Category: Blog

Great story and foundation.

I am amazed to find that Nat'l Geo has allowed the full segments, 45
minutes each, to be publicly available on YouTube.  Here are the links
for the three segments.  (There's an ad for a new kind of insulated
jacket leading each episode for maybe 30 seconds.)  So you can watch any
of these anytime, at least as long as they keep these available, which
probably depends on the sponsor.  I don't think there's any way to record
the video off YouTube. read more

Interesting USMC Statistics – FY 2010: 
USMC Percentage of DOD Budget:         6.1%  

For that, Marine Corps provides:

15% of ground maneuver brigades and Regimental Combat Teams; 
12% of fighter/attack planes 
19% of attack helicopters 
Avg Cost per Active Duty Member 
Marine       $63,335                          Sailor  $76,694 
Soldier      $72,781                          Airman $78,701 
Officer/Enlisted Ratio 
USMC  1:8.4    Army 1:5.0    Navy 1:5.3    AF 1:4.0   
Civilian to Active Duty Member ratio 
USMC  1:12.8   Army  1:2.1   Navy 1:1.9  AF 1:2.0 
Operational Force and Percentage of Total Force 
USMC 136,182 (67%)             Navy 162,400 (50%) 
Army 307,700 (56%)               AF     119,000 (36%) 
Average Age 
USMC 24.9    Army 28.5    Navy 28.7    AF 29.6   
E-3 and Below 
USMC 83,047 (45.7%)             Navy 79,324 (28.9%) 
Army   118,792 (25.6%)           AF 69,265 (26.0%) 
Number of Generals 
USMC  81    Army 315    Navy 221    AF 284   SECDEF  81 
Afghanistan Force US 92,000 
USMC 21,000   Army 57,000   Navy 4,000   AF 9,000 read more

The Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation is planning the restoration and preservation of the Corps' beloved Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. Many steps to restore the Memorial are planned including cleaning, filling cracks and gaps, and leveling ground to prevent the puddles of water. Plans also call for a museum grade cleansing, sealing and annual inspections of the bronze. read more

I have always been interested in the United States Marine Corps and the war in the Pacific. I think this may stem from when i met some of the Corps at the American Embassy many years ago on a visit there when i was a young cadet. 

There will be no Christmas turkey and trimmings for US marines at Patrol Base Talibjan this year — a chemically heated meal of preserved meat is all the infantry men expect.

The troops — living in unheated tents in the Taliban heartland of Musa Qala district, in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province — will climb out of their sleeping bags as usual, plan patrols and hope the day ends without casualties.
“I’m hoping it’s going to be a quiet day and our guys can relax a little bit,” says Staff Sergeant Josh McCall, 32, who will call his wife and children at home in rural North Carolina on Saturday.
Full Story read more

November 30, 2010
Members of the United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator:

In over more than forty years of service as a Marine, I came to respect greatly and to appreciate genuinely the contributions you in the Congress render to our nation in the creation and sustenance of our armed forces. Indeed, at the time I was nominated to lead the Corps, one of my highly respected predecessors counseled me to remember that without the wise actions of the Congress, there would never have been, nor would there have continued to be a Marine Corps. On more than a few occasions during my tenure, some among you today, together with your predecessors, made the decisions that enable America to have armed services that are the gold standard of the world, and I thank you for that. More than once, you sought my views and advice on a wide range of matters and it was always my privilege to offer them. Today, I am assuming again that privilege with strong views that I believe are critical to the viability of the armed services you have been instrumental in creating and sustaining. I thank you in advance for hearing them. read more