Military Articles and Press Releases Options

[Marine]

Marines rescue stranded hurricane victims

By Christian Lowe and Christopher Munsey
Times staff writer


Marines rescued more than 100 people stranded by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina Monday after tides and high winds pummeled cities along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
Leathernecks with the Reserve’s reinforced 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, based in Gulfport, Miss., navigated the debris-filled streets of Biloxi late Aug. 29, plucking dazed citizens from their battered homes.

About 130 people were rescued by the Marines, who drove two AAV7 Amphibious Assault Vehicles through the destruction.

The amtrackers took the flood victims “to a designated drop-off point where they were returned to safety by civilian authorities,” according to a news release from Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport. One amtrac in the operation rescued 100 people, making four trips with 25 victims crammed into the crew compartment, a Navy spokeswoman said.

Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalions 1, 7 and 133 — based in Gulfport — are clearing a 10-mile-long stretch of road to the nearby town of Pass Christian so civilian authorities could rescue stranded citizens there, the spokeswoman said.

The Marine amtrackers headed to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport today for rescue operations there, but no further details were available.

Katrina pummeled the Gulf coast after it made landfall Monday, unleashing 145-mph winds and pushing a rain-fueled storm surge that broke through a levee protecting low-lying New Orleans. The break put 80 percent the historic city under as much as 20 feet of water, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people who had did not heed warnings to leave the city during the weekend.

Officials along the Gulf coast of Mississippi reported as many as 80 people killed by the storm in one county, a death toll that officials throughout the region say will likely rise.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1068705.php

[Marine]

'Flags of Our Fathers' story to be told in Hollywood film
By: Cpl. Paul Leicht
Id #: 2005825173633

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif.(Aug. 19, 2005) -- In February 1945 the Marines assaulted the black beaches of Iwo Jima, a tiny landmass penetrating the deep-blue immensity of the Pacific Ocean.

Slugging their way across the island through heavy Japanese machinegun and artillery fire, they eventually ascended the island's dominating 550-foot volcanic cone, Mount Suribachi, and raised an American flag.

Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the flag raising - in actuality the second, larger flag that was raised - atop Mount Suribachi during the intense battle of Iwo Jima has become one of the most lasting and reproduced images in the history of photography.

It has been said that the photograph recorded the "the soul of a nation" during a time of war against a formidable and tenacious foe in the Pacific.

The critically acclaimed, classic best-selling book of 2000 "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley, son of one of the immortalized flag raisers, Navy corpsman John Bradley, tells the story of the men behind the famous moment in American military history.

The story is a tribute to his father, who throughout the rest of his life never spoke of his wartime service and looked upon the thousands of young men during World War II who gave the ultimate sacrifice - dying on the field of battle fighting for their country - as the real heroes.

The book is also a very emotionally moving tale of personal courage, determination and patriotism as embodied by the immortalized six flag raisers, three of whom were tragically killed in subsequent fighting before the vicious fight for Iwo Jima was finally over.

With its publication, the book quickly became a bestseller and captured the attention of readers across the country. Hollywood filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, who purchased the movie rights to "Flags of Our Fathers," were also captivated by the story's power and symbolism of American will.

According to a press release on www.hollywoodreporter.com recently, Bradley's book will be the subject of a film adaptation directed by the Academy-Award winning director and actor Clint Eastwood who has teamed up with Spielberg in the past. Casting for the film, produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, has already begun.

In "Flags of Our Fathers," Bradley recounts the lives of the six flag raisers who became reluctant symbols for America. Few books capture the horrific nature of war and the sacrifice of a generation more than this one. Bradley also pays homage to his father, who never displayed Rosenthal's famous Iwo Jima photo in his home, and writes passionately of the difference between the truth and the myth surrounding the experience of war.

Bradley wrote the book after discovering a box of his father's personal effects following his death at the age of 70.

Ultimately the story is an account of the lives of six ordinary men who came from very different segments of small-town America and experienced the hell of combat in the face of fanatical, tunnel-dwelling Japanese defenders who died fighting almost to a man on Iwo Jima.
It remains to be seen whether the forthcoming Hollywood film version of "Flags" will do the veterans of Iwo Jima, and the men captured in the famous photograph, justice.

If Spielberg's celebrated productions of "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" are any indication, then servicemember and civilian moviegoers alike can look forward to opening their wallets at the theater ticket counter in late 2006 when the film is scheduled for release.

"Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley is also a new selection on the Marine Corps Reading List and identified for reading by the ranks of corporal and sergeant.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....f3?OpenDocument

[Marine]

Son of 9/11 ‘Ground Zero’ firefighter serves at Miramar
Submitted by: MCAS Miramar
Story Identification #: 2005924359
Story by Cpl. Paul Leicht



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Aug. 29, 2005) -- Nearly four years ago with the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001, a handful of fanatical Islamic fundamentalists hoped to instill fear and to show weakness on the part of Americans. Instead, America demonstrated strength and indomitable resolve.

Police officers, firefighters, rescue workers, emergency responders and volunteers, undaunted by the weather, fatigue or the stress of helping thousands of people amid the horrific chaos in Manhattan that dark day, served heroically and set an example of sacrifice for generations of others to come.

Vincent Forras, then a businessman and a volunteer firefighter of more than 12 years with the South Salem, New York, Fire Department, is one of those heroes who, for long hours at great
risk, worked selflessly through the debris and toxic environment to save others at Ground Zero.

“My son Michael and I knew several firefighters that gave their lives that day,” said Forras during an Aug. 25 interview while visiting Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. “While here, I want to thank the Marines for everything that they do, especially those who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, or are soon to deploy. As protectors of our nation, keeping all of us free, in my eyes they are the real heroes. My son is now in the Marines serving his country and I could not be more proud of him.”

The attacks that motivated so many Americans young and old to serve their country in the armed forces also sealed the decision for Forras’ then 16-year-old son, who bravely ventured to Ground Zero with his father and the Westchester County rescue team soon after the twin towers collapsed.

“My dad set the example for me growing up and I knew I was going to be involved in public service,” explained 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Michael D. Forras, test cell operator, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. “I really thought that I was going to become a firefighter like my dad, but I also thought about joining the military and for a while wanted to be a Navy SEAL. In the end I decided I wanted to be a Marine.”

With his father continuing to work at the disaster site both above and underground, Michael witnessed his father endure extreme physical and mental exposure while working with little sleep at the site for more than a month.

“My goal has always been to be an example for my children that you can’t just take, that you have to give as well, and you have to give back to the community,” explained the elder Forras. “Based upon the type of business that I was involved in and the many relatives and friends of Michael in our family who chose the military as a career, I think being around these people and what their values stood for was always extremely important in my heart and I knew my son would one day share them too.”

A spokesperson for the memory of those that perished at Ground Zero, Vincent Forras said he has been fortunate to meet many famous politicians at 9/11 memorial rallies, including many senators and congressmen, celebrities, former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani and Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

“Meeting our president was an absolute honor,” said Vincent Forras who in a gesture of thanks for his support of Ground Zero firefighters presented Bush with his Ground Zero Service Medal. “He presented me with the Presidential Medal and later gave me something personal that I cherish very much, his personal coin that I now wear around my neck everyday.”

Today, Vincent Forras is one of the many “walking wounded” following 9/11. Thousands like him who worked or lived in the disaster area have reported health problems related to the attack, and the potential long-term effects of the environmental contaminants from Ground Zero remain unknown.

“Several firefighters and good friends of mine have since died or are now in poor health after working at Ground Zero,” said Vincent Forras. “Some have had heart attacks at an early age and some continue to have problems with their lungs. Most of the search and rescue dogs are now dead too.”

Stricken with respiratory ailments and a handful of other medical issues that his doctors believe are a result of his time at Ground Zero, he has redirected his life and the painful memory of his fallen comrades toward giving back to the world community.

“After I retired from the fire department I started the Gear Up Foundation that is a living memorial dedicated to doing great things in the name of those we lost on 9/11,” said Vincent

Forras who was born in New York City in 1957. “The foundation brings fire equipment and hope to fire departments and communities in need around the world, giving them a means to save lives. In many third World countries they do not have anything like the fire fighting equipment we have in the United States and they look to our firefighters as supermen. Every day in poor communities and in countries all over the world, people die in fires because there are no rigs, no bunker gear, no axes and no medical apparatuses.”

According to Forras, sometimes their fire truck is a simple pick-up truck or they run into a burning structure with flip-flops and a wet rag over their face.

The fire trucks that his foundation donates around the world bear the foundation’s seal and
the names of all the New York firefighters that died from 9/11 so that their memory lives on.

“Our first program was in Guayaquil, Ecuador,” said Vincent Forras. “The next truck will be sent to Thailand, and the Philippines are receiving equipment as well. Our goal is to generate healing through helping for those who faced 9/11 while reaching out to others, and to teach children to be caring and involved in their communities through an international educational program of fire prevention. It’s also our hope that the work we do will dismantle the language of hate and be a lasting tribute to the surviving family members and our fallen heroes.”

Michael Forras is also giving back to the community, helping with his father’s foundation and occasionally volunteering as a guest speaker to elementary school children to talk about what it was like at Ground Zero and what it is like to be a Marine.

“I really enjoy talking to the kids and get a lot of satisfaction from it,” said Michael Forras.

Vincent Forras is looking forward to traveling to several Third World countries later this year, including Ecuador, Thailand and the Philippines, to continue the work of his foundation.

“This year will be the first year since 9/11 that I won’t be in New York on the anniversary of the attacks,” said Vincent Forras. “On September 11 this year the president of the Philippines will be hosting a memorial ceremony in his country to honor the victims of 9/11, and I am going to be there to present a letter from President George Bush thanking the people of the Philippines for their continued support.”

Over the past few years through his foundation’s Web site, Vincent Forras has received an outpouring of support and thanks from many Americans.

“Through email I met a Marine originally from the Midwest who is a crew chief with a helicopter squadron,” said Vincent Forras humbly. “Before returning from his home to his base at Cherry Point recently while on leave, he drove all the way out to see me in New York. He said he wanted to give me something. When we finally met, he presented me with a folded American flag that flew aboard more than 144 combat missions in Iraq, and said ‘Vincent this is for you. This flag carries the blood of my Marines.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...23?opendocument

[Marine]

New River Marines to provide aid to Katrina victims
Submitted by: MCAS New River
Story Identification #: 200591143240
Story by Pfc. Samuel D. White



MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (Sept. 1, 2005) -- About 120 Marines and other service members from here deployed in support of Joint Task Force Katrina today to provide disaster relief to the residents and city of New Orleans. The departing Marines form a composite squadron made up of aircraft and Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadrons 461 (3 CH-53Es), 465 (3 CH-53Es) and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (2 CH-46Es).

The Marines are scheduled to work with several other branches of the military to provide supplies and humanitarian relief, perform search-and-rescue missions and re-establish the infrastructure, allowing state relief agencies access to stranded citizens.

“It will be a combined effort,” said Lt. Col. Frank B. Crisafulli, HMH-461 executive officer. “We’ll be coordinating with (the Department of) Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Air Force and the Navy. Everybody has a hand in the operation.”

Marine Aircraft Group-29 dispatched the six CH-53E Super Stallions and two CH-46E Sea Knights to contribute to the coalition of forces.

“We want to help the people in our own backyard,” said Sgt. Maj. Larry C. Jones, HMH-461 sergeant major. “You watch the news and the people there have no (homes or anything); so any kind of assistance we can provide will surely be appreciated by the people of New Orleans.”

The squadron and the supporting unit deployed in four waves throughout the morning. The individual sticks arrived at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., Sept. 1, before making the final trip to the disaster relief areas.

“People are looking for an immediate reaction and usually it takes time to debark an entire squadron with the maintenance requirements and everything else,” said Capt. Daniel M. Murphy, an HMH-461 CH-53E pilot. “We got the word yesterday morning and we’re leaving this morning, so that’s a fast response.”

“We were hoping for an order to be able to provide some relief," said Crisafulli. "We found out yesterday at 11 a.m. and less than 24 hours later we’re on our way out.”

The unit waited for its opportunity to help after watching the original footage of the tragedy on the news, said Petty Officer 1st Class Chris E. Kidder, an HMH-461 corpsman.

“Watching a disaster of that type made me feel pretty low,” said Kidder. “To see Americans in a refugee scenario that is parallel in disaster to 9-11 made me want to be able to provide a little bit of hope.”

Though the squadrons are unsure of how long they will be providing support, the Marines will stay until the mission is accomplished, said Navy Lt. Charles D. McCormick, MAG-29 Headquarters chaplain.

“We’ll be down there as long as they need us,” McCormick. “And, the Marines here are ready to go and help however they can.”

Answering the nation’s call to help fueled their motivation to deploy, said Murphy.

“I think it’s important that the American people realize that the military does care,” he said. “And, if we can do something, we’ll do it for them.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...72?opendocument

[ghostgovt]

http://japanupdate.com/en/?id=6312

Marine lies about her being attacked near military base
Posted: May 15, 2005

A female Marine who claimed last month she was stabbed as she left a bar near Futenma Marine Corps Air Station lied about her injuries.

Ginowan Police say the 22-year-old Marine was not assaulted or stabbed April 16th, as she claimed to military and civilian authorities. The woman had told authorities a black man had stabbed her as she walked toward the base. She was taken the the U.S. Navy Hospital for treatment. Subsequent interviews and interrogation broke the story, and the Marine finally confessed her story was fabricated.

The woman stabbed herself with a small knife, police said, and then lied. The case has been turned over to the military for further investigation and action.

[Marine]

United States Marine Corps

Press Release
Public Affairs Office
II Marine Expeditionary Force;
For more information, contact II MEF Public Affairs at (910) 451-5260 or
via email at minkac@iimef.usmc.mil.


Contact:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Release # 0903-05-2205

Marines and sailors arrive in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast
September 3, 2005

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Approximately 1,000 II Marine Expeditionary Force
Marines and sailors arrive in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast this weekend, part of a specially tailored task force formed to aid rapidly expanding relief efforts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland
Security, and state and local governments requested the support in order to continue efforts, which have already saved thousands of Americans.

Approximately 700 Marines from 2nd Marine Division's 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, and Battery E, 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment departed Camp Lejeune, Saturday, to join other elements already in place on the Gulf Coast, in support of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Katrina.

Marines began arriving in Belle Chasse, La., late Thursday to assess the base's ability to support a larger force. Additional Marines are
scheduled to arrive this weekend, joining a sizeable number already in the region. About 120 Marines from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing arrived Thursday, adding eight transport helicopters to the task force's swelling aviation component. Marine air assets now in the region include 10 CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters, 2 CH-46E medium-lift helicopters and three UH-1N utility helicopters.

In addition, the aviation element will include dedicated support from at least eight of the highly versatile KC-130 transport aircraft.

More than 300 Marines from Combat Service Support Detachment 24 sailed over the weekend, aboard two naval vessels, the USS Shreveport and the USS Whidbey Island. They'll take with them a wide array of equipment well suited for humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief operations. Included are water-purification devices, seven-ton trucks, dump trucks,
forklifts, generators, and humvees.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...B9?opendocument

[ghostgovt]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8960087/

‘Marine of Year’ charged in nightclub shooting

Iraq vet charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing into crowd

File photo of Sergeant Daniel B. Cotnoir from Lawrence smiling in Washington D.C.
Sgt. Daniel B. Cotnoir smiles in a file photo taken on July 14, in Washington D.C.
Reuters file

LAWRENCE, Mass. - A decorated U.S. Marine charged with attempted murder after allegedly wounding two people outside a Massachusetts nightclub had been undergoing treatment for post-war stress since returning from duty in Iraq, his attorney was quoted as saying in a report published Monday.

Sgt. Daniel B. Cotnoir, who was jailed on $100,000 bail, was due to be arraigned Monday on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to murder after the incident early Saturday in the city of Lawrence.

Cotnoir had complained to police after a crowd of nearly 30 people gathered outside a nightclub and restaurant near his apartment. After someone hurled a bottle that shattered his bedroom window, Cotnoir fired “a warning shot,” the Boston Globe reported Monday.

The bullet hit a 15-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, but caused only minor injuries.

“He shot into what he thought was a safe area, but there was some ricochet effects that Mr. Cotnoir never intended,” his lawyer, Robert F. Kelley, was quoted as saying.

“It was a military-type response to a threatening situation that was civilian in nature.”

'Craziest night of my life’
Cotnoir has been struggling psychologically since returning from Iraq in 2004, Kelley said.

Police were not immediately available to comment.

“It was the craziest night of my life,” said Kelvin Castro, the man who was slightly wounded by the gunshot allegedly fired by Cotnoir. “I don’t know what that guy’s intentions were.”

Cotnoir has frequently called police to complain about noise and fights outside the Punto Finale nightclub. Last year, police said, he claimed someone leaving the club had fired a gunshot at his apartment, the Associated Press reported.

During his tour in Iraq last year, Cotnoir had been a military mortician responsible for preparing soldiers for open-casket funerals.

The job took a heavy psychological toll, he told the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune in an interview last month after the Marine Corps Times named Cotnoir its “Marine of the Year,” an award presented to him at a ceremony in Washington. At the time, he was getting counseling at a veterans hospital.

“It’s a lot harder to talk about the job now than it was at the time to actually do it,” Cotnoir told the newspaper then. “The stories I’ve gained from my deployment aren’t the kind of stories you share.”

[Marine]

You must be struggling for negative news ghost, reach back 6 weeks and reposting a story Bammo already posted.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8960087/

‘Marine of Year’ charged in nightclub shooting

Iraq vet charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing into crowd

File photo of Sergeant Daniel B. Cotnoir from Lawrence smiling in Washington D.C.
Sgt. Daniel B. Cotnoir smiles in a file photo taken on July 14, in Washington D.C.
Reuters file

LAWRENCE, Mass. - A decorated U.S. Marine charged with attempted murder after allegedly wounding two people outside a Massachusetts nightclub had been undergoing treatment for post-war stress since returning from duty in Iraq, his attorney was quoted as saying in a report published Monday.

Sgt. Daniel B. Cotnoir, who was jailed on $100,000 bail, was due to be arraigned Monday on charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to murder after the incident early Saturday in the city of Lawrence.

Cotnoir had complained to police after a crowd of nearly 30 people gathered outside a nightclub and restaurant near his apartment. After someone hurled a bottle that shattered his bedroom window, Cotnoir fired “a warning shot,” the Boston Globe reported Monday.

The bullet hit a 15-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, but caused only minor injuries.

“He shot into what he thought was a safe area, but there was some ricochet effects that Mr. Cotnoir never intended,” his lawyer, Robert F. Kelley, was quoted as saying.

“It was a military-type response to a threatening situation that was civilian in nature.”

'Craziest night of my life’
Cotnoir has been struggling psychologically since returning from Iraq in 2004, Kelley said.

Police were not immediately available to comment.

“It was the craziest night of my life,” said Kelvin Castro, the man who was slightly wounded by the gunshot allegedly fired by Cotnoir. “I don’t know what that guy’s intentions were.”

Cotnoir has frequently called police to complain about noise and fights outside the Punto Finale nightclub. Last year, police said, he claimed someone leaving the club had fired a gunshot at his apartment, the Associated Press reported.

During his tour in Iraq last year, Cotnoir had been a military mortician responsible for preparing soldiers for open-casket funerals.

The job took a heavy psychological toll, he told the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune in an interview last month after the Marine Corps Times named Cotnoir its “Marine of the Year,” an award presented to him at a ceremony in Washington. At the time, he was getting counseling at a veterans hospital.

“It’s a lot harder to talk about the job now than it was at the time to actually do it,” Cotnoir told the newspaper then. “The stories I’ve gained from my deployment aren’t the kind of stories you share.”

[Marine]

Hey, I went though this course, not just Recon takes it ANGLICO Marines do to.

Marines head to Panama City for Combatant Diver Course

Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 20059664714
Story by Cpl. Antonio Rosas



PANAMA CITY, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2005) -- The Marines makes one final gear check before leaning back and receiving the thumbs up from their partners to plunge into the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Marines falling into the water are some of the Corps’ most elite warriors — reconnaissance Marines.

First Force Reconnaissance Company Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton spent a month training with Marines throughout the Corps at the Marine Combatant Diver Course in Panama City, Fla., to learn how to use the self contained underwater breathing apparatus, scuba.

During the 35 training days, the students complete 15 surface swims and swim more than 60,000 meters of water to hone their skills.

The course begins with a 500-yard introductory swim or “fin” to familiarize the students with open-circuit scuba gear.

While some of the students have some training on conventional scuba diving, most are newcomers to the world of underwater operations.

“This new scuba gear takes some getting used to but eventually you get the hang of it,” said Cpl. Elliot Hlabaty, 21, reconnaissance operator, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

But not every recon operator has a shot at attending the seven-week course. Individual Marine recon units hold a grueling two-week, pre-qualification course prior to attending the course in eastern Florida.

The goal of the pre-qualification is to introduce the students to what happens to their bodies while they are underwater.

But diving is no dip in the pool. There are a lot of concepts to learn, such as the effects of compression and the decrease of gasses in the human body, said Master Sgt. Gregory D. Miller, staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge, Marine Combatant Diver Course.

The students must learn how to use the scuba equipment in a swimming pool before applying their competence in the deep blue ocean.

During one particular morning in their fifth week of training, the Marines receive an early morning safety brief, pack on the scuba gear, load up into two 15 passenger boats and head out into the ocean.

The Marines are eager to plunge into the ocean following weeks of bookwork and drills inside the pool.

Their assignment is to demonstrate their diving capabilities in the ocean, since this is precisely the environment they will be working in during missions.

The equipment the students are using is a closed-circuit re-breather unit attached to their chest. This gear enhances their ability to approach an objective in a quiet manner. As Marines exhale, no bubble are created since the air is returned inside the unit, making them invisible to the enemy’s view topside.

A conventional open-circuit scuba unit, which is strapped on the back, emits a large amount of bubbles, rendering a stealthy approach ineffective.

The morning marked the first time the students demonstrated their mastery of the closed-circuit unit in a real environment. They already went through numerous hours of practical application with the instructors earlier.

“After completing the practical application, I definitely feel ready to whoop it on and take care of business,” said Cpl. William J. Johns, 21, from Granite Bay, reconnaissance operator, 1st Force Reconnaissance Co.

In between classroom work, safety briefs, practical application, and tests, the students are still required to maintain rigorous physical fitness standards. Any given day of the week the students run an average of five miles in between lesson plans.

The course culminates with an astounding 6.2 mile open-water swim in a team buddy line. The buddy line is a rope, which attaches two divers together within an arm’s reach of each other. The lead man, or “driver,” steers the team under the close attention of an azimuth, which is a predetermined direction via the aid of a compass. Navigates using a tack-board, an underwater compass

The rear operator shares the responsibility of the two-person team because there is so much going on.

“I have to trust my partner because he’s the one driving,” said Cpl. Geore W. Ruble, reconnaissance operator, 2nd Recon Bn., Camp Lejeune, N.C.

“I also have to make sure he’s alright, buoyancy is good and he’s not going up and down in the water column,” said the 23-year-old Pensacola, Fla., native. “The whole time he’s focusing on the azimuth,”

“There are so many hazards in diving that if you don’t look after each other’s health, you can have some serious issues down there,” Ruble added.

Even though students receive a full day of instruction during the course’s final week of diving, met grueling physical fitness requirements, and continuously demonstrate practical application, not one of them has even signaled the slightest aversion to the course

“It’s a new challenge. I get to work in areas I’ve never worked in before. Working in the water like this is the main challenge,” said

Lance Cpl. Isaac J. Moore, 20, reconnaissance operator, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Co., who transferred jobs from being a radio operator.

The school enrolls Marines in the reconnaissance community, but also support Air Force combat controllers and air rescue men together in the same class.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...CC?opendocument

[Marine]

Radio man link to saving lives
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story by: Computed Name: Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio

Story Identification #: 200594113349




CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq(Sept. 4, 2005) -- When Cpl. Vingua joined the Marines to tinker with radios, he never thought he’d be in Iraq helping to save lives.

Vingua is a 21-year-old radio repairman who works with ultra-high and very-high frequency radios on a daily basis here in the heart of the 2nd Marine Division’s headquarters during this deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He works for a small unit called the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) – part of Marine Air Support Squadron 1. When the ground troops need close air support, the DASC is their direct link to aircraft to support a mission. Air strike requests and helicopter-borne evacuations are routed through Vingua’s radios at the DASC, where Marines here at the combat operations center communicate with DASC liaison officers who are with the infantry at the regimental and battalion unit levels.

“I wanted a technical military occupational specialty that I can apply to a civilian job for if I choose to get out of the Marines when my time is up,” said the Worth, Ill. native.

Working with 100-pound military radios which are the direct link to pilots, is just what he needed. He joined shortly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001 when he was attending college.

“I just wasn’t putting forth the effort to be successful,” he admitted. “This has been a better choice.

Infantry Marines can send radio transmissions directly to aircraft to request for fire support, but with the myriad of operations in the province, it’s important for the DASC to relay the request to ensure it’s done safely. And that’s where Vingua’s radios make all the difference when it comes to providing air and fire support for troops on the ground.

“Depending on the terrain, we can communicate a good distance through out the area of operations (about the size of North Carolina),” said Vingua. “That’s pretty good here since the desert is mostly flat.”

Vingua’s radios allow the members of the DASC team to operate from up to 1 kilometer away, making it easier for him to maintain the radios in a cool, dry place while Marines operate in the surrounding desert.

“It’s important to keep the radios safe and running, because if we’re not on top of it, we’re not controlling aircraft,” said Vingua.

Through the radios, the DASC alerts flight crews of friendly artillery units that may be firing in a certain area or what enemy forces might be emplaced in another area. They also use integrated computer technology to track ground troops and convoy movements in the area of operations. The systems save time and it allows for a more efficient way to support the troops either with medical evacuations or close air support.

“I like working here because I get to see the effect of my work on a grand scale,” said Vingua. “Medevacs don’t happen without us and it’s good to know that Marines rely on us.

“We’re actually helping to save Marines’ lives; that’s why I love the job.”

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....88?OpenDocument

[ghostgovt]

You know... my heart really tingles when a marine comes forward with the truth. Unlike some who shuns away from the truth, I think those who can face the truth might begin seeing themselves for they truly are..... fakes in their own miserable world. I give Jimmy Massey a big thumbs up for sharing with us his true Marine news with his own war experience.


http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/20...article04.shtml

American Marine "Ashamed" Of Iraq Experience


CAIRO, April 17 (IslamOnline.net) – Ever since his return home last April, U.S. Marine Jimmy Massey has had a hard time sleeping, feeling "ashamed" of involvement in killing no less than 30 Iraqi civilians during his one-month mission.

"We had no qualms about opening fire on any car crossing a checkpoint without hauling up," he told the French newspaper L’Humanite on Tuesday, April13 .

"We, soldiers in the battalion, shot dead 30 people in one month, during our mission to seal off cities and lay a tight siege on villages," Massey recalled.

Several of such harrowing accounts still jut clear into his memory.

Massey quit on April18 , 2003 – nine days after U.S.-led occupation forces rolled into Baghdad, after a12 -year service in the army.

He could not forget impassioned pleas of one Baghdad resident after he and his colleagues manning a checkpoint killed three other passengers in his car.

"Why did you kill my brother. We did not do any thing," Massy remembered the man screaming despite his injuries.

Much painful to his conscience, the scene stood a repeat twice the same day.

"We fired at two other cars. Three civilians were killed," Massey regretted.

U.S. and British officials argue that former Iraqi soldiers dress in civvies and that ambulance vehicles are loaded with explosives, he said.

However, for Massey, there is more than a thin line between allegedly precautionary measure and a "war of genocide" and a virtual stench of civilian deaths.

"This is not the way for liberating Iraqis and achieving democracy," he called telling his commander who declined to respond.

Food & Fire

Massey cited instructions of commanders disregarding lives of Iraq civilians as one of many reasons still driving him nuts.

"Throw candies in the school courtyard, and open fire on children rushing to snatch them. Crush them," he recalled officers as saying during drills.

The U.S. Marine said the message came always mixed to the ordinary Iraqis.

He asserted that they would distributed foodstuffs and do other humanitarian activities for only three hours while spend the rest of the day fighting the Iraqis.

"Once, we swept into one town and set up a checkpoint there. Next day we began our humanitarian mission."

"Of course, they refused to take food from the same hands that had earlier killed their mothers or brothers."

With self-tormenting memories, Massey turned down an offer to do paper works in the Marine Corps and insisted to resign though this lost him his pension.

Massey can not even find solace in current news spreading out in media outlets on Iraq.

In Fallujah, a western Baghdad city besieged sine April5 , U.S. bombardment claimed the lives of at least 600 people and left more than1 , 500others injured.

A doctor in the town told IslamOnline.net on Monday, April12 , that most of those killed in the U.S. military offensive were women and children.

British forces, joining the invasion of the oil-rich country under the orders of U.S.-staunch ally Prime Minister Tony Blair, have their own harrowing record.

On May30 , a British soldier was questioned over sickening "torture" photos of Iraqi prisoners, including an Iraqi PoW dangling from a fork-lift truck, and others depict soldiers committing sex acts near captured Iraqis.

Suicide Option

With a mixed feeling of guilt and desperation, several American soldiers chose taking their own lives.

Some 23 soldiers committed suicide in2003 , according to a spokesman for the U.S. Marines in Iraq.

A large number of soldiers want to escape from Iraq, and several of those allowed to leave the war-scarred country never came back, said Luke Hiken, a lawyer in San Francisco and an expert on military affairs.

The soldiers are coming under pressures of non-stop resistance operations, growing anti-American sentiments and feelings of homesickness.

"I think I had enough. It's time for us to go home," Private First Class Joe Cruz,18 , from the Second Brigade of the Army's Third Infantry Division, had said.

The U.S. military has lost at least 92 troops in resistance fighters since March 31 - more than the total killed in the three-week invasion.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld admitted that the recent U.S. military death toll was beyond expectations.

[Marine]

Marine sees hope for Iraqi children
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story by: Computed Name: Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio

Story Identification #: 200594113644




CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq(Sept. 4, 2005) -- When patrolling the streets of Ramadi, to say it’s serious business is an understatement. But that doesn’t mean one wouldn’t catch Cpl. Malin smiling every now and then.

William Bryan Malin, a Squad Automatic Weapon machine gunner with the camp’s guard force revels in his ability to do something positive for the children here.

For the past six months, the 20-year-old Colorado Springs, Colo. native and his squad have been patrolling through the farm lands and villages that cushion the outside walls of the camp. The children know who he is, because they usually get a little stuffed animal or toy when he passes through their field.

Malin is normally a clarinetist on an E-flat clarinet for the 2nd Marine Division Band. For the duration of his deployment here, he’s been part of the camp’s ready-react force, protecting the inhabitants of the camp and surrounding area.

“I was accepted to the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont before I joined, but after some thinking, I chose the military,” said the 2003 Rampart High School graduate. “I grew up in a traditional military family because my step dad was in the Air Force. I said a lot of ‘yes sir and yes ma’am’ growing up. I guess I wanted to continue the legacy.

“That and I didn’t have the academic support that I needed for a scholarship, so the benefits were appealing and it seemed like a good start on life.”

And Malin has accomplished that goal. About a year ago, Malin and his band mates began training in stability and security operations, a training package specifically designed around how combat is conducted in Iraq. Malin has received advanced infantry training and has learned shooting techniques normally reserved for Marines in combat military occupational specialties.

He said it was rough making decisions at the beginning because he’d never been deployed in a situation like this. But good or bad, according to him, he used his mistakes as an advantage.

“We stand in the towers and conduct patrols to keep the peace so people can sleep easy at night,” said Malin. “We don’t get a lot of praise out here doing this job, but I love it and we’re just doing what we’re trained to do. And there’s something new to learn every time we go out.”

And praise isn’t what he’s looking for; it is doing the job right that satisfies him. Although he loves playing in the band, there’s something about being on the guard force that can’t compare, according to Malin. And he admits that he’ll miss that when he returns to North Carolina.

He feels that he’s made a difference in the lives of the Iraqis in the area surrounding the base and he’s protected the lives of the people on it.

“When I see the children’s’ eyes wide open after I give them a stuffed animal, it’s the part of being here,” said Malin. “They see that we have a heart too and we’re not scary to them.

“I’m definitely ready to go back, though,” Malin admitted. “It’s tough being away from loved ones and friends. But in a sense, I’ll miss it.”


http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....c5?OpenDocument

[Marine]

Oklahoma radio operator keeps Marines tuned in
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story by: Computed Name: Cpl. Mike Escobar

Story Identification #: 20059473112




CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq(Sept. 4, 2005) -- "Without communication, nothing happens."
This statement may seem strange coming from Lance Cpl. Jason V. Edds, an Oklahoma City native who describes himself as "never having been a very outgoing guy."

Nevertheless, 20-year-old, soft-spoken Edds performs a vital role in keeping counter-insurgency operations moving along smoothly for his fellow Marines with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, here. Without him and his Communications Platoon teammates, missions to uproot terrorists here simply wouldn't happen.

Edds, a 2004 U.S. Grant High School graduate, works as one of approximately 40 field radio operators who assist their battalion in and around the former terrorist hotbed of Fallujah. He works largely out of the camp's 'ant farm,' an array of OE-254 communications antennas and field radios located apart from the unit's command headquarters. There, Edds routinely inspects communication equipments’ wires and connections, ensuring that they are clean and functional.

"We make sure all the comm stays up in the battalion, and that we're able to talk to our bases out in town. We take care of the gear here to make sure that happens," Edds explained.

Currently, the battalion's infantrymen occupy four bases in the area: Camp Baharia's combat operations center, two in Northern Fallujah, and one inside the nearby rural community of Saqlawiyah, a township many insurgents fled to after Coalition forces wrested Fallujah from them last year. Several miles separate each of the camps.

As radio operators, Edds and his team ensure the different bases maintain clear, constant communication, both with each other and their respective higher commands.

Edds described the ant farm he helps man as Baharia's re-trans station, an outpost that receives incoming radio traffic and sends messages to the battalion's infantry companies in Fallujah.

In addition to maintaining this ant farm, radio operators work out of the downtown bases to keep comm up on their end. Like Edds, they clean and check their equipment, but also keep a strict sense of security in mind as they accomplish their tasks.

The Marines regularly input encryption data, known as crypto, into the radio waves used to transmit the messages. This scrambling data garbles the information in between the starting and ending points, enabling unit personnel to discuss classified information via radio.

The sizeable task of maintaining his unit’s communication capabilities and keeping operational security airtight falls on Marines like Edds, who recognize the weight of responsibility the job carries.

“We’re one of the most important assets the battalion has,” Edds stated. “If we didn’t have comm during operations, the commander wouldn’t know what was going on, and his Marines wouldn’t know what to do. Operations would pretty much stop without comm.”


http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....27?OpenDocument

[Marine]

Dallas natives, schoolmates serve together in Iraq
Submitted by: 2nd Marine Division
Story by: Computed Name: Cpl. Thomas Sloan

Story Identification #: 20059294955




CAMP HURRICANE POINT, AR RAMADI, Iraq(Sept. 2, 2005) -- Friends Miguel A. Bautista and Christopher J. Gonzalez from Dallas chose to take the road less traveled after graduating from North Dallas High School in May 2004.

The two patriotic 19-year-olds enlisted in the Marine Corps and dedicated four years of their lives to serving their country.

A year after raising their right hands and swearing to support and defend, Bautista and Gonzalez find themselves together here as lance corporals supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.

“It’s good being here together,” said Gonzalez. “We get to see each other and talk.”

The two became acquainted their junior year of high school and built on their friendship their senior year, said Gonzalez.

“He was in my English class when we were seniors,” he recalled. “We’d play basketball together after school and would hangout on the weekends.”
“I would either be at his house or he would be at mine,” said Bautista. “He’s got a good personality. He’s goofy, smart and outgoing.”

Though they live on the same camp, Gonzalez and Bautista lead entirely different lives. Gonzalez is a food service specialist for Headquarters and Service Company and Bautista is a rifleman with Company A.

Gonzalez spends the majority his day at the mess hall preparing and serving food to hungry infantrymen like his friend Bautista.

“I work a 12-hour shift, and my job isn’t that bad,” said Gonzalez. “Before I came here, though, I heard stories about how bad it was. I’m safe where I’m at, but God bless the Marines who go out the gate and into the city.”
Bautista is one of those Marines.

“I’m the point man for my squad,” said Bautista with 1st Squad, 4th Platoon, Company A. “We’re always on the go.”

Bautista and his fellow infantrymen conduct daily missions in the Al Anbar capital city here to root out the insurgency and restore its infrastructure. As the point man, Bautista is the Marine located in the front of the patrol formation and often the first to make enemy contact.

“He’s brave and has a big heart for a little guy,” said Gonzalez of Bautista, who stands five and a half feet tall and weighs 150 pounds wearing all his protective gear. “He’s an honest friend and will tell me just what he thinks. He speaks his mind.”

The two friends often get together to reminisce about the past and discuss how each other’s day went. Given their different jobs, the meetings are usually brief.

“I talk to him every time I go to the chow hall,” said Bautista.
“We joke a lot and talk about all the crazy things we did in school,” added Gonzalez. “He’s always on the go, so we make the most of it.”

Gonzalez and Bautista arrived here in March. They’re scheduled to leave and return to Camp Pendleton with the infantry battalion in October, which will mark the end of its OIF deployment.

http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....7d?OpenDocument

[ghostgovt]

http://www.tomjoad.org/masseytestimony.htm

Resister Jimmy Massey goes to Court to Defend Hinzman's Decision to go to Canada


At Hearing for Jeremy Hinzman, Jimmy Massey testifies how army unit killed civilians


From: washingtonpost.com

Former Marine Testifies to Atrocities in Iraq
Unit Killed Dozens of Unarmed Civilians Last Year, Canadian Refugee Board Is Told
By Doug Struck

Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, December 8, 2004; Page A20

TORONTO, Dec. 7 -- A former U.S. Marine staff sergeant testified at a hearing Tuesday that his unit killed at least 30 unarmed civilians in Iraq during the war in 2003 and that Marines routinely shot and killed wounded Iraqis.

Jimmy J. Massey, a 12-year veteran, said he left Iraq in May 2003 after a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress. He said he and his men shot and killed four Iraqis staging a demonstration and a man with his hands up trying to surrender, as well as women and children at roadblocks. Massey said he had complained to his superiors about the "killing of innocent civilians," but that nothing was done.

Massey, 33, of Waynesville, N.C., was the chief witness at a refugee board hearing for a U.S. Army deserter, Jeremy Hinzman, who is attempting to win asylum in Canada after he fled from Fort Bragg, N.C., rather than go to Iraq. Hinzman, 25, the first of at least three U.S. military deserters to apply for asylum here, argues that he refused to go to Iraq to avoid committing war crimes.

In Washington, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon said Massey's charges had been investigated and were unproved.

"We take such allegations very seriously," said Maj. Douglas Powell. "And Jimmy Massey, who is a former staff sergeant, out of the Corps, has made these statements before in the press. They've been looked into, and nothing has been substantiated."

Massey is a former Marine recruiter who served in Iraq as the staff sergeant for a platoon that ranged from 25 to 50 men. He testified that the killings occurred in late March or early April 2003 as his unit, the weapons company of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, moved northward to Baghdad and then beyond.

During one 48-hour period, Massey said under oath, his platoon set up roadblocks and killed "30-plus" civilians. He said his men, fearing suicide bombers, poured massive firepower into cars that did not stop as they approached the roadblocks. In each instance, he said, none of the cars was found to have contained explosives or arms.

"Why didn't the Iraqis stop? That is something that has plagued me every waking moment of the day," he said. He said they may have been confused by the Americans' gestures or thought that a warning shot was celebratory gunfire.

"I don't know if the Iraqi people thought we were celebrating their newfound freedom. But I do know we killed innocent civilians," Massey said. In one case, the driver of a car leaped out with his hands up. "But we kept firing. We killed him," Massey said. In another case, he and other Marines shot and killed four protesters near a checkpoint after a single incoming gunshot from an unknown source, he said. None of the protesters was found with arms.

The testimony of Massey, who was honorably discharged six months after his medical evacuation from Iraq, is the main surviving thrust of the strategy by Hinzman's attorney to put the Iraq war on trial at the refugee hearing. The asylum bids by Hinzman and two other servicemen are a dilemma for the Canadian government, which is seeking to repair relations with the Bush administration. Canada refused to join the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the war remains highly unpopular in Canada.

The government won a ruling that the legality of the Iraq war could not be an issue at the refugee hearing. But Hinzman's attorney, Jeffry House, has introduced testimonials and human rights reports to support Hinzman's claim that he would have been forced to violate the Geneva Conventions in Iraq.

Some of Hinzman's supporters, including House, are Vietnam-era draft dodgers. They compare Massey's testimony to the disclosure of the My Lai massacre of civilians in Vietnam.

Hinzman, who served a tour in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division, had applied for a transfer to a noncombat position in the Army. When that was rejected and his division was ordered to Iraq, Hinzman drove from Fort Bragg to Canada in January with his wife and infant son.

The family is living in a basement apartment in Toronto while their request is heard. If it is rejected, Hinzman has said, they expect to file appeals in the Canadian courts.

Staff writer Christopher Lee in Washington contributed to this report

[Marine]

MarForRes Commander visits devastated Gulf Coast
Submitted by: Marine Forces Reserve
Story by: Computed Name: Pfc. Frans E. Labranche

Story Identification #: 200596154412




Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth --(Sept. 6, 2005) -- The commander of the Marine Forces Reserve visited areas severely affected by Hurricane Katrina on Sunday.

Lt. Gen. John W. Bergman flew over affected areas and met with troops on the ground to discuss the steps that are being taken to give much needed relief to the greater New Orleans area.

"Right now the only order for anyone is to help people in need," Bergman said."Citizens left in the city are in a dangerous position and we will do everything in our power to ensure their safety."

Bergman flew over the city, landing in several spots key to Marine Forces Reserve personnel to get a first hand look at what is quickly becoming, in terms of lives and property, one of the costliest disasters to hit the United States.

Trees are uprooted or snapped in half over the entire gulf south; homes are flooded or have been completely demolished by gail force winds and high storm surge. Some sections of New Orleans were totally destroyed, while others were built high enough to escape major damage,said Bergman.

The water in the city is still up to the eves of most houses in the Lakeview, Ninth Ward, and New Orleans East neighborhoods, but the levees are being repaired by the Army Corps of Engineers.

To drain the city of the toxic waters poisoned with chemicals and sewage, the levees need to be patched where breeched, only then can the pumps begin to be effective in cleaning the city, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said in an earlier press conference.

Bergman went on from New Orleans to the Stenis Space Center where he met with Major General O' Dell, the commander of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Katrina (SPMAGTF-Katrina).

Bergman and O'Dell met to discuss the placement of troops and the Marines' ability to support other operations in the affected regions, also sites for landing zones and possible locations for housing the vast number of troops expected to entering the area soon.

Bergman said that the first and foremost goal of the Marines and other branches of the Armed Forces is to find and rescue victims still stranded in the city with all available recovery and rescue teams.

The logistics of getting Marines in and out of the area are tough, but it will not stand in the way. Everything that we can do will be done, Bergman and O'Dell agreed.

"Supplies for the effort will be brought in by all branches of the armed services and we will work together to overcome the problems caused by hurricane Katrina," Bergman said.


http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000....de?OpenDocument

[Marine]

Marines rescue New Orleans residents, deliver supplies
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 200597104616
Story by Lance Cpl. Zachary R. Frank



NEW ORLEANS (Sept. 07, 2005) -- Following Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans and the surrounding suburbs have become major areas of concern as time may be running out for the citizens who remained. Some inhabitants of the city remained because they had no means to leave. Marines have moved in with air and amphibious crafts to aid those stranded in the area.

The nearly 2,000 Marines of Special Purpose MAGTF Katrina continue conducting ongoing missions to find more survivors and to deliver supplies to those in need.

The support effort headquartered at Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base Belle Chasse, La., outside of New Orleans; supporting Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Joint Task Force Katrina is a multi-service support effort to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...0A?opendocument

[Marine]

New Orleans Marines ride out storm
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 2005979504
Story by Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis



NAVAL AIR STATION NEW ORLEANS (Sept. 07, 2005) -- On August 27, while many service members in the New Orleans area were preparing to evacuate, Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Davis and Sgt. Lorenzo L. Edwards had different plans.

The two Marines, inspector instructor staff for 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, volunteered to remain behind as a part of the Naval Air Station's emergency operations center, and played a key role in the initial efforts to bring relief to the victims left in the storm's wake.

As the hurricane descended on the Gulf Coast, the station EOC began planning for the monumental task ahead of them.

Davis and Edwards watched from a supply bay as Katrina raged past.

"I have been through typhoons in Okinawa, Japan, but this was worse than anything I ever saw there," said Davis, 3/23 electronics maintenance chief and a native of Hazelton, Pa.

"I volunteered because I knew my family was out of harm's way and I could be more useful here," said Edwards, a mechanic and native of Opp, Ala. "Growing up in Alabama, I have been through many hurricanes, so I knew what to expect."

Not long after the rain stopped and the storm had passed, the Marines, along with the other members of the EOC, immediately began working to get the station operational.

The 25-man EOC team dragged, lifted and hand-carried fallen trees and debris to clear away the Coast Guard's landing zones and hangar for the start of search-and-rescue operations.

"The wind was still blowing when we came out," Davis said. "We started right away and cleared out the Coast Guard's area so they could get started."

After digging out the Coast Guard, Davis and Edwards helped load seven-ton trucks with food, water, supplies and personnel to bring aid to those in need.

"We were loading, running and unloading two or three convoys a day," Edwards said. "The supplies were already here; it was our job to prioritize what went where, and get it there as soon as possible."

"The first few trips were hairy," Davis said. "It was difficult to find a clear route for the trucks, but soon we had it down."

Along with the convoys of food and supplies, Davis and Edwards helped deliver fuel to area fan-boats that were conducting search and rescue.

"Our convoys were the only means of support to the western side of the river," Davis said.

In addition to their support of the relief effort, the pair aided the arrival of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit command element.

"When the MEU came in, we coordinated with the station personnel to get them set up with work spaces and living quarters," Davis said.

"We helped in any way we could to get (the MEU) set up," Edwards said. "We gave them information on what was happening on and off base to provide them with better situational awareness."

As the evacuated Marines of 3/23 return, Davis and Edwards said they were proud to have the opportunity to help.

"I take pride in not only helping as a Marine, but as a resident of this community," Davis said.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...0A?opendocument

[Marine]

New Orleans hurricane survivor recounts rescue efforts
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 20059417367
Story by Sgt. Tracee L. Jackson



NEW ORLEANS (Sep. 4, 2005) -- Julia Weathers is what some would call a victim. When Hurricane Katrina ripped through her neighborhood in New Orleans, she was stranded on a roof top for over two days without electricity, communications or sanitation. However, if you ask her, she’s anything but a victim; she considers herself a miracle.

As the water came up to unanticipated heights, Weathers quickly realized she was stranded for an indefinite period of time. She had stored ice in bags and filled a bathtub full of water before the storm, but with the new reality of a severe situation, she knew she would need to be evacuated.

“We heard on the radio at that time, when we still had batteries, that if we wanted to be rescued, we should go to the top of the roof,” she said slowly with a thick southern accent. “They also said they would rescue children with a parent and elderly people.”

With the promise of rescue in mind, Weathers and hordes of others flocked to the top of waterlogged houses.

“We all pulled together really well. We helped the elderly get to the top of the roof. I saw this one guy pull a refrigerator to his balcony and then helped his wife climb on that to use as a stepstool to the roof.”

“Another guy made a boat out of a mattress and some plywood. He went to the store and got bread and water and delivered it to all the different rooftops.”

She, like hundreds of others in her neighborhood, spent days in the heat sitting on the shingles of her roof watching rescue helicopters pluck people out of the floods. As she sat, she watched the situation below progressively deteriorate.

“At first, the water was just to the top of the tires on my car. I had parked it up on a hill,” she said. After she made a short phone call to a friend, she turned around to see her car submerged in water. “The trunk had somehow come open, and all I could see was the top of the open trunk. Everything else was under the water. I couldn’t believe how fast it happened.”

Weathers had nothing but time to watch the water seep into her community and sweep away the city life and material securities of American civilization. One thing that wasn’t washed away in the current was the resolve of the people on high ground waiting to be rescued.


“Rescue crews were always coming and going, and we watched them fly back and forth for a long time,” she said. “Sometimes they said they were coming back, but they never did.”

“I watched a lot of rescues. Some people were hooked up to a harness, some were put in a basket,” she said, “but after a while we started to get impatient. I was wondering when it would be my turn.”

The crews worked on and off throughout the neighborhood, and when Julia saw the chopper picking up people at a neighboring building, she knew it was almost her chance.

Common with all rescue missions in light of the hurricane, there were many people who needed a lift and not a lot of space on the bird. Weathers flashed her military ID in hopes of gaining a seat on the helicopter. Her efforts paid off tremendously.

The crewmen immediately noticed her ID and welcomed her aboard the aircraft.

“I had a bag of clothes and things I needed, but they said I could only bring a few things,” she recalled. “They did let me get my prescriptions and a few things, though.”

In the end, she made it out with the help of a National Guardsman whose name she didn’t catch, who hooked her up to a harness and drew her up into the chopper.

Being rescued from a horrendous situation is lucky, but not as lucky as what happened next.

“The helo made an emergency landing because a big garbage bag had blown into the propellers, and they had to do some preventative maintenance on it. They didn’t go back for anyone else,” she sighed. “I was the last person they saved that day.”

Although it’s unfortunate the chopper had mechanical problems, Weathers felt even more awed that she had made it out alive and was evacuated to the Naval Air Station in Belle Chasse, La., approximately 10 miles from New Orleans. She was taken to a gym where she could shower, eat and sleep until the situation calms down.

“I had a choice to either come here or go to the Super Dome. Which one would you have picked?” she asked with wide eyes and a big smile, referring to the deteriorating conditions at the dome.

Since arriving in Belle Chasse, Weathers has returned the favor by working as a desk attendant at the gymnasium. Here, she watches over the building, which is currently being used for showering, housing, and storage of equipment from members of all services who have arrived to provide humanitarian assistance.

“I sat around for a while and figured out what was going on, and after a while I started sitting behind the desk. People think I work here,” she laughed.

Williams’ future plans are to catch a ride to Houston, where she plans to live with her cousin.

“I may try to live out on my own all over again,” she said uncertainly, “but I don’t really know anything right now. I’m just happy to be here and I know that God has a plan for me and will take care of me.”

“When I think about all those people who may still be on the rooftops and the people who may not be on the rooftops,” she said softly, “I realize how incredibly blessed and lucky I really am.”

Although Weathers has recently been under what she calls the most stressful situation of her life, she puts her own losses aside to assist service members, greeting them with a sparkle in her eye as she watches their facility.

“I don’t know why I made it when so many people didn’t, but one thing I do know is I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the rescue workers who are helping us through this,” she continued. “Some of them don’t even have homes to go home to, but they’re out here helping people, and I think that’s amazing.”




http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf...FC?opendocument

[ghostgovt]

http://www.usembassy.ro/Documents/Christop...m_07212005.html

Marine Corps Base QUANTICO
Public Affairs Office
Office B058
3250 Catlin Ave
Quantico, VA 22134-5001
For more information call
(703) 784-2741/42
Fax 784-0065
ADVISORY 08-05 July 19, 2005
MEDIA ADVISORY
Article 32 hearing for Bucharest MSG Detachment Commander to be held July 25-29

Marine Corps Base, QUANTICO, Va. – The Commanding Officer, Marine Security Guard Battalion, has convened an Article 32 pretrial investigation to consider allegations made in connection with a traffic accident resulting in the death of a Romanian national in Bucharest, Romania, last winter. Staff Sgt. Christopher R. VanGoethem was accused April 18 of several violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for his involvement in the death of Teofil Peter Dec. 4, 2004.

VanGoethem is charged with violating several articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including Article 111, for reckless operation of a vehicle; Article 107, for false official statements; and Article 134, for negligent homicide and obstruction of justice. Charges unrelated to the Dec. 4 traffic accident include alleged violations of Article 92, for failure to obey an order or regulation; Article 111, for operation of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol; and Article 134, for adultery and drunk and disorderly conduct. It is important to note the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case will be considered by a commissioned officer in a pretrial investigation conducted pursuant to Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This procedure is similar to a criminal grand jury; however, in an Article 32 hearing, the accused retains the right to have an attorney present.


The Article 32 hearing has been scheduled for July 25-29, 2005, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Media interested in attending should contact 2nd Lt. Brian Donnelly (brian.p.donnelly@usmc.mil, 703-784-3255) by Thursday, July 21, 2005, at 4 p.m.

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Embassy of the United States, Bucharest - Romania

21 Iulie 2005

INFORMATIE PENTRU PRESA

Biroul Central al Detasamentului de Infanterie Marina al Armatei SUA de la Quantico, Virginia, a emis urmatoarea informatie pentru presa. Pentru versiunea originala in limba engleza va rugam sa cititi documentul atasat. Traducerea in limba romana este redata in continuare.
Public Affairs Office
Office B058
3250 Catlin Ave
Quantico, VA 22134-5001
Pentru informatii suplimentare, sunati la
Tel: (703) 784-2741/42
Fax: 784-0065
COMUNICAT 08-05 19 iulie 2005
COMUNICAT
Audierea in baza Articolului 32 a Comandantului Detasamentului de Infanterie Marina al Ambasadei SUA, care va avea loc in perioada 25-29 iulie

Detasamentul de infanterie marina, QUANTICO, Virginia. – Comandantul Batalionului Corpului de Infanterie Marina a Statelor Unite pentru Securitatea Ambasadelor SUA, a hotarat, in baza Articolului 32, demararea unei investigatii preliminare procesului pentru a analiza acuzatiile rezultate in urma accidentului rutier care a condus la decesul unui cetatean roman, iarna trecuta, in Bucuresti, Romania. La data de 18 aprilie, sergentul R. VanGoethem a fost acuzat de incalcarea unor prevederi ale Codului de Justitie Militara al Fortelor Armate ale SUA, in urma implicarii sale in decesul lui Teofil Peter, din data de 4 decembrie 2004.

VanGoethem este acuzat de incalcarea unor articole din Codul de Justitie Militara al Fortelor Armate, inclusiv: Articolul 111 privind conducerea imprudenta a unui autovehicul; Articolul 107 privind furnizarea unor informatii oficiale false; si Articolul 134 privind omorul din culpa si obstructionarea justitiei. Printre acuzatiile care nu sunt legate direct de accidentul rutier din data de 4 decembrie, se numara: incalcarea Articolului 92 privind nerespectarea unui ordin sau a unei reguli; Articolul 111 privind conducerea unui autovehicul sub influenta alcoolului; si Articolul 134 privind adulterul si comportamentul reprobabil sub influenta alcoolului. Este important de subliniat faptul ca acuzatul beneficiaza de prezumtia de nevinovatie pana la demonstrarea vinovatiei.

Cazul va fi analizat de un ofiter, in cadrul investigatiei prealabile procesului, in conformitate cu Articolul 32 al Codului de Justitie Militara al Fortelor Armate ale SUA. Aceasta procedura este asemanatoare cu cea a unui complet penal de jurati; cu toate acestea, in cadrul unei audieri realizate in baza Articolului 32, acuzatul are dreptul sa solicite prezenta avocatului.


Audierea in baza Articolului 32 a fost programata pentru perioada 25-29 iulie 2005, la Detasamentul de Infanterie Marina de la Quantico, Virginia. Reprezentantii mass-media care doresc sa participe sunt rugati sa il contacteze pe Locotenentul Brian Donnelly (brian.p.donnelly@usmc.mil, 703-784-3255) pana joi, 21 iulie 2005, la orele 16 :00. (Virginia).