual selves. In the words of Colonel Rachel:
Commanding Officer’s Letter To Candidates
The Officer Candidates School trains, evaluates, and screens qualified applicants to ensure they demonstrate the leadership, the mental and the physical qualities to be an Officer of Marines. We are dedicated to making Marine Officers that possess our core values of honor, courage, and commitment to lead the Corps into the 21st Century.
In order to provide the Marine Corps with the quality leadership that Marines deserve, candidates must display the ability to lead by example while under demanding conditions. This is an important trait of any Marine Officer and will be the focus of your evaluation. In order to complete Officer Candidates School, we must ensure you are mentally and physically prepared. Candidates must understand that in some cases they will fail. How well you recover from failure, adapt and overcome in the face of adversity, is a key factor when determining if you have what it takes to be a leader of Marines.
You do not have a right to be a U.S. Marine. It is a privilege, a privilege that must be earned. So join us, embark on a journey that will make you a part of history.
I want to thank you for two things; displaying an interest in becoming a leader of Marines and for your patriotism as you choose a path that allows you to serve your country -- there is no greater opportunity in your young lives. God Bless America.
Semper Fidelis,
L. N. Rachal
But also, in the words of Chaplain Stevens:
Wood is only beautiful because of the pattern...the pattern is the wood's life story. Some lines are years of struggle and other lines are years of blessing. OCS will paint some lines across your soul. Would you have it any other way?
May Jessica's soul now rest in peace.
Semper Fidelis.
* * * * *
SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2005
Loud and Vicious
It's almost 0530. It's still dark out, but you can almost feel the crack of light. OCS candidates have already woken up ("count, off!"), dressed ("put your left boot on now! 20, 19, 18, 14, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1!"), cleaned the squad bays ("scuzzbrush the bulkhead!"), scampered (moonbeams clanking against their warbelts) onto the parade deck for formation ("Report!"), marched ("Road guards! Post!") across the damn bridge to Bobo Hall ("1, 2, 3 attack the chow hall!"), and are now standing in line holding their trays with elbows tight and to their sides, side-stepping through the chow line ("Eggs please, ma'am!").
They will be eating with feet flat on the floor, at a 45-degree angle, backs straight and off the seat rests, bringing their food to their mouths, and not their mouths to their food. There will be no talking unless spoken to first. And then they will reply loud and vicious. Sergeant instructors are yelling. Some candidates will be assigned 300-word "remedial" essays for transgressions such as walking with food in their mouths ("daggon heinous!"). This will probably fall under the subject heading "failure to follow simple instructions." The platoons that finish first will go sit outside in front of Bobo Hall, facing the Potomac. Some candidates make a "head call" (which evolves into social time at OCS). The rest will unfold and sit down on their campstools and bury their faces in their candidate regulations. But really, each is staring at the Potomac as the sun soon breaks the horizon. A precious moment of peace, perhaps the only moment of peace, in a day in candidate land. It's about 0545, and all they can think of is "what the fuck am I doing here?!"
"Aye aye candidates! Aye aye gunnery sergeant! Carry on candidates! Kill!"
Something similar is probably happening at MCRDs San Diego and Parris Island.
While most of our society sleeps, the Corps is making Marines. | | |
| http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7072047.stm
"Incoming is coming in every day, rockets are hitting the Green Zone," said Jack Croddy, a senior foreign service officer who once worked as a political adviser with NATO forces.
He and others confronted Foreign Service Director General Harry Thomas, who approved the move to "directed assignments" late last Friday to make up for a lack of volunteers willing to go to Iraq.
"It's one thing if someone believes in what's going on over there and volunteers, but it's another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment," Croddy said. "I'm sorry, but basically that's a potential death sentence and you know it. Who will raise our children if we are dead or seriously wounded?" Jack Croddy, Director, Officer of International Health Affairs, Department of State. 202-647-1318
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/complete/la-me-marines9oct09,1,2358560.story?coll=la-iraq-complete
When 200 members of the 800-member 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment extended their enlistments earlier this year so they could accompany the Two-Five back to Iraq, their decision was numerically significant. No infantry battalion has had as many Marines extend their tours as the Two-Five -- troops who were "short-timers" and could have ended their service with comfy stateside billets but chose instead to return to Iraq to help less-experienced Marines navigate the dangers. For Wendy Hill of Phoenix, it was the end of the longest seven months of her life. Her son, Cpl. Joshua Bodnovits, 22, was on his first tour. She had taken comfort in the fact that so many of his fellow Marines had opted to return with him. Jo McDaid of Kalamazoo, Mich., was similarly unsurprised when her son, Sgt. Matthew McDaid, 22, announced he was returning to Iraq, voluntarily. "It's all about, 'If my buddies are going, I'm going too,'"
| | |
| http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/5137958.html Sept. 15, 2007, 4:55PM
U.S. troops die and suffer while most of us simply move on without remembering By DOUGLAS MacKINNON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Who in the United States really supports our troops? If truth be told, basically nobody. My former boss, Sen. Bob Dole — who was grievously wounded in combat during World War II and then spent the next three years of his life in various hospitals trying to survive and recover from his wounds — says this generation of soldiers, not his, is truly "The Greatest Generation." Over the course of the last few years, he has quietly visited with hundreds of wounded soldiers and been brought to tears, not only by their sacrifice, but also by their determination to rejoin their fellow soldiers back in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Bob Dole, who clearly supports our troops, may think of them as "The Greatest Generation," not many of us agree with his very accurate assessment. Out of a nation of now 300 million people, who really cares about the young men and women we send into harm's way? Let's see. Those on active duty obviously care, their families care, veterans care, a small number in the media care, some states like Texas care more than others, and a minute amount of the national population actually cares. But for the vast majority of the rest America, the young men and women who serve on the front lines and protect us from evil are all but invisible. They don't exist in our lives, they occupy no space in our minds, and their sacrifice goes unnoticed and unappreciated. Many on the far left think those in uniform are fools, puppets or even war criminals. Witness the already controversial ad run in the New York Times last week by MoveOn.org that intimates Gen. David Petraeus — a nonpartisan professional soldier of impeccable reputation — may in fact be "General Betray Us." Is that their "support" for our troops? Politicians who speak for the far left often say, "I support the troops but not the war." Proudly, liberal Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, often parrots that exact phrase. This is the same man who, while in the terrorist-sponsoring state of Syria, just denounced the Iraq war on Syrian television and praised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad— a dictator who, according to our intelligence agencies, allows and encourages Islamists to cross his border into Iraq to kill U.S. soldiers. Is that "support" as defined by Kucinich? What about wealthy liberals who can't fathom why U.S. soldiers would accelerate their training for a $20,000 bonus? As they ridicule these soldiers for selling their souls for a pittance, do they understand what $20,000 represents to the average American? Is this the "support" and understanding they are willing to grant our soldiers? What about the far right? What about those who purport to speak for my party? Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and Steve Cambone were three high-level political appointees in the Rumsfeld Pentagon who were instrumental in planning the Iraq war and wildly underestimating the response. Do they "support" our troops? What price do these, never been in the military, ivory tower academics pay for their gross miscalculations? As they move forward with their careers and makes hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, what support do they offer to the families of the almost 4,000 killed and 30,000 wounded? What about the conservative politicians and pundits who did everything they could to get out of service in Vietnam but now stand as the loudest cheerleaders for the war in Iraq? Is hypocrisy and enthusiastically sending others to do what you would not their definition of "support?" While I disagree with much of his politics, I will always deeply respect Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., for his service in Vietnam. More than most, he has earned the right to offer his insights on this war and combat. Likewise, newly minted Democrat and Democratic Sen. James Webb of Virginia. As a highly decorated combat veteran, Webb understands well the price our troops are paying for their nonstop deployments. To counter that, he just introduced an amendment "requiring that active duty troops have at least the same time at home as the length of their previous tour of duty overseas. After four years at war, supporting our troops means addressing the erratic deployment tours that are breaking our military and ignoring the demands that extended tours place on our troops and their families." Clearly, Sen. Webb is looking for ways to support our troops. But sadly, he represents a minuscule percentage of the country at best. How do the U.S. television networks "support" our troops? One way it seems, is by showing a montage of U.S. military vehicles being blown apart by roadside bombs. All of the networks and cable networks have shown this disgusting montage as background tape and none seems bothered by the fact that the video of our troops being killed and maimed was shot by the very terrorists who did the killing. If the networks have any sympathy for the families of the brave soldiers killed and wounded, they can support them by refusing to air this snuff film made by al-Qaida. How do some liberals in Hollywood, who despise George W. Bush and the War in Iraq, "support" our troops. Well, a couple of them, like Brian De Palma and Mark Cuban, make films that put our troops in the worst possible light. Their new film depicts the undeniably disgusting, criminal behavior of a handful of soldiers, and uses it as a political tool to go after the policies of President Bush while smearing more than 160,000 other troops in the process. How will De Palma and Cuban respond if their film inflames and incites Islamists in Iraq and around the world to kill more Americans? What about the employers who now say they would never hire someone in the National Guard or hold a job for someone in the Guard currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Does patriotism and the ultimate protection of their business, now have a price tag or bottom line? Let's be honest with ourselves. As most of us blissfully go to the movies, sporting events, restaurants, the mall, walks in the park or sleep safely in our beds, we don't think of the troops. Never. Their sacrifice and pain never crosses our minds. Not once. But it should. For it is only their sense of duty and heroic sacrifice that is separating us from those who mean to end our way of life. Shame on us all for forgetting that. MacKinnon was a spokesman for former Sen. Bob Dole and a former civilian Pentagon and White House official. | | |
| "The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot. There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience, and alertness you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim .... It's really a hell of a lot of fun. You're gonna have a blast out there. I feel sorry for every son of a bitch that doesn’t get to serve with you." General Mattis to 1stMarDiv in 2003. -----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 9:54 AM
To:
Subject: MG Lehnert speech The following presentation was delivered to a San Diego community group by MG Mike Lehnert, commander of Marine Corps Bases (West) Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Last year I was present in the audience when Tom Brokaw addressed the 2006 Stanford graduating class. After the initial pleasantries and one-liners, Mr. Brokaw said something unexpected. He told the class that they were the children of privilege, fortunate to be attending one of the finest educational institutions in the country, the anointed because they had both the test scores for admittance and parents who were able to afford their tuition. He noted that they could likely expect rapid advancement in almost any endeavor they choose and that they were destined to lead the most powerful country in the world. The class was beaming. And then Brokaw reminded them that the liberties and freedoms they enjoyed were being defended by young people their age that did not have their advantages. That at this time thousands of men and women were fighting, dying and suffering debilitating injury to ensure that the rest of us could live the American dream. There was an uncomfortable shifting in the seats, followed by slow but growing applause from the audience. When we sent my son to Stanford four years ago, we filled out a form asking for demographic information. One of the questions for the parents said, what is your profession? After it was a list of about thirty professions including doctor, lawyer, congressman, educator, architect. Military was not listed so I filled in "other." My son was the only graduate who had a parent serving in the armed forces. As I was introduced to his friends' parents, it was interesting to watch their reaction. Few had ever spoken to a member of the military. One asked me how my son was able to gain admittance with the disadvantage of having to attend "those DoD schools". Many voiced support for our military and told me that they'd have served but clearly military service was not for their kind of people. This year of the so-called elite schools, Princeton led them with nine graduates electing military service. Compare that with 1956 when over 400 of the Princeton graduating class entered the military. Most of the other Ivy League schools had no one entering the military this year. I wonder how many of you know the young people who are serving today. I won't embarrass anyone by asking for a show of hands to ask how many really know a young enlisted Marine who has been to war. I'm going to try to give you a better feel about those who serve our nation. Our Marines tend to come from working class families. For the most part, they came from homes where high school graduation was important but college was out of their reach. The homes they come from emphasize service. Patriotism isn't a word that makes them uncomfortable. The global war on terrorism has been ongoing for nearly five years with Marines deployed in harms way for most of that time. It is a strange war because the sacrifices being levied upon our citizens are not evenly distributed throughout society. In fact, most Americans are only vaguely aware of what is going on. That isn't the case aboard the Marine bases in Southern California where we see the sacrifice everyday as we train aboard those open spaces that you covet for other purposes. Many of our Marines are married and 70% of our married Marines live in your communities, not aboard Marine bases. These Marines coach your soccer teams. They attend your places of worship. They send their kids to your schools. However, in many ways they are as different from the rest of the citizens of Southern California as my son was different from the rest of the students at Stanford. One of the huge differences between the rest of society and our Marine families, is when Marine daddies and mommies go to work, some of them never come home. The kids know that. The spouses know that. Week after week we get reports of another son, father, husband who won't be coming back. During the past four years, over 460 Marines from Southern California bases have been killed by the enemy. 107 more have died in Iraq and Afghanistan due to accidents. 6500 have been wounded some of them multiple times. You will never know or meet Brandan Webb age 20 or Christopher White age 23 or Ben Williams age 30. They were all assigned to First Battalion First Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California. They were some of the Marines who died this week out of Marine bases in Southern California. Last Friday, we hosted a golf tournament at Camp Pendleton to raise money for wounded Marines. There are a lot of expenses that the government cannot legally pay for from appropriated funds. The people who attended the tournament genuinely wanted to help and we invited a couple of dozen wounded Marines to golf with them. As I watched the teams leave for a shotgun start, I saw three Marines sitting by themselves and went over to talk to them. Clearly they'd been told by their chain of command that this was their appointed place of duty. They were sitting in the sun chatting, probably not unhappy with the duty but mildly uncertain as to why they were there. I asked them why they weren't golfing and they said that they'd never learned. No one in their families ever played golf and that this was the first time they'd ever been on a golf course. I asked them how many times they'd deployed. One of the young men had just returned from his third deployment and had been wounded every time. The others teased him for being a bullet magnet. I asked him if he was going to stay in and he thought for a moment what to say to a general and he said, "I think I'd like to try college. No one in my family has ever gone." I asked these Marines if I could buy them a beer. They looked at me and smiled. One of them said, "We can't ask you to break the rules sir. None of us are 21 yet." They seemed much older. As I left them I wondered about a policy that gives a young man the power of deciding who will live and who will die but won't let him drink a beer. I thought about these young Americans who had never shot golf but had shot and killed other men in order to carry out foreign policy. ... If you take nothing away from this talk, I'd hope you understand and appreciate what a remarkable group of young people currently serve in your Armed Forces today. Want to know what Marine Generals talk about when we are together? We talk about what a remarkable privilege it is to lead these extraordinary Americans. I started by mentioning Tom Brokaw. His book coined the phrase, "The Greatest Generation" and our nation responded in kind. Twenty years from now we may recognize that this young generation currently serving has the same qualities of greatness. On the battlefield today are future CEO's of corporations, university presidents, congressmen, state governors, Supreme Court justices and perhaps a future president of the United States. Take the time to meet one of these young people. You won't be disappointed. OK, I've talked long enough. I'd be happy to take your questions. | | |
| Marine in Haditha Case Defends Actions
By THOMAS WATKINS
The Associated Press
Tuesday, May 15, 2007; 10:05 PM
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A Marine captain accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians said Tuesday that he never pursued a probe because he believed the deaths resulted from lawful combat. Capt. Randy W. Stone also said he never lied about his actions. "I have never lied and have worked at all times to assist as best I could to shed light on what I knew and when I knew it," Stone said. Stone, who was the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines' lawyer at the time of the Nov. 19, 2005, killings in the town of Haditha, spoke from the lectern on the seventh day of his Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding. It was the first time he addressed the court and his statement was unsworn, which prevented him from being cross-examined by prosecutors. An investigating officer will ultimately recommend whether the charges should go to trial. Four officers, including Stone, are charged with dereliction of duty in the case. Three enlisted Marines are charged with murder. If convicted, Stone faces 2 1/2 years in prison and dismissal. Prosecutors portrayed Stone as a meek novice who overlooked the killings in an attempt to gain favor with the other Marines. In his closing argument, Lt. Col. Paul Atterbury said that Stone knew women and children were killed in their homes but that he did nothing in response. "The battalion judge advocate has a duty to make sure his Marines do not become desensitized to the mortally bruising combat environment that is Al Anbar, Iraq," Atterbury said. Defense attorney Charles Gittins said that the prosecution's case was based on the assumption that Stone knew the killings were wrong, but that prosecutors had the luxury of hindsight. More senior Marines saw no need to investigate the deaths because they were deemed to have been a lawful consequence of combat, he said. "He had no more knowledge about the deaths than the division commander, who was actually briefed by the battalion commander," Gittins said. Atterbury said it was irrelevant that Stone's superiors saw no need for an investigation. The slayings occurred after a roadside bomb killed a Marine driving a Humvee and injured two others. In the aftermath, five Iraqi men were shot as they approached the scene in a taxi and others _ including women and children _ died as Marines went house to house in the area, clearing homes with grenades and gunfire. Among other allegations, Iraqi witnesses accused Marines of herding four men into a cupboard and spraying them with gunfire. The Marine Corps asserts the 24 slain were civilians, but several witnesses have testified eight were insurgents. Stone, 34, emphasized the central argument of his defense that many Marines shared in the decision not to investigate. "Those around me at all pay grades and in every niche of the battalion or beyond seemed satisfied," he said. Twenty-two witnesses testified at the hearing. Many said they saw no need for an investigation. "There was nothing there that looked out of the ordinary," Maj. Kevin Gonzalez, the executive officer for the battalion, said Tuesday. Gonzalez said Stone was told by the battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, that the deaths occurred in combat so he "didn't need to take any other action." Chessani is one of the four officers charged with dereliction of duty. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051501990.html?tid=informbox | | |
|
