What use for children?

 Children: Friend or foe?

HIT, Iraq (Sept. 15, 2005) - Top photo, Lance Cpl. Randy B. Lake, a Battle Ground, Wash. native and radio operator with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment talks to some children during a patrol. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam C. Schnell). Bottom photo, It's about the warrior.

Some Afghan kids aren't bystanders

By Dan Lamothe and 

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — When Marines in Helmand province sized up shadowy figures that appeared to be emplacing an improvised explosive device, it looked like a straightforward mission. They got clearance for an airstrike, a Marine official said, and took out the targets.
It wasn't that simple, however. Three individuals hit were 12, 10 and 8 years old, leading the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul to say it may have "accidentally killed three innocent Afghan civilians."
But a Marine official here raised questions about whether the children were "innocent." Before calling for the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System mission in mid-October, Marines observed the children digging a hole in a dirt road in Nawa district, the official said, and the Taliban may have recruited the children to carry out the mission.
The incident underscores a continuing problem across Afghanistan. The use of children by the Taliban — through recruitment and as human shields — complicates coalition forces' efforts to eliminate enemy fighters from the battlefield without angering civilians.
The New York Times reported that the dead children's family members said they had been sent to gather dung, which farmers use for fuel. Taliban fighters were laying the bombs near the children, who were mistakenly killed, they said.
Regardless, it's one of many times the children have been involved in the war. In a case this year, Afghan National Police in Kandahar province's Zharay district found two boys, ages 9 and 11, with a male 18-year-old carrying 1-liter soda bottles full of enough potassium chlorate to kill coalition forces on a foot patrol.
"It kind of opens our aperture," said Army Lt. Col. Marion "Ced" Carrington, whose unit, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, was assisting the Afghan police. "In addition to looking for military-age males, it's looking for children with potential hostile intent."
There were 316 documented cases of underage recruitment in the war last year, most of them attributed to the Taliban and other armed groups like the Haqqani network, according to a U.N. report released in April. Eleven children, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed in Afghanistan last year carrying out suicide attacks, the report said.
Marines in Helmand say the Taliban regularly recruit children to serve as spotters, letting armed insurgents know when U.S. or Afghan forces reach designated points on a patrol so they can prepare an ambush.
An ISAF spokesman, Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, said insurgents continue to use children as suicide bombers and IED emplacers, even though Taliban leader Mullah Omar has ordered them to stop harming civilians.
Lamothe reported from Afghanistan. Gould reported from Washington.

Camp Leatherneck

Camp Leatherneck is a 1,600 acre United States Marine Corps base located in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The site is located mostly in Washir District and is conjoined with Camp Bastion, the main British military base in Afghanistan. It is the United States Marines base that is the home base of most Marine operations in Afghanistan.  

Camp Leatherneck was officially dedicated on May 29, 2009, and originally housed around 4,000 marines and civilians in large tents with hundreds of cots in each one. Camp Leatherneck is now home to 10,000 to  20,000 Marines and civilians, and many upgrades to the camp have been made. There are now one story pre-fabricated buildings that can house about 2,000 people in each building, which is certainly an upgrade to the 20 man tents this base started out with.

One of the major upgrades to Camp Leatherneck was a new 3,828 yard runway. The runway is actually built at the adjacent Camp Bastion a British base, but will allow for larger planes such as the 747 passenger planes and the C-5 cargo planes. This extended runway with a capacity for larger planes will help keep the troops better supplied since they will no longer have to rely strictly on smaller supply planes.

Another upgrade is more gym space. In the beginning, Camp Leatherneck had only one gym, and though it was open 24 hours a day it was always overcrowded. Now there are four fitness facilities each devoted to a specific use. There is now a gym for weight-lifting, CrossFit training, cardiovascular health, and one general use gym with a variety of exercise equipment.

One of the most popular upgrades to Camp Leatherneck is their dining system. In the beginning there was only one chow hall, and now there are two each capable of serving 4,000 Marines per meal. Camp Leatherneck has also received a new PX. Before the PX had only 3,000 square feet of sales floor which was not nearly enough for the large number of Marines on base. Now they have a much larger building with roughly  10,000 square feet of display area, plus more storage to help keep the shelves fully stocked. Camp Leatherneck

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (Nov. 26, 2009) Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) the Honorable Ray Mabus serves turkey to Marines and Sailors Thanksgiving Day at Camp Leatherneck. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin S. O'Brien

If my Marine son were there in 2009 this could be what he would have been doing -- 

pulling these trucks out of the mud:

“The Marines and I were stuck in Leatherneck for 3 days due to heavy rains and severe weather until it cleared enough to finally receive the trucks.  The next morning after the weather passed, the team and I began the start of the mission out of Leatherneck by pre-starting and performing preventive combat maintenance on the vehicles.  Within the first hour of the journey, one of the trucks in the convoy became stuck in the mud.  After multiple times of vehicles becoming stuck in the mud, the truck that would always save the day by pulling us out earned the rightful name of Hercules by the convoy team.” Oops

Then of course a dip into Marine humor is needed:

Deployed U.S. service members in Afghanistan put up with a lot. Not only is there the threat of improvised explosive devices, small-arms ambushes and indirect fire attacks, there’s the lousy food, hostile weather and lack of plumbing. Crapper rules

Photographer Colin Kelly spotted the poster depicted above at Camp Bastion, the British base in Helmand province that is home to thousands of deployed Marines in aviation units. Clearly, a frustrated Marine leader somewhere decided the best way to crack down on messy port-a-johns was to post some rules of the road. And if you’re going to lay the law of the lavatory down, a little sarcasm and blunt talk never hurt.

Ooooo-Rah!

Just running around

Marine Sgt. on Cross-Country Run Stops in New Mexico

 “The Run for Veterans” 3,600 Mile Journey Aimed at

Calling Attention to/Raising Money for Post-Combat Veterans’ Issues

New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services Secretary Timothy Hale presenting a state Flag to Brendan O'Toole  in front of the Eternal Flame Monument at the Bataan Memorial Building in Santa Fe.

A Marine Sergeant on a cross-country run to help call attention to veterans’ issues has stopped in New Mexico for a few days—catching his breath and visiting with New Mexico Department of Veterans’ Services Secretary Timothy Hale before heading back on the road.

24-year old Brendan O’Toole—a native of Alexandria, Virginia—began The Run for Veterans last Veterans’ Day  from Oceanside, California (near Camp Pendleton just north of San Diego) on a 3,600-mile journey to Portland, Maine. His goal is to finish sometime near the end of the year and to raise $2 million for to help Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.

O’Toole served two tours with the Marines; first in Haiti and Somalia, and then Afghanistan—finishing his second tour last spring. It was here during “down time” while watching the movie Forrest Gump--the Oscar-winning movie starring Tom Hanks about a Marine who ran across the country after serving in Vietnam--that the seed was planted  to one day do the same.

When O’Toole returned home to Virginia, he began noticing that a lot of friends who also served in Afghanistan and Iraq were having a hard time re-adjusting to “normal” civilian life.

“For whatever reason, a lot of my friends were not handling their new lives very well,” explained O’Toole when meeting with NMDVS Secretary Hale to explain his mission. ”They were abusing alcohol or drugs, tuning people out—just having a lot of personal issues going on.”

O’Toole had also decided to take up running to “de-compress” after his latest tour in Afghanistan. When one of his ex-combat friends who had been having a particularly difficult time readjusting to life back home committed suicide, O’Toole recalled a promise he made to that friend:  Running across the country “like what Forrest Gump did.”

O’ Toole found his new post-military mission: A cross-country run--not only to see the sights—but with a purpose: Calling attention to the need to help our newest generation of veterans cope with life after service

He created a website to solicit pledges—with all money after gas, food and lodging expenses are deducted going to three agencies which provide physical, mental and social support for soldiers and veterans: Give an Hour; Team Red, White & Blue; and the USO.

“The respect for military service and veterans is amazing here in New Mexico,” said O’Toole. "Only three weeks into this, I think I have noticed that the farther you get our from the cities, the more in-tune people are with military members. It almost seems like outside of the cities is the heart of America." 

For more information about The Run for Veterans and to pledge a donation, go to http://www.therunforveterans.org

This story was provided by the New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services.

Marine Corps: Born in a bar

U.S. Marines Birthplace

The U.S. Marine Corps celebrates its birthday on November 10, 1775, the day the Second Continental Congress passed the Continental Marine Act of 1775, ordering, “That two battalions of Marines be raised…” The Continental Marines disbanded in 1783, and was formally reestablished in 1798. The first Marines enlisted at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, which is considered the birthplace of the Marine Corps. mentalfloss 

Tun Tavern is where the Marine Corps held its first recruitment drive during the american Revolution. 

 In the year 1685, Samuel Carpenter built a huge "brew house" in Philadelphia.  He located this tavern on the waterfront at the corner of Water Street and Tun Alley.  The old English word tun means a cask, barrel, or keg of beer.  So, with his new beer tavern on Tun Alley, Carpenter elected to christen the new waterfront brewery with a logical name, Tun Tavern. In 1756 Col. Benjamin Franklin organized the Pennsylvania Militia.  He used Tun Tavern as a gathering place to recruit a regiment of soldiers to go into battle against the Indian uprisings that were plaguing the American colonies.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Continental Congress later met in Tun Tavern as the American colonies prepared for independence from the English Crown.  On November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise two Battalions of Marines.  That very day, Nicholas set up shop in Tun Tavern.  He appointed Robert Mullan, then the proprietor of the tavern, to the job of chief Marine Recruiter -- serving, of course, from his place of business at Tun Tavern.  Prospective recruits flocked to the tavern, lured by (1) cold beer and (2) the opportunity to serve in the new Corps of Marines.  So, yes, the U.S. Marine Corps was indeed born in Tun Tavern.  Needless to say, both the Marine Corps and the tavern thrived during this new relationship. USMC Heritage

Tun Tavern burned down in 1781, near the end of the American Revolution.

All Things Masonic

 The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia contains a Tun Tavern-themed restaurant with a lunch menu, alcoholic beverages, and bread pudding. The decor of the tun tavern restaurant features a large painting depicting famous Marines from the founding of the corps to the present day.

Roaming the Planet:: The museum’s Tun Tavern captures the warmth of the original and features food inspired by the Colonial era.

There is even a Tun Tavern Marines Motorcycle Riding Club.

Tun Tavern Marines

But then again:

From the book, The Marine Corps Story, by J.Robert Moskin, 1992, Little, Brown and Company"...The two battalions were never raised; but onNovember 28, the Congress commissioned thirty-twoyear old Capt. Samuel Nicholas, a PhiladelphiaQuaker, and innkeeper and a blacksmith's son, asthe first Marine officer. A hundred volunteers,recruited in Rhode Island, arrived atPhiladelphia by December 5...probably signed upin Robert Mullan's Tun Tavern."
And, from the book, The United States Marines AHistory, by Edwin Howard Simmons. 1998, NavalInstitute Press"...According to legend, the recruiting redezvouswas Tun Tavern, but it is more likely that it wasthe Conestoga Wagon, a tavern owned by theNicholas family on Market Street between Fourthand Fifth Streets."
And, from the book, Marine Corps Book Of Lists,Albert A. Nofi, 1999, Combined Publishing"...Eight Hoary Old Marine Corps Legends That AreNot True. 1. The first Marine recruiting stationwas established in Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia,the proprietor of which was so adept at securingrecruits, by liberally plying them with drink,that he was made a captain in the Corps. Alas for"romance," the story is untrue. It probably gotits start from the fact that Samuel Nicholas,effectively the first Marine Commandant, actuallydid own a tavern in Philadelphia, the ConestogaWagon, which apparently served as hisheadquarters for a time. However the owner of theTun Tavern did become a Marine officer, about ayear after the creation of the Corps, whichprobably gave rise to the legend. Legends and Myths Of The Corps

Surviving Depression

There are many stories of those who don't survive once they come home and try to live normal lives.

"About one out of every five veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have some form of PTSD and depression, according to a federal study. Last month (January 2010), the Department of Veterans Affairs said the suicide rate among veterans between 18 and 29 years old climbed 26 percent from 2005 to 2007. The VA also said 20 percent of the 30,000 suicides reported in the U.S. are committed by veterans. The suicide rate among veterans is nearly twice the rate for civilians, according to reports." Hidden wounds

Anna and John Bigham hold a photo of Lance Cpl. Mills Bigham, Anna’s brother and John’s son. The 23-year-old Marine committed suicide in October (2009). His family has founded Hidden Wounds, a nonprofit organization based in Columbia that provides temporary support to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. – C. Aluka Berry/caberry@thestate.com

"Mills Bigham wrote about his first kill in his journal on Oct. 3, just 16 days before he took his own life.Bigham said he wanted to tell the story “so you can understand the way death may or may not affect the living party. “As he approached the fallen attacker, Bigham said he could see “it is abruptly clear he is leaving his world, and soon. 'He is suffocating in his own blood. He is blowing blood bubbles through his red teeth. He is crying. There are bubbles coming from the two holes in his chest. One to the left of his heart, and the other to the right. Death took him and there were no new bubbles. He cried no more. I checked his ID. He is 12. I wept that night.'"

But while PTSD and returning from the field is a dramatic and tragic path into pain and sadness, it is not the only path of depression in the Marine Corps. Simpler, more mundane problems can drive the mental health of these young people. Isolation from their families, family problems and lack of stimulation take their toll as well. Marine leaders are encouraged to be observant and react in a "convincingly and genuinely concerned" manner."

"When a Marine appears depressed, anxious or isolated, it is a red flag that something needs to be done. Getting help before the problem becomes too big can get a depressed or anxious Marine back on track and help unit readiness at the same time."  Leader's guide

Depression takes many forms and has warning signals to watch for. But when it's internalized, blown over and ignored, it can be internally and externally very destructive.

"Darren Evans, the Marine facing charges in the beating death of Lance Cpl. Mario Arias, had been suicidal but allowed to drink by leaders, witnesses said in military hearing Thursday. " Camp Pendleton Dispatch

Ultimately it takes observation, peer support and compassion to identify depression issues in Marines. Vigilance is required on the part of officers, family members and fellow Marines to identify and help those who may need a little support to survive.

“In the combat lifesaver course, one of the things the instructors teach you to do in combat situations is self-aid (providing medical attention to yourself), buddy-aid (assistance from a fellow Marine) and then corpsman-aid (assistance from a Navy corpsman),” said Sgt. James A. Lyon. “When it comes to depression, Marines can’t do it alone. That’s why it’s very important for all Marines to look out for one another.”  Marines protect Marines

Marine Ranks: Lance Corporal

My Marine, and most of the India Company he graduated with, is now a lance corporal, or E-3. Congratulations to all of them!

It is equal in rank to Crewman in the Navy, Private First Class in the Army, and Airman First Class in the Air Force. A Lance Corporal is above a Private First Class, but under a Corporal in the Marine Corps. Generally, a Lance Corporal has no command authority until he or she reaches the rank of Corporal. Wikia

The USMC is the only component of the U.S. Armed Forces to currently have lance corporals. Promotion to lance corporal, is based on time in-grade and the conduct of the Marine. Further promotion to the NCO ranks (Corporal and above) is competitive and takes into account the individual service record of the Marine. There can only be a certain number of Corporals and Sergeants in each MOS, so even with a qualifying cutting score promotions may be delayed due to an excessive number of corporals occupying billets in a certain MOS.

The "Lance Corporal Underground" is the term for the network for information to be transmitted as it becomes known across the ranks.

Term used in the Marines to refer to the gossip passed around by those of a lower rank (usually lance corporals) about deployments, promotions, and any other topic pertaining to a unit's agenda.

Lance Corporal: So, I heard through the Lance Corporal Underground that we are going to Okinawa in May.
Other Lance Corporal: STFU I'm peeing. Urban Dictionary

The Lance Corporal Underground is a powerful force within the Corps. It acts as an information superhighway as fast as any internet connection, phone line or otherwise for your inter-company and battalion rumors. It’s remarkably accurate for the most part–that is, unless you are unable to filter out the things that get tacked onto the rumors like titties and beer. Terminal Lance

The Urban Dictionary also has an entry under Lance Corporal, but I can't share it in public.

Its pretty clear the Lance Corporals of the Marine Corps take the bulk of the risk.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jason Phillips crosses a poppy field as Marines conduct a security patrol outside Forward Operating Base Hanson, Marjah, Afghanistan, April 30, 2011. The security patrol was done in order for Marines to inspect the well being of a nearby village. Phillips is with Guard Force, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alberto B. Vazquez/Released) public intelligence

And the bulk of the casualties.

Members of Marine Lance Cpl. Benjamin Whetstone Schmidt's platoon who recently returned from Afghanistan pose at Camp Pendleton, Calif. with a cross they made as a memorial tribute. Placement of religious symbols at the base has been prohibited while the Marine commandant considers the issue in light of a complaint last year by an atheist group. COURTESY PHOTO My San Antonio

Marine Special Ops

The U.S. Marine Corps has several Special Operations units functioning These are the basics:

* US Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC): Marine SOF under a new command structure

Marine RECON and MARSOC – Changes in Structure / Operations In the past few years, as the United States has ramped up its battle against terrorists worldwide, the special operations community has grown and changed to better prepare our special operators to do their mission. The Marine Corps has also changed the way they do business on the special ops side of the house. With the development of U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC), the Marine Corps joined forces with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to perform a variety of special operations missions around the world, including foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action and other missions. Marine RECON and MARSOC

* Force Recon: Elite Reconnaissance Marines who carry out deep reconnaissance operations

The primary role of Force Recon marine is to gather intelligence in support of USMC operations.
Amphibious operations: scout swimming, beach/coastline reconnaissance, small boat operations; deep reconnaissance; unconventional warfare; foreign internal defense (FID); special reconnaissance; direct action; and counter-terrorism.
Force Recon Marines are trained in parachuting, including high altitude techniques, skiing and amphibious techniques, including working with SCUBA gear. .Force recon

And more of the same ...

* Division Recon: Highly trained Recon Marines
* Maritime Raid Force; USMC counter-piracy specialists
* Maritime Special Purpose Force: Marine Expeditionary Unit special ops
* Scout Snipers: Elite Marine snipers
* ANGLICO: Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company - elite USMC JTAC / JFO unit
* Radio Reconnaissance Teams: Marine Corps tactical SIGINT specialists
* Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team: An elite cadre of Marines, tasked with security operations
* Recapture Tactics Team: Elite Marine security team
* Special Reaction Team: Specialized USMC S.W.A.T. team

Here is a quote from a Marine lieutenant who is considering attending MARSOC in the near future:
"MARSOC likes for you to be (at least a noncommissioned officer) before you can tryout, which means that you have to do about three years or two deployments before you can tryout. The tryout consists of a pool portion to see if you know what you are doing in the water. Then, you take a (physical fitness test) and see between the two of those if you can go to the three-week screener. They give you a packing list and do not tell you much more than that - you just go and have fun for three weeks. Similar to the Army's SFAS and BUD/S Indoc, which screens you prior to entering, the MARSOC training school is the goal of the screener. I think that it is more intimidating than anything else, as I hear that it is physical, but if you can run a 300 PFT you will do well physically, but you still need to be able to learn new operations and tactics."