Gates Challenges Marine Corps’ Mission

The Marine Corps is facing a historic defeat at the hands of Defense Secretary Roberts Gates, and hardly anyone inside or outside the Corps seems to grasp what is happening. On January 6, Gates disclosed a series of proposed budget cuts that included termination of an amphibious vehicle the Marines have been developing for 15 years. He said the vehicle cost too much — around $17 million per copy — and that the service therefore should extend the life of existing amphibious vehicles while searching for a more affordable replacement. read more

Wisdom From Training Manuals….(oldie, but goodie)

Wisdom From Training Manuals….(oldie, but goodie)

 

 

'If the enemy is in range, so are you.'

– Infantry Journal-

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 'It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.'

– US.Air Force Manual –

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 'Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never encountered automatic weapons.'

– General MacArthur –

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 'Tracers work both ways.'

– Army Ordnance Manual-

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 'Five second fuses last about three seconds.'

– Infantry Journal –

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 'Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.'

– Naval Ops Manual –  

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 'Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.'

– Unknown Infantry Recruit-

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 'If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him.'

– Infantry Journal-

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 'Yea, Though I Fly Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil.

For I am at 50,000 Feet and Climbing.'

 – Sign over SR71 Wing Ops-

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 'You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3.'

– Paul F. Crickmore (SR71 test pilot)-

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 'The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.'

-Unknown Author-

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 'If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter — and therefore, unsafe.' 
– Fixed Wing Pilot-

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 'When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash.'

  -Multi-Engine Training Manual-

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 'Without ammunition, the Air Force is just an expensive  flying club.'

-Unknown Author-

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 'If you hear me yell;”Eject, Eject, Eject!”, the last two will be echos.' 
If you stop to ask “Why?”, you'll be talking to yourself, because by then you'll be the pilot.'
 -Pre-flight Briefing from a Canadian F104 Pilot-

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 'What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?  If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; but If ATC screws up, …. the pilot dies.' 
-Sign over Control Tower Door-

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 'Never trade luck for skill.' 
-Author Unknown-

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 The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in military aviation are: 'Did you feel that?'

'What's that noise?'

and'Oh S…!' 
-Authors Unknown-

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 'Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight.' 
-Basic Flight Training Manual-

  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

  'Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it..' 
– Emergency Checklist-

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 'The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world;  it can just barely kill you.' 
– Attributed to Max Stanley ( Northrop test pilot) –

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 'There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime.'

-Sign over Squadron Ops Desk at Davis-Montham AFB , AZ-

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'You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal.' – Lead-in Fighter Training Manual –

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As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives.

The rescuer sees the bloodied pilot and asks,'What happened?'

The pilot's reply: 'I don't know, I just got here myself!'

 

PMO Marines Train for Danger

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan — It can happen in the blink of an eye. A traffic stop goes wrong. A detainee in Afghanistan tries to escape. A suspect violently resists arrest.

Military police work in a field where danger and uncertainty abound. Although police officers can never predict how a situation may play out, they can prepare themselves to handle whatever scenario they encounter.
Full Article
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Marines, Army more than meet their recruiting goals

The journey to become a United States Marine had been a long haul for most of the young men standing on the parade ground Friday, during graduation ceremonies at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

It started before they hustled off the bus 12 weeks ago to stand in formation, before the buzz cuts, the belly crawls and sleep-deprived nights during the 40-mile course called The Crucible. read more

1400 More Marines to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States has ordered an additional 1,400 Marines to southern Afghanistan to pre-empt a Taliban spring offensive, despite a planned troop drawdown starting in July, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday “approved additional Marine forces to southern Afghanistan to exploit and consolidate gains already achieved and apply pressure on the enemy during the winter campaign,” spokesman Colonel David Lapan told AFP. read more