Gunners, range officers merge into single MOS

Gunners, range officers merge into single MOS - Marine Corps Times

The Corps will merge the military occupational specialties for Marine gunners and range officers, addressing a gunners shortage and putting nearly all weapons training under the control of a single MOS.

The merger of the two warrant officer communities was approved April 28 by Commandant Gen. James Conway and will be outlined during a June 20 meeting at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., officials said. It means Marine gunners will take over management of rifle ranges, while existing range officers will be forced to either become gunners or find another MOS, said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jeffrey Eby, a gunner at Marine Corps headquarters overseeing the merger. It also will streamline oversight of Marine marksmanship, which was handled in part by both MOSs.

“There is some emotion tied to this, but it’s specifically because you had two professional MOSs both performing the same job,” Eby said.

As of February, there were 70 gunners and 32 range officers in the Corps. About 12 current range officers who do not have an infantry background will not be eligible to become gunners, but officials will find other assignments for those Marines in billets held by their current ranks, Eby said.

While both MOSs have handled weapons training in the past, there are many differences between the two assignments. Range officers typically handle the initial instruction of marksmanship training programs for small arms and infantry crew-served weapons on Marine bases in the U.S., and develop training doctrine and techniques. Gunners advise infantry commanders on weapons tactics, oversee combat marksmanship and frequently deploy with infantry units.

“What you ended up with is two guys trying to do the same thing from different perspectives,” Eby said. “If you streamline that effort by having one guy oversee it from cradle to grave, you eliminate all conflicts.”

There are other benefits to the merger, Eby said. First, moving gunners back and forth from range assignments to combat will allow them to integrate lessons learned on deployment into range training, a struggle for some range officers who never deployed. It also will increase dwell time for gunners and allow them to ensure that range training on items ranging from optics to communications gear does not hamper combat performance.

The Marine Corps Ground Board has asked for a study to determine which units without a gunner may need one, officials said. The Corps also approved assigning gunners in 2009 and 2010 to Reserve infantry battalions: 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 4th Reconnaissance Battalion.

*Rolling Thunder XXII – May 24, 2009*

Dear Friends,

My father (a USAF veteran) will be leading a group of 30 or so members of his Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapter from our home town in NC up to Washington DC on Memorial Day weekend to participate in Rolling Thunder XXII. As they state on their web site, this is not a parade but a demonstration. I'm very proud of my father for his participation and very happy to announce that I just made arrangements to be in attendance!

I have discussed this with some of you in conversation but it has come to my attention that there are many people who are not familiar with the Rolling Thunder organization and what it does. Because their mission is so important, I hope you'll take a few moments to read about them and their valuable efforts so that you can discuss them any time the issue of our American POW/MIA is raised. Rolling Thunder has made significant strides for these heroes... the least we can do is appreciate what they do and support them in words if not deeds or funds. The issue of our POW/MIA is one that is often overlooked and I submit to you that this is unacceptable. What if it was YOUR Marine who didn't come home?

From the Rolling Thunder Web Site- FACT SHEET:

Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans, and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for POWs and MIAs of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.” The name Rolling Thunder is derived from the constant bombing of North Vietnam in 1965 and was given the name, "Operation Rolling Thunder." No officers or members of Rolling Thunder, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.

Click here for more information about Rolling Thunder.

Camp Lejeune: Wounded Warriors break ground on new barracks

Wounded Warriors break ground on new barracks - Jacksonville Daily News

Marines and sailors broke ground Friday on a place where wounded warriors will be able to heal, mentally and physically.

The new Wounded Warriors barracks, which is scheduled to take about 18 months to build, will include 100 two-man rooms, living area and kitchenette, fitness, physical therapy and counseling space.

The rooms are designed to accommodate two wheelchair-bound Marines without collisions, said Lt. Col. Thomas Siebenthal, commander of Wounded Warriors Battalion-East.

Camp Lejeune's wounded warriors are currently housed in a 1940s-era building across base from the Naval Hospital. The new facility is just steps away from the hospital.

"It's convenient," said Cpl. Bobby Joseph, a Marine who was injured by a roadside bomb while on foot patrol in Iraq in November 2006. "It is a pain in the butt to get transportation (from the current location to the hospital)."

The barracks is definitely needed, Joseph said.

"This is the best idea I've ever seen," he said. "It's the best thing they've done."

The concept for the wounded warriors barracks came about after Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell and then-Gunnery Sgt. Ken Barnes were wounded in Iraq in 2004. The two, who were both with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, realized as they were recovering that part of the healing process involved interacting with and bonding with other injured Marines.

"How do you get that shared experience when you're all by yourself?" Gen. James Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps said, explaining the concept behind the barracks.

Amos previously served as commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force, and created the Wounded Warrior Support Section in 2005 in a renovated barracks at Camp Lejeune.

"This is probably the greatest day I've had all year long," Amos said Friday. "It's not the culmination, it's just the beginning."

Col. Gregory Boyle, commander of the Wounded Warriors Regiment, said the barracks and other facilities being built on the site - including a Warrior Hope and Care Center and a Fisher House for families of the wounded - will help the Marines "get back to that ‘new normal.'"

"These Marines made a commitment to our country. We owe a commitment to them," he said.

May 8th is Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Thank you, military spouses, for all you do!!

AP News: Marines helicopter crashes in Calif.; 2 killed

Thoughts and prayers going out to these Marines’ families.

AP: Marines helicopter crashes in Calif.; 2 killed

ALPINE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in California say a Marine Corps helicopter has crashed in a remote area of San Diego County, killing both people on board.

California Forestry Department Captain Daryll Pina says the Cobra attack helicopter crashed late Tuesday in the Cleveland National Forest.

Pina said Defense Department investigators were at the scene Wednesday morning.

Officials at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar said it was a Super Cobra helicopter from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The Marine Corps confirmed that both pilots were killed.

Pina said the crash started a one- to two-acre fire but the flames quickly burned out.

Pendleton, Miramar lose print newspapers - Marine Corps News

Pendleton, Miramar lose print newspapers - Marine Corps News, news from Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Pendleton, Miramar lose print newspapers

By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Monday May 4, 2009 5:40:56 EDT

SAN DIEGO — The recession has trickled down to the San Diego area’s three major base newspapers, forcing their publisher out of business and leaving the Marine Corps and Navy to publish local content only online for now.

The Scout, serving Camp Pendleton, Flight Jacket, serving Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and The Compass, which covers Navy life in and around San Diego, all terminated their joint contract with publisher TFM Associates in April after it struggled to meet its contractual agreements, officials said. A handful of civilians employed by TFM to help produce the weekly papers were laid off in early April.

Marine Corps Installations-West and Navy Region-Southwest plan to find a new publisher, but it’s not clear when that will be.

The Scout, which has served Camp Pendleton since its inception in 1942, exists now online at http://scoutnewspaper.com. It had a weekly circulation of about 30,000 papers, which were distributed throughout the base and at several locations outside the gates, and over the years garnered several top awards from the Defense Department.

Pendleton officials intend to maintain the Scout’s online presence after the new contract is issued. “We are going to continue this, regardless, because it provides up-to-date news,” said Maj. Kristen Lasica-Khaner, a base spokeswoman. “That more mirrors what the local papers do.”

The base, which runs Pendleton’s main Web site, www.pendleton.usmc.mil, and The Scout’s, has linked with I Marine Expeditionary Force and other major commands to get more stories and photographs onto the newspaper’s site, she said.

The Flight Jacket, which distributed about 10,000 printed copies weekly, exists now in a digital format at Miramar’s Web site, www.miramar.usmc.mil. Officials opted to keep the same broadsheet format — The Flight Jacket is created as PDF files, without ads — so Marine combat correspondents who write, edit, take photographs and lay out the pages can continue to get the experience, said Maj. Jay Delarosa, Miramar’s spokesman. Marines “still need to keep up with the basic skills they need to learn,” he said.

The Compass, which distributed about 35,000 copies weekly, can be found now at http://navycompass.com. But it’s not just short news items being posted there. The paper’s staff of one chief petty officer and four mass communications specialists is still writing and reporting on happenings at commands and aboard ships throughout the San Diego area, said Brian O’Rourke, a spokesman for Navy Region-Southwest.

“Our folks are still covering new things that are going on,” he said. “We’re definitely still covering the waterfront.”

Like the Marine bases, Navy officials want to bolster The Compass’ online presence even after the newspaper returns to a printed edition.

Remember Me

Thank you to FlutieCutie for sharing this on YouTube.

Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen........ we love you.

Freedom Calls Foundation

Please read and pass this on. Good information for our service members and their families!

Freedom Calls Foundation

Working closely with corporate contributors, individuals, and the military the Foundation has deployed its first wireless VOIP telephone and video conferencing services in an Army Camp located in the Sunni Triangle. The Foundation's network offers 50 soft-phones and 20 hard-phones, 6 video conferencing stations, 10 video email stations, and 50 computers with email and internet access. As a result the more than 10,000 soldiers in the camp will be able to communicate with their families and loved ones at home on a regular basis free of charge.
The Foundation's network offers soldiers more than 8,000 miles away the opportunity to participate in milestone family events such as births, birthdays, weddings and school graduations. The Foundation's network will soon include installations at military hospitals here in the United States, to enable soldiers to interact with their newborn children and loved ones who have become ill; And, installations at Family Readiness Centers, to enable families and loved ones (who do not have broadband connections at home) to video conference with soldiers.

Future deployments overseas will encompass as many as 200 additional locations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations where our overseas troops lack regular communication with their families and loved ones at home. With your support, we hope to deploy 1-2 camps per month in the coming months.

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