LAR War Pigs on Howard AFB

USMC photo SGT Cedric Rudisill- HOWARD AIR FORCE BASE 05/12/1989

B4LAR LCpl. Jeremy Kane

Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane from Cherry Hill. Handout photo from the Kane family: JKANE25

At 13, Jeremy Kane was deeply affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The event shaped his life, and led him to a fateful choice.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100125_Cherry_Hill_Marine_killed_in_Afghanistan.html

By Edward Colimore
Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted on Mon, Jan. 25, 2010

"He knew he had to do something for his country, and that was join the military," said his mother, Melinda, of Cherry Hill. "He wanted to serve."

To drive home the point, Kane joined the Marine Corps on Sept. 11, 2006, during his freshman year at Rutgers University and served as a reservist.

On Saturday, three months into his deployment in Afghanistan, the 22-year-old lance corporal was killed when a suicide bomber attacked his unit in Helmand Province.

The attack apparently was in retaliation for the seizure of tons of opium and weapons the Marines had discovered, according to early reports.

Hours later, three military officers arrived at Melinda Kane's door with the heartrending news.

"I knew when I opened the door they were there for one reason," she said. "It's hard to comprehend. Everyone was worried but confident he would come back safe and sound.

"He was bright, in excellent condition, and well-trained," she said. "There was no reason to believe he would be harmed."

Melinda Kane, 52, said her son had recently phoned his girlfriend to plan a homecoming party for his return in May. "They talked about what kind of celebration they would have," she said.

Jeremy Kane graduated from Cherry Hill High School East in 2006 and studied criminal justice at Rutgers. He planned to return to the university to finish his senior year.

"He was an avid reader," his mother said. "He read books most adults would never read. He listened to classical music and hung out with friends, playing video games."

Kane's father, Bruce, was a pathologist at Cooper University Hospital in Camden and had served as a major in the Army. He died in June 2008 while his son was undergoing Marine Corps training.

Kane "thought it was his duty as an American to serve his country," his mother said. "His grandfather had also been in the Marines."

He "chose the Marines because it was the most difficult and most respected," she said. "He was in communications and told me he wouldn't leave the base, but I think he said that to placate me."

Kane had two brothers: Benjamin, 16, a junior at Cherry Hill East, and Daniel, 19, a sophomore at Virginia Tech.

Yesterday, family and friends, including Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt, gathered at the Kane home. The mayor's Platt Memorial Chapel in Cherry Hill is handling funeral arrangements, which were pending.

"This is a heartbreaking day for the people of Cherry Hill," Platt said. "Jeremy Kane was a distinguished and dedicated member of our community, and we're all very saddened by his passing."

Rep. John Adler (D., N.J.), whose district includes Cherry Hill, phoned the family to offer condolences.

"Cherry Hill has lost a brave and heroic young man who dedicated his life to serving our country," Adler said. "He sacrificed his life to protect our communities and families. My thoughts and prayers are with his family today."

Melinda Kane remembered his first call from Afghanistan. He asked for chocolates and pens to hand out to the children of a local village.

"I want people to know that this was someone from Cherry Hill," she said. "He had options, and this was his choice.

"He knew the dangers but wanted a rich, full life. I don't think he ever thought this would happen."

Ruts of an Old Trail

Alpha Company, Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan, 01/17/2002 USMC photo CAPT Charles G. Grow

Staff Sergeant Haley,

Practice mechanized raid at Su Song Ri, Republic of Korea Amphibious Ready Group Exercise 2004 (ARGEX 04) 03/16/2004 USMC photo CPL GREGORY A. RUSSELL

LAR War Pig with the One Six

June 17, 2008, Operation Enduring Freedom. USMC photo Cpl. Randall A. Clinton

Some old Marines get respect

Frederick High School Remembers B4LAR Sgt. David Smith

Megan Eckstein
Frederick News-Post Staff

Sgt. David Smith and his sister Kristen Forse

Frederick High School observed a moment of silence Wednesday morning after announcing that alumnus Sgt. David Smith had died the day before of injuries from an attack Saturday in Afghanistan. Smith left his mark on the school before graduating in 2002. He wrestled, he played lacrosse, soccer and football, and he participated in school plays. His former coaches, teachers and schoolmates said they won't forget him anytime soon. "He was one of those kids that really makes a lasting impression," said John Bodnar, Smith's former soccer coach. "It's eight years later, and I still remember things about him crystal clear." Smith, who played soccer his freshman through junior years, wasn't the most talented player on the team, Bodnar said. But he did serve as a great example for the others in terms of having the right attitude on and off the field. "He was very respectful, physically fit, looking for a challenge, and a real good leader," which made him perfect for the Marines, Bodnar said. It was those traits that Bodnar and the other soccer coaches wanted to instill in the rest of the team. One game during Smith's junior year, they decided to bench a starter and put in Smith, in the hopes of ridding the starters of their sense of entitlement. "It was a calculated risk because David clearly wasn't as skilled as his teammates," he said. Smith came close to scoring a goal but didn't quite make it, which was OK, Bodnar said, because Smith earned his teammates' respect for his dedication and effort. "We tried to get the message across that you need to be more like David," Bodnar said. "He brought that heart and soul. He never quit." After Smith played soccer for three years, he switched sports and became a lineman on the football team his senior year. "I used to joke around with him that he shouldn't have fooled around with soccer for so long," said football head coach Vince Ahearn. "That was the kind of guy he was, we joked around." Smith played defense on the lacrosse team for two years, a position that is "basically a rough-and-tumble guy who you want to intimidate (the opponent's) shooters," said Smith's assistant lacrosse coach, Bill Douwes. He said he has since heard from several of Smith's former opponents who said they had much respect for him and the way he played the position. "The people that played against him, and he was supposed to shut down, they admired him for his ability to play the sport," Douwes said. Smith bonded with many of his coaches on a personal level and opened up to them as he thought about joining the Marines. "He was very gung-ho," Bodnar said. "He seemed very determined to join the Marine Corps and protect his country." Douwes said Smith checked in with him when he decided he didn't want to continue attending Salisbury University, when he decided to join the Marines, and when he had finished boot camp and was going to California for training. It was clear Smith was doing what made him happy, he said. The Frederick High School football team decided to honor Smith by pulling his old jerseys to give to his family, Ahearn said. The lacrosse team is planning a memorial game for their first home game, on March 25 against Brunswick High School, said Jason Jachowski, the school's lacrosse coach who played with Smith for two years. Frederick High School observed a moment of silence during Tuesday night's girls basketball game and will do the same at Friday night's boys basketball game. Smith's family has not yet announced funeral arrangements.

What is best in life...

"Trijicon announced that it would cease the release of the scripture on future products, and would provide kits to remove the references from optics in the field. " sigh


Trijicon caved to the PC crowd and is no longer going to produce the Jesus scopes. The Marine Corps alone has a $660 million multi-year contract to supply 800,000 ACOGs so that's a substantial amount of Marine Corps "concerned" pressure. The next scopes will be sanitized and no scripture will be included. The biblical verses were added as reference to Trijicon founder Glyn Bindon's faith and the glowing tritium in the rifle scopes. The word Light appears in all the verses. See. Now this is what 100 per cent pure unadulterated bull crap will do for you when the PC crowd starts howling and the pitch forks come out. Unfair! Let us not be beastly to the Islamofascists!

Next thing you know, why they will retaliate and start howling "Allah Akbar" right before they unleash hell upon us. Fortunately, in this world of toil and tears, there still is a bright spot of sanity. The Israelis. In particular: DoubleTapper. Heh. Great name for a blog in Israel. First time I ever heard the term was after my son returned from Marine Corps training that included the practice he called "double tapper" aka two shot fired in quick succession intended to kill.

The DoubleTapper has a different take on the fussbudgets "concerns":

"FYI, Jews don't believe in the New Testament
If it were up to me I'd have them put

Psalm 144:1 on our scopes.

"Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle." Or
Ezekiel 25:17 "And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."

HEH. Not bad. But too long. If it were up to me I'd have something, short and sweet, from the book of Conan:

"Crush Your Enemies."

Limbaugh Letter to POTUS

Limbaugh's fatherly advice to "the one" for hope and change within himself or we are so toast for the next three years.

CA. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger On The Death of B4LAR Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane

FLAGS WILL BE FLOWN AT HALF STAFF:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding the death of Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane of Towson, MD:

"Maria and I join all Californians in remembering Lance Corporal Jeremy Kane, a courageous Marine who fearlessly served our nation. He dedicated his life to protecting our freedom and together we honor his service and sacrifice. We send our deepest condolences to Jeremy's friends and family and fellow Marines as they mourn this tremendous loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time."

Kane, 22, died January 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Kane was assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, based out of Camp Pendleton, CA.

In honor of Lance Cpl. Kane, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.

B4LAR Sgt. David Smith

Frederick News Post:

Sgt. David Smith, a 2002 graduate of Frederick High School and a Marine in the local reserve unit, died Tuesday of injuries suffered in an attack on Saturday in Afghanistan.

A bomb killed three and injured several others during a patrol in Helmand province, which borders Pakistan and is one of the most volatile regions in Afghanistan.

In the attack around 11 a.m. Afghanistan time, Smith was hit by shrapnel in the head, said Smith's cousin, Ann Rudd. His family was notified about nine hours later, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. By Saturday evening Eastern time, Smith was at a trauma center in Kandahar. He was later sent to an air base in Bagram and then on to Germany by Monday morning.

Rudd said Smith, 25, died Tuesday afternoon. He donated his organs, a final selfless act that Rudd said he always proudly said he would do.

"Frederick's lost a very good human being, it's just so hard to see," Rudd said. "He was the best of us."

Rudd recalled how fun it was to watch Smith at his sister Kristen Forse's wedding last summer. Smith, Forse, and their brother Daniel took over the dance floor and had everyone laughing, she said.

"I just keep thinking of all his dance moves and how funny he was and how close those three siblings were," Rudd said.

Smith wrestled and played lacrosse and soccer at Frederick High, his friends said. He joined the Marine Corps in December 2003 and served a tour of duty in Iraq in 2006, Forse said. Smith was attending East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

"No one could ever find a bad word to say about him," Caitlin Barton, who grew up with Smith and attended church and school with him, wrote in a Facebook message on Monday. "He is an amazing person with such a spirit about him that you can't help but love David. He loves what he does, he loves being a Marine, but he also loves being a son, a brother, a uncle, and a friend to many."

"He was a great guy -- the sort of guy who would give all he had to whatever he was doing or whatever person he was spending time with," wrote Evan Hays, a 2002 Frederick High graduate and old friend of Smith's, in an e-mail. "I remember him for his strength, his fun-loving attitude, his intelligence, and his welcoming attitude."

Several people mentioned the death of Smith's stepfather as a key point in his life. Smith was in high school at the time, and his family had a hard time dealing with the loss.

"David was extremely strong and probably began to drive his determination to be the person he was today," Megen Majoros Franklin, a friend, wrote in an e-mail about the death of Smith's stepfather.

Franklin said she and Smith attended St. Joseph's-on-Carrollton Manor Catholic Church in Buckeystown, where they went to dances and class together. She described Smith as an unselfish man and a proud Marine, which was obvious when she ran into him once at Frederick Community College.

"He was dressed in his uniform and I almost did not recognize him. He never looked so proud and happy," Franklin said. "I believe he would say that he was proud to die for his country and in being a part of something that he loved and respected so much."

His friends from East Carolina University saw the same things in him.

"David Smith was a strong, compassionate and courageous man," said Allison Rayle. "Dave loved to cook and found a passion for country music and cowboy hats. Dave always had a smile on his face and always knew how to cheer you up."

Many of his friends said Smith had a real love for life and will be greatly missed by all those whose hearts he touched. Two other service members died Saturday in the attack. Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane, a Marine in the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion Company B, was a 22-year-old student at Rutgers University's Camden campus and a native of Cherry Hill, N.J. Kane joined the Marines in May 2007 and was serving in his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, 25, was a Navy hospital corpsman from Cordova, Tenn., who was attached to Company B after they deployed in November. Qi joined the Navy in June 2006 and was also serving in his first deployment to Afghanistan.

God Speed All....

We are deeply saddened to write that we have received, unofficial, word that one of the five wounded LAR Marines has died from injuries sustained during the suicide bomb explosion that took the lives of Marine Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane, 22, and Corpsman Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, 25, on Saturday, January 23, 2010.

Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane, 22, Towson, Md.

DOD ANNOUNCEMENT: "Lance Cpl. Jeremy M. Kane, 22, of Towson, Md., died Jan. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division."

Bravo 4 LAR AP Photos From 12/12/09 Up

AP Images site has pix from 12/12/09 available at their site. Some Marines photographed are Lance Cpl. Grayson Barnette of Md., left, and Lance Cpl. Michael, MSgt. Mike Hilton, LCpl. Casey Kratzer, Va., LCpl. Grayson Barnette, as well as many others.

Five Bravo 4th LAR Wounded-Two Dead

In addition to the LAR Marine and Corpsman killed (identified in earlier post), Five Bravo Marines have also been wounded-- one very seriously injured. Our people will require all the prayers all of you can send. While we can still pray-people-let us not waste our time in despair.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, Corpsman Bravo 4th LAR

DOD Announcement:"Petty Officer 2nd Class Xin Qi, 25, of Cordova, Tenn., died Jan. 23, while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan. Qi was assigned to Fourth Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan."

Prayers for Dave

At blog "Sand Between My Toes" is a post "Prayers For Dave" WIA and for the men of Bravo 4th LAR.

Bravo 4th LAR Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane Killed in AF

Bravo 4th LAR Lance Cpl. Jeremy Kane, was killed by a suicide bomb, Saturday. His mother, Melinda Kane speaks about his death in this interview.



Tue, Aug. 17, 2010
Mother of fallen Cherry Hill Marine tries to make sense of her son's sacrifice

By Mike Newall

Inquirer Staff Writer

There are some times when the pain is bearable. And there are others when she can't control her tears, like the day this summer when yet another package she had sent her son reappeared in the mail, unopened and dented, filled with crumbled cookies.

Melinda Kane, 52, of Cherry Hill, is the mother of a fallen Marine.

Read more:Philadelphia Inq

Bravo 4th LAR--S

Bravo 4th LAR has been in action on Saturday. We have no details. Please remember to hold and send a prayerful thought for them.

4th LAR Photos From Kaneshin AF

Marines with 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion conduct a security patrol in the vicinity of Kaneshin, Afghanistan, Dec. 3, 2009. USMC photo by Sgt. Evan Barragan

4th LAR Sweeping

Marine assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion sweeps a bridge for improvised explosive devices during a security patrol near Kaneshin, Afghanistan, Dec. 3, 2009. The Marines conduct security patrols to reaffirm their presence to Afghan villagers and to sweep for enemy activity. USMC photo Sgt. Evan Barragan

4th LAR Patrols Kaneshin

Afghan farmers drive by U.S. Marines with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion during a security patrol in the vicinity of Kaneshin, Afghanistan, Dec. 3, 2009. The battalion conducts security patrols to reaffirm its presence to Afghan citizens and to sweep for enemy activity. USMC photo Sgt. Evan Barragan

Radios From 4th LAR

• Return to Search Results

Linguist assigned to U.S. Marines with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion gives an Afghan villager a wind up radio during a security patrol in the vicinity of Kaneshin, Afghanistan, Dec. 3, 2009. Afghan villagers use the radios to listen to programs provided by the Marine's Radio In A Box. USMC photo Sgt. Evan Barragan

4th LAR In Kaneshin AF

Marines assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion on a security patrol near Kaneshin, Afghanistan, Dec. 3, 2009. The Marines conduct security patrols to reaffirm their presence to Afghan villagers and to sweep for enemy activity. USMC photo Sgt. Evan Barragann

Nice Cache

Weapons cache uncovered in a village searched by 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance in Salah Ad Din Province, Iraq, May 13, 2008, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
USMC photo Sgt. Rome M. Lazarus

Senator Obama: genocide not good enough reason to fight in Iraq

Saturday, U.S Marines closed up shop and left left Iraq---VICTORIOUS.
FOX News reported:

The U.S. Marine Corps wrapped nearly seven years in Iraq on Saturday, handing over duties to the Army and signaling the beginning of an accelerated withdrawal of American troops as the U.S. turns its focus away from the waning Iraqi war to a growing one in Afghanistan.

In Baghdad, meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden held talks with Iraqi leaders amid growing tensions over plans to ban election candidates because of suspected links to Saddam Hussein’s regime.

The White House worries the bans could raise questions over the fairness of the March 7 parliamentary elections, which are seen as an important step in the American pullout timetable and breaking political stalemates over key issues such as dividing Iraq’s oil revenue.

The Marines formally handed over control of Sunni-dominated Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, to the Army during a ceremony at a base in Ramadi — where some of the fiercest fighting of the war took place.

If all goes as planned, the last remaining Marines will be followed out by tens of thousands of soldiers in the coming months. President Obama has ordered all but 50,000 troops out of the country by Aug. 31, 2010, with most to depart after the March 7 parliamentary election.

The remaining troops will leave by the end of 2011 under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact.

Shhhuuuu... Let them sleep.....

"If you lose Massachusetts and that's not a wake-up call," said moderate -- and sentient -- Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, "there's no hope of waking up."

I say: Let them sleep.

The Meaning of Brown

By Charles Krauthammer

When War Pigs Ride

Marines from the 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marine Regiment, Camp Lejeune, load a Light Armored Vehicle-25 (LAV-25) onto a US Air Force (USAF) C-17 Globemaster III at the Aerial Point of Embarkation, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point NC.
USMC Photo LCPL RICHARD W. COURT

Best Week Evah- Scott Brown Wins!

Today Is John Boyd's Birthday!

Colonel John Boyd, Air Force fighter pilot and America's greatest military strategist of the 20th century aka 40 sec Boyd, whose expertise and skill at kicking cocky fighter's ass approached near mythical standards at the "the Green Spot" about a hundred miles north of Las Vegas.

Complete Boyd's Work here
Bill Whittle-40 Second Boyd and The Big Picture

A Sucker for Christmas Dinners

I am a sucker for Christmas Dinners. Now.

Christmas 1967 -not so much. I do not remember Christmas Dinner. Must have had one. Marine Corps mandated one dinner, Christmas, Dinner. What I do recall is going on a truck convoy with the One Five somewhere to create a free fire zone. Spent the day moving Vietnamese people out of their hard packed dirt floor huts onto our trucks for a life away from what they were used to living. Orders. Create a free fire zone. AKA-Meaning any thing farts, squawks, belches, after dark is fair game for the 105's. I had a pocket size radio with an ear plug. I listened to Bob Hope on AFARTS radio in Vietnam. No body had a good word for the office pogs that day. One Five was supposed to send 2 men from each company to watch the Bob Hope Show. Bull shit. We were short handed as it was...so no body from the front line went....except office pogs in Da Nang.

Christmas Dinner Part Dos

U.S. Marines with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment eat Christmas dinner at Forward Operating Base Golestan, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2009. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Chad J. Pulliam

Christmas Dinner 2009 Golestan

Cpl. Eddy Ampie, right, serves Christmas dinner to Sgt. Jose Gamero at Forward Operating Base Golestan, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2009. Marines are with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Chad J. Pulliam/

War Pigs in Zakhu

Marines atop a War Pig aka LAV-25 light armored vehicle as they drive through the streets of Zakhu 04/26/1991. The Marines are in city as part of Operation Provide Comfort, a multinational effort to aid Kurdish refugees in southern Turkey and northern Iraq.

USMC photo PH3 James R. Klein

Cernica Convoy of War Pigs

LAR convoy of U.S. Marines, on War Pigs aka light armored vehicles (LAV-25s) and High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV), from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, arrive, 06/17/1999, at the future sight of Forward Operating Base, Camp Montith near Cernica, Kosovo.

USMC photo LCPL Michael Schellenbach

P

Ammo Up

Somewhere in the globe, the exact location now forgotten, a US Marine celebrated the first day of the New Year 1989 by getting ready to meet the enemies of freedom and liberty and quietly put together belts of 7.62 ammunition for his hungry War Pig's M-60 machine gun.
USMC photo Gunnery Sgt. Jay Browne

Alpha 4th LAR

Alpha Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (LAR), and the ubiquitous "War Pigs" aka Light Armored Vehicles (LAV-25) 02/10/2003, Camp Pendleton, California, saddle up for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. USMC photo CWO2 B. SEAN FAIRBURN,

Wages of Politcal Correctness is Death To Our Marines/Army

The Pentagon whitewash report on the Fort Hood Massacre by an America Muslim Army Officer screaming " "Allahu Akbar." has been released. The travesty is titled: -"Protecting the Force: Lessons from Fort Hood."
The contemptible 86 page report does not once record the word Muslim, Islam and refers to Major Hasan as a "gunman." Higher does not have a clue how they are aiding and abetting the slaughter of our people.

Beaver

Here is a caption that is the opposite. Not to nit pik but I still have this huge huh? even though I got names and units. Well, there you go again, Jack. "Iraqi special forces soldiers talk to U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Michael J. Beaver, Task Force Mech operations chief, assigned to A Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, about a raid conducted in Salah Ad Din, Iraq, May 4, 2008, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jason W. Fudge/Released)"

Chill

More weapons sightings--aka--as making sure you hit what you think you are aiming on June 17, 2008, Helmand Province. One of the irritating bits about military photo captions is that they "forget" to note that War Pigs belong to their own Unit. They are not part of the wash. These War Pigs are working with the One Six. I have no idea who they are when they return stateside.
photo by Cpl. Randall A. Clinton

D.C. Parade Operation Desert Storm

LAR Marines and "War Pigs" aka LAV-25 ride along the parade for the liberation of Kuwait/Operation Desert Storm during the National Victory Celebration parade in Washington D.C. 06/08/1991. The day-long celebration was held in honor of the coalition forces that liberated Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm.
USMC photo CW02 Bailey

Return to Camp Owen Dec. '04

After operations in Fallujah, Iraq, the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion regroups at Camp Owen 12/16/2004 with an inventory of ammo and other items on their Light Armored Vehicles (LAV-25) during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II. Op I-F Two is the name for the second year in Iraq. USMC photo JEREMY W. FERGUSON

Tune Up The Chain Gun

"War Pig" Light Armored Vehicle 25 (LAV-25), to conduct weapons sighting, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 06/17, 2008, Operation Enduring Freedom. USMC photo Cpl. Randall A. Clinton

War Pig With 81 Mike Mike Fangs

You know, I have read about this 81mm mortar capability but this is the first picture I've seen of a Marine LAV firing one. This one is from the 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. Rounds are huge compared to the 60 round. I bet it's one noisy job to fire an M-252 81 mm mortar system inside a War Pig. Wonder if any are actually in Afghanistan. Probably not. This pix was taken during a field operation at the 1st Marine Division Schools at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., April 21, 2005. USMC photo Cpl. Kenneth E. Madden III

Take The Point

Marine assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, takes the point for a "War Pig" aka Light Armored Vehicle 25 (LAV-25) in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, June 30, 2008,
Operation Enduring Freedom.
USMC photo Cpl. Randall A. Clinton

Blankenship

Sgt. Chad Blankenship, radio operator 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, cleaning his "War Pig" aka LAV-25 light armored vehicle on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Sept. 17, 2008. USMC photo Lance Cpl. Kelly R. Chase

just another no account Dinosaur Marine

Marine Corps Times A 68-year-old Marine veteran fended off a knife-wielding, 6-foot-tall, 300-pound attacker in a Cumberland, Md., parking lot during a minutes-long struggle on Sunday, local media reported.

Ronnie Welsh, wearing a Marine Corps ball cap, was exiting his vehicle with his wife Nancy Welsh, 66, near the Country Club Mall when the suspect, convicted armed robber Woodrow Tavon DeVaughn Small, demanded Welsh’s money, the Cumberland Times-News reported.

“He said, ‘Marine, I want your money,’ ” Welsh told the paper.

Small punched Welsh and knocked him to the ground. A struggle ensued and Small drew a knife.

“I grabbed [the knife] by the blade and then the handle and took it from [Small],” Welsh told the Times-News. “He backed off of me and then went for my wife. I got up and went after him. … I was trying to get to his throat. He must have had my arm. I couldn’t get to his throat like I wanted to. It was just chaos. I was poking at him.”

The ordeal ended after Welsh chased Small off and police arrived to search the area. Small was found underneath a nearby vehicle, arrested and brought back to the scene of the crime to be identified by witnesses. Welsh verbally confronted Small when police brought him back to the scene of the assault.

“When you approached me, you called me a Marine. I am a Marine and I will always be a Marine,” Welsh reportedly yelled at Small.

“When you go through boot camp in the Marines, they teach you to survive. I tried to survive. My training as a Marine came in to play,” Welsh told the Times-News.

Easter

Corporal David Easter, Alpha Company,
Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,
Kandahar, Afghanistan, 01/17/2002,
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.

The taped slits reduce the daylight glare of the desert
USMC photo CAPT Charles Grow

Schwyzer

Lance Cpl. Brian Schwyzer, Combined Anti-Armor Team 2, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, on patrol in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Nov. 5, 2009.
USMC photo LCpl. James Purschwitz

Rossi

Sgt. Joseph Rossi, Combined-Anti Armor Team 1, 1st Battalion,
5th Marine Regiment, holds security at a vehicle checkpoint in the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 31, 2009.
USMC photo Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg

Waiting on the War Pigs....

Leibee

Staff Sergeant James D. Leibee, 2nd Radio Battalion, passes directions on how to fix a radio, on a War Pig aka Light Armored Vehicle-25 (LAV-25) at Living Support Area 1 (LSA 1), during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM 03/14/2003. USMC photo LCpl. Christopher G. Graham.

M4 Vs. M4A1-Video

Do check out the video at the Old Gray Mare. Watch at "1 minute and 51 seconds and after the 535th round, when the barrel ruptures" and there are IMPROVEMENTS in the future! Oh joy! Oh please. Nothing but nothing gets my ire and rant going than weapons that jam or otherwise will not kill. Why are we still having these discussions on

"concerns surfaced about rifles overheating in a sustained firefight in 2008 in Afghanistan, the manufacturer and the United States Army are close to agreeing on a modification to the weapon’s barrel that makes the carbine more resistant to the stresses of extended firing."

Isn't that just so precious. Isn't that Special. Concerns, is it? Concerns. the manufacturer and the US of Army are close to agreeing.... Well whoop de dew! Lets pass out the medals, all ready. Good, Gosh almighty. I am sure, all fired, glad the military industrial complex, the lobbies, and the Pentagon gear heads finally got their collective golden thumbs out of their gd-tush and did right by our people. Or should I say that their selfish, self centered, interests aligned with our interests in keeping our sons and daughters ALIVE in this war against Islamic terrorism. "Let me be clear"...bottom line....I want my son alive after firing whatever bullets it takes to secure his base and not dead as a result of whatever weapon he has been issued.

After all, how many years since my pristine, perfectly clean, just issued, M-16 jammed on my first fire fight with the gooks. Oh yead, 43 years...says the unforgiving old fart. FORTY-THREE. Lousy. Years. Lets see, he says, 43 years ago this old fart was doing the Davy Crockett dance ramming his cleaning rod down his M-16 to clear the brass casing from his first round while rounds from an AK-47 danced merry-lee around his feet. AK-47, I hear you say...isn't that the same rifle our people are up against...humm...43 years later....

Hell bells, don't you think its nigh time we had a rifle that will kill and protect when it is suppose after the after the catastrophic failure of the M-16 in Vietnam! I mean, I mean. How tough can it be to make a rifle that takes a licking and keeps on ticking-- a rifle on par with the AK-47 and with the ever-ready rabbit---still firing--you fire the shit out of it---you dump it in mud---you fire the hell out of it--- you dump it in...tap...tap..huh...whisper...whisper...oh..excuse me...dump it in bureaucratic bull shit and walla! Ready! After 43 years of ass kissing special interest ass alignments---- we have a winner!

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover once told a designer on the Nautilus, America's first nuclear sub, that he DID NOT WANT a submarine water tight seal to hold according to specs. he wanted the goddamn water tight seal to hold as if the designers own son was holding his breath on the other side. End of story.

So why is this rifle bullshit still going on...huh...I want to know.


Anybody, anybody.

Oh my. Isn't the American way of bureaucracy wonderful. CON GAMES. It doesn't matter who, or what mob pounding at the gates what truly matters is the game. There is always a con game going on. You get a tax payer funded money pie going and you attract the flies and the Con-Games. ALWAYS.

Progress will always be possible depending on whose ass has to be covered. I have to be promoted to advance my career and if it means...yead...Fort Hood...anybody...anybody...your kid...anybody. Explain to me why that suicidal moron was not put out of business before he went born again ape shit happy? Bureaucratic bullshit. Anyone, anyone....

You just have to hope and shout your Kid is not part of the "concerns". that time....
Complacency kills...... PEOPLE... and not just in Afghanistan.

The Buck stops with US.

The Voters.

DEAL WITH IT.....

your son. your daughter. vs. their promotion. their wallet...and..oh yes...humm... the Caliphate.

Flossing the War Pig

Cpl. Isaiah B. Martinez cleans the main gun of a Light Armored Vehicle-25 in the Jazeerah Desert in Iraq July 19, 2008. The Marines are with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
USMC photo Lance Cpl. Albert F. Hunt

First LAR-Tikrit, Iraq

1st Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion use Light Armored Vehicles (LAV-25) "War Pigs" to provide security in front of the Sadaam Hussein Palace, 04/17/2003, Tikrit, Iraq, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. USMC photo Nicholous Radloff

Captured

Iraqi S-60 57mm automatic anti-aircraft gun in its emplacement after being captured during Operation Desert Storm by two "War Pig" LAV-25 light armored vehicles in the background 02/01/1991.
USMC photo credit: unknown

Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration of the Pentagon and Military

Check out Bill Whittle's Investigation of the extent to which Muslim Brotherhood infiltration has perforated the Pentagon, the FBI and the military. The "Brothers" set the tone for our defense against Islamic Terrorism. Unbelievable.

Bill Whittle PJTV

Who was the thug kicking McCormack to the curb?

let me be clear. What country was this in?....

Power Line:"Massachusetts Democratic Senatorial candidate Martha Coakley was in Washington raising money last night. The Weekly Standard's John McCormack had a good question for Coakley and caught up with her after the event to ask it.":

Gaffey

Cpl. Mike Gaffey and 7.62mm M240G machine gun stand watch 06/11/1996 from a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV-25), at Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Station (MCS), HI. Marines from 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Camp Pendleton, CA conducted training exercises in Hawaii as part of Operation RIMPAC Õ96.
USMC photo P02 Jeffery S. Viano

A War Pig Named Croaker

Artwork on the turret of an LAV-25 light armored vehicle from Charlie 2nd Light Armored Infantry Battalion,03/01/1991-
Operation Desert Storm.
USMC photo-Sgt Roberts

When War Pigs Fly!

US Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter lifts an LAV-25 light armored vehicle in flight 03/08/1993 MCCDC, Quantico.
USMC photo Sgt. Steven Webster

Kick It

Kicking up a dust cloud, two Marine LAV-25s (Light Armored Vehicle-25) with Alpha Company, Second Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, conduct a mounted patrol 01/17/2002. The LAVs are near the Kandahar International Airport, Kandahar, Afghanistan, during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.
USMC photo Captain Charles G. Grow

Hurry Up and Wait....

On 08/16/1990, Marines relax on the turret of a"War Pig" AKA LAV-25 light armored vehicle while waiting to embark aboard a Navy ship. Elements of the 2nd Marine Division are leaving Morehead City to participate in Operation Desert Shield. USMC photo Gunnery Sgt. R. L. Jaggard

Frank

1st Lt. Daniel Frank, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, and Afghan child during Operation Cobra's Anger in Now Zad, Afghanistan, Dec. 05, 2009. USMC photo by Cpl. Albert F. Hunt

"Known Distance" War Pig

Unidentified Marine from Charlie Company, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, looks out from the turret of an "War Pig" LAV-25 light armored vehicle parked in the company area 03/01/1991 after Operation Desert Storm. USMC photo Sgt. Roberts

Ambush

Delta/Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, engage and destroy Iraqi vehicles during an ambush on 04/04/2003 by Iraqi soldiers on Delta Company in Northern Iraq during
Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
USMC photo LCPL Andrew P. Roufs

Two LAR

Marines with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
stand outside an LAV-25 armored personnel carrier at Camp Korean Village, Iraq, April 24, 2005, during a break from a building-clearing mission. The mission target was a suspected source of improvised explosive devices. USMC photo Lance Cpl. Kevin N. McCall

Miles

Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Miles,
Delta Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,
examines an LAV-25 light armored vehicle during weapons training on light armored vehicle and rocket live fire range 407A at
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 18, 2009.
USMC photo Pfc. James M. Bala

Mack

Cpl. Jacob N. Mack, Delta Company, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, in the M-249 squad automatic weapon position inside an LAV-25 light armored vehicle during weapons training on light armored vehicles and rocket live fire range 407A at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 18, 2009. USMC photo Pfc. James M. Bala

War Pig On Point

Light Armored Vehicle-25 (LAV-25) with a primary M242 25mm chain gun and a FNMI 7.62 mm M240 Machine Gun mounted on the main gun turret sits in a road side position in support of

Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

USMC photo LCPL HENRY S. LOPEZ Location: UNKNOWN

Code Talkers Painting Donated to Bravo 4thLAR

Veteran and artist Buck Musser makes paintings to honor fallen members of the military:

By Patti S. Borda
Frederick News-Post Staff

Buck Musser has embarked on an artistic mission: to make paintings of all the local armed service members who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Earlier this year Musser finished a painting of Native American "code talkers" who served in the Marines. He donated that painting to the Marine Reserves Bravo Company 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in Frederick .

Marine 1st Sgt. Wallace Mains said the battalion's new location not far from its current one on Rocky Springs Road will have a fitting place for Musser's painting. Mains said he expected the painting would be hung in mid-March.

"It's a really nice picture," said Marine Maj. Joe Corbett.

Corbett said that when the picture is hung a plaque will explain Musser's donation.

Giving away a painting is one of Musser's greatest pleasures, he said. Giving something to the families of the fallen is important to him.

"I owe it to them," he said.

Convoy

LAV-25 "War Pigs"/ 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, escort an convoy on the road to Baghdad on Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.
USMC photo GYSGT MATTHEW M. SMITH