Thor’s Hall

Happy Birthday to Our Corps!

Lex gives us a great version of our celebration here.  My favorite part…

Pound for pound, one of the finest fighting forces the world has ever seen, and a great team to have on your side in a scrape.

Go read the rest.  Then see the messages below.

During the summer of 1982, in the wake of a presidential directive, Marines went ashore at Beirut, Lebanon. Fifteen months later, on 23 October 1983, extremists struck the first major blow against American forces—starting this long war on terrorism. On that Sunday morning, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden truck into the headquarters of Battalion Landing Team 1/8, destroying the building and killing 241 Marines and corpsmen.

Extremists have attacked our Nation, at home and abroad, numerous times since that fateful day in Beirut. Their aim has always been the same—to kill as many innocent Americans as possible. The attacks of 11 September 2001 changed our Nation forever, and our President has resolved that this Nation will not stand idle while murderous terrorists plan their next strike. Marines will continue to take the fight to the enemy—hitting them on their own turf, crushing them when they show themselves, and finding them where they hide.

Only a few Americans choose the dangerous, but necessary, work of fighting our Nation’s enemies. When our chapter of history is written, it will be a saga of a selfless generation of Marines who were willing to stand up and fight for our Nation; to defend those who could not defend themselves; to thrive on the hardship and sacrifice expected of an elite warrior class; to march to the sound of the guns; and to ably shoulder the legacy of those Marines who have gone before.

On our 233rd birthday, first remember those who have served and those “angels” who have fallen—our reputation was built on their sacrifices. Remember our families; they are the unsung heroes whose support and dedication allow us to answer our Nation’s call. Finally, to all Marines and Sailors, know that I am proud of you and what you do. Your successes on the battlefield have only added to our illustrious history. Lieutenant General Victor H. “Brute” Krulak said it best when he wrote, “… the United States does not need a Marine Corps … the United States wants a Marine Corps.” Your actions, in Iraq and Afghanistan and across the globe, are at the core of why America loves her Marines.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

Semper Fidelis,

James T. Conway
General, U.S. Marine Corps

It’s that time of year again.  And the state of the economy does not help right now but let’s dig out the wallet and see what we can drum up for the team.

Request 1– TEAM HOPE FOR THE WARRIORS.  This young man is looking for donations around his running of the Marine Corps Marathon.  Proceeds go toward assisting wounded Marines.

Request 2 – My Favorite, Toys For Tots.  Kids are our future, and this one does make a difference.

There are a lot of other great Marine charities out there.  Find a couple of extra bucks, skip that morning latte for a couple of days, and make a difference.

Probably not terribly true but it is nice way to lighten things up just a bit.

In addition to communicating with the local air traffic control
facility, aircraft are required to give the Iranian Air Defense Radar
(military) a ten minute “heads up” that they will be transiting Iranian airspace.  This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft
and involves giving them your call sign, transponder code, type
aircraft, and points of origin and destination.

I just flew with a guy who overheard this conversation on the
emergency frequency 121.5 Mhz while flying from Europe to Dubai.
It’s too good not to pass along.  The conversation went something like
this …

Air Defense Radar:  “Unknown aircraft at (location unknown), you are
in Iranian airspace.  Identify yourself.”
Aircraft:  “This a United States aircraft.  I am in Iraqi airspace.”

Air Defense Radar:  “You are in Iranian airspace.  If you do not
depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!”

Aircraft:  “This is a United States fighter.  Send ‘em up!”

Air Defense Radar:  (no response … total silence)

H/T – One Marine’s View

Well The Doc is back from the sandbox and he posted this video recently. Crawling in the moondust, amongst the other fun. Guys, this is just members of the squadron training, you do not want to be on the bad side of a Marine.

Today marks the 232nd anniversary of the event that declared the independence of the 13 colonies from Great Britain.  Each of you will celebrate this day in your own way, with your own traditions.  Stay Safe during this great holiday that is unique to the US.

Take a look at some of the thoughts of those that are elsewhere around the globe today (here), and remember that they continue to protect and defend the freedoms that are the basis for this day.  I encourage you to hit the link, and frequent the site.  If you don’t want to link out, here are the thoughts of Maj. Pain.

In most branches of the military, the first of the month is when service members get promoted if they have met the requirements. On July 1st, Marines here in Iraq were no different.  As blowing sand came across the landscape, their promotion would be done in a combat zone instead of some nice clean meeting room, Marines gathered in formation as they had accomplished the requirements and met guidelines to be promoted to the next rank. No family members, no high attention, just fellow Marines ready to be promoted and fellow Marines ready to congratulate them.

“In 1778, General George Washington marked Independence Day with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute.” Wikipedia

Wide eyed, covered in dirt, Marines in their early 20s stood as symbols of America’s finest.  Brave, disciplined and eager to fight any sort of insurgency that showed its face on the drop of a hat, they positioned themselves to be promoted. When promoted, a warrant is read and they are asked who they would like to pin on their new rank. It is an honor to recognize the new Sergeants, Corporals and Lance Corporals as the selected fellow Marine actually pins on their new rank onto the collar of the Marine and welcomes them to the new challenges.

These are the young leaders of America. The ones typical Americans may think had no other choice but to join the military, or looked upon as kids. I can assure you that the days of resorting to the military as a last choice are gone and these “kids” not only maintain million dollar military equipment perfectly, but can make a life and death decisions in a blink of an eye and are tuff as nails.  These are the warriors who get tasked to serve the thankless jobs of several patrol, standing guard and small unit leaders.  However when on guard, they could be and usually are faced with that one situation of a suicide borne vehicle that attacks a front gate and they make the conscious decisions to fight back and kill the attacker. These are the service members who then return back to the states only to resume mundane jobs when they get out of the military and are considered ”kids”.

America, you got to know your young Marines are on the cutting edge of it all. Maturity, discipline, education and health. They truly are the epitome of America and those who found this country, would still be proud of their Marines today as they were in 1776.

During this 4th of July holiday, when we celebrate the independence of our great country, take a second during the picnics, BBQs, patriotic music and fireworks and pay a few seconds of honor to those keeping our independence free. Because as you enjoy your holiday, newly promoted warriors stand guard and keep the wolf at bay.

“In 1778, General George Washington marked Independence Day with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute.” Wikipedia)

Have one for us during your holiday and keep the other shot of rum until we can get home and share it with you!!
Semper Fidelis – Maj Pain

Semper Fi

Today seems like a fitting day to remind each of you that there are some folks that are out there in some very undesireable conditions doing everything that is asked of them.  To top that off they are doing it for you.

Get your butt over to One Marine’s View, work your way to this post.  Follow the directions there.

The desert gets hot, sandy, and can get to be very isolated.   This is especially true if that desert is half a world away from your family.  There are a whole bunch of young men and women that could use a reminder that they are not alone, they are not isolated, and that the work they are doing is important to you.

Take a few minutes and craft a quick note to these folks.  Let ‘em know they, and the mission that they are performing is appreciated.

Ah yes, Berkeley. I was preparing a long post to discuss this situation. I have to tell you that others have done it better than I could dream of. Go check this post for details. Here’s a quick taste:

You all remember the action in Berserkely from last October, right? Round two is on. And it’s time to start droppin’ elbows.

“We are the defenders of democracy, the upholders of the Constitution,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink. “If it weren’t for people like the people in Berkeley, standing up for what they believe, we’d be living under Hitler.”

Well, well well. Is that right? YOU are the defenders of democracy. YOU uphold the Constitution. It’s you and the folks in Berserkely that have stood up against Hitler, eh?

Well listen up toots, and listen fucking good. It’s people like my grandfathers (and grandmother) who stood up for what they believed and actually beat THE REAL HITLER. It’s people like my father and my uncles who kept the forces of Soviet communism at bay. And it’s people like me who have raised their right hand and sworn to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” and are putting in long hours away from family and friends to ensure that a piece of parchment that sits in a climate controlled, bulletproof case in Washington continues to be the guiding light for this nation. These are all things that you wouldn’t know shit about, you shriveled up, hideous waste of space.

It gets better so give it a read. The only thing that I can think to add to this is that no matter what the city council in Berkley chooses to do, with regard to reversing thier decision, they have already made their choice and all Federal funds should be cut from all programs there. At least for a period not less than one year, and depending on their actions perhaps quite a bit longer.

Give Now, you must.

If you have to limit yourself to only one charitable give this year, now is the time and Soldier’s Angels is the place. Wait for the widget to appear. For some reason it is taking a good 30-60 seconds sometimes.

Project Valour IT (Voice-Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops)

Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops for severely wounded service members. As of October 2007, Valour-IT has distributed over 1500 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country.

Originally Valour-IT provided the voice-controlled software, but now works closely with the Department of Defense Computer/electronic Accommodations Program (CAP): CAP supplies the adaptive software and Valour-IT provides the laptop. In addition, DoD caseworkers serve as Valour-IT’s “eyes and ears” at several medical centers, identifying possible laptop recipients. Wounded military personnel can also directly request a laptop through the sign-up form or through the Valour-IT/Soldiers’ Angels representatives at the following medical centers:

* Balboa Naval Hospital

* Brooke Army Medical Center

* Madigan Regional Medical Center

* National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital)

* Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton

* Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital (29 Palms)

* Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Thanks to the efforts of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Valour-IT is also able to reach patients in VA hospitals who would benefit from a Valour-IT laptop.

UPDATE: Evidently there was an issue with the Chip In widget that has resulted in moving to the “thermometer” style donation component above. So, please click on the donate button and give what you can.

A lot has been written about the recent retirement of Gen. Pace from the Marine Corps, and public service. My mother actually met the General at a DAR event a couple of years ago, and was overwhelmed by his charisma, speaking skills, and abilities to influence an audience. After that event, I began to play closer attention to Gen. Pace, and the anecdotes floating around out there from folks that had direct dealings with him. I think that it is a given that my research is limited but, I have to say that I have found very little that detracts from the legend that is growing around this man. I can only hope that it is a legend that is becoming institutionalized within our Corps to bring out the best in our new Marines.

Much has been written about Gen. Pace’s September visit to Iraq, the changing of command ceremony, and the notes that were found at The Wall. I will not attempt to provide justice to those events. I do believe that they are illustrative of the values that have guided Gen. Pace, and hopefully are pervasive in our Corps.

Today, over at Threatswatch.org, Steve Schippert has a nice editorial about General Pace. Go over there and give it a read, I’ll wait…

I think his closing statements say so very much:

For General Peter Pace (USMC, Ret.), his four stars rightly belong to Lance Corporal Guido Farinaro. But the empty collars those stars once adorned surely belong to Congress. And worse off are we all for it.

For my own part I can only say to Gen. Pace, “Sir, you make me extraordinarily proud to share the title of United States Marine with you”.

Most of you have probably seen the scuttlebutt that The Corps is positioning to redeploy from Iraq to Afghanistan, turning over responsibility for Iraqi operations to the Army. There are a lot of great arguments that the proposed change is a “win / win” for both the organizations, and for the operations in each country.

As usual though I turn to others more eloquent than I to make the point, please read what Lex has to say here. Make sure that you read this one all the way through because the points that he makes at the end make the entire post.