Author: SgtGrit

MARINE OF THE WEEK // Under fire, carried an injured Marine 400 meters to safety

1st Lt. James Salka
1st Battalion, 9th Marines
Operation Enduring Freedom, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Award: Bronze Star w/ Combat “V”

While deployed to Afghanistan in 2013, 1st Lt. Salka’s platoon was tasked with defending against insurgent weapon trafficking across a vast desert stretching more than 100 miles. In most cases, Salka’s unit was the only deterrence against insurgent attacks.
Eight weeks into their deployment, Salka’s platoon conducted a helicopter raid into the Taliban stronghold of Now Zad. Upon landing under fire, the Marines found themselves encircled by enemy fighters. During this fight, Salka exposed himself to enemy machine gun fire to resupply his Marines while working to identify a new extraction point.
During the extraction, Lance Cpl. Johnathan Burns fell to the ground from an injury sustained earlier in the fight. Salka picked him up without hesitation and ran a quarter mile to the helicopter, saving that Marine’s life. read more

Harvey P. Pratt’s Warriors’ Circle of Honor design was selected to be constructed next to the Smithsonian NMAI.

Pratt, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is a Southern Cheyenne chief for the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.

“I can’t believe it will be one of the 12 national memorials in Washington, D.C.,” said Pratt. read more

During June’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month the Behavioral Health Section staff is taking the opportunity to remind military personnel and civilians of the wide variety of support options available aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. read more

Pfc Burnie W. Hill, a Montford Point Marine, was posthumously honored with the presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal May 31, 2018. The medal was given to his son Clement Hill during a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

On Nov. 23, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the law to award all Montford Point Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal. The gold medal, authorized by Public Law 112–59 was awarded to the Montford Point Marines in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country during World War II. read more

#MARINE OF THE WEEK // Led men from three countries through a five hour firefight

Gunnery Sgt. Richard Jibson
1st Marine Division
Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan
Award: Navy Cross

On 28 May 2012 Gunnery Sergeant Jibson was advising a 53-man coalition force of Georgian, Afghan, and United States personnel during the clearing of an Afghan village. When some Marines who were reducing an improvised explosive device came under small arms fire, Gunnery Sergeant Jibson unhesitatingly placed himself between the Marines and the enemy, returning fire and allowing them to safely reach cover. Throughout the multiple engagements over the ensuing five hours, he bravely left covered positions and crossed open terrain many times under withering small arms and machine gun fire to provide suppressive fire, inspire his comrades, and direct the fire and maneuver of the entire coalition force. When a fellow Marine was shot in the head by an enemy sniper, Gunnery Sergeant Jibson fearlessly charged into a hail of enemy machine gun fire, pulled the exposed wounded Marine to cover, and then assisted a corpsman in rendering emergency measures to stabilize him. Amid the chaos, he arranged for reinforcements, casualty evacuation, and close air support. His courageous leadership, composure under fire, and tactical expertise led to successful extraction of the force with minimal loss of life. By his bold and decisive actions, undaunted courage, and complete dedication to duty, Gunnery Sergeant Jobson reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. read more

Military occupational specialties are the foundation of the Marine Corps. Each MOS is a cog, working with and relying on each other to keep the fighting machine that is the United States Marine Corps running. Pilots are one such MOS.

Marine Corps has had a need for pilots since A. A. Cunningham was named the Marine Corps father of aviation in 1912. Since that time, the Marine Corps’ aviation rapidly grew with advances in technology. read more

As tragedy threatened to eclipse the honeymoon of Hong Kong nationals scuba diving in Okinawa, a Marine dive master came to the rescue.

Ironically, Gunnery Sgt. Scott Dahn was practicing rescue diving at Maeda Point, Okinawa, May 20, when he saw the woman, Ching-Yi Sze start to panic. The native of Herron, Michigan, recalls the rest of the incident vividly. read more

This picture shows all the Sacrifices made by our Marine Families!!!! SSGT. Bernard J. Coyne and his wife Kathryn Coyne SSGT Coyne’s MOS is EOD, and he is stationed at Camp Lejune, NC. Kathryn lives in Jacksonville, NC with their three children, Julianna, 9, Cadence,3, Bernard III, one year old SSGT. Coyne left Jan 19th aboard the Mesa-Verde. diverted to Haiti, on it’s way to the Middle East. read more