Three LAR Adopted by Hemet,California...awesome train of pogue bait to follow War Pigs to AFG

HEMET, Calif. – Last year, the city of Hemet, Calif., officially adopted the Combat Center's 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion before they deployed to Iraq. In a gesture of friendship and goodwill, Hemet presented 3rd LAR's command with the key to the city April 6 at the Hemet mayor's office.

Eric McBride, Hemet's mayor, received a coin from the unit as a token of the city's bond with the Marines, said Lt. Col. Ken Kassner, the battalion commanding officer, from Coupland, Texas.

"We were adopted by a city of great, patriotic Americans who supported us throughout our last deployment," Kassner said. "It all started because I was trying to build a strong relationship with the local community, and the mayor was looking to adopt, so it all went well."

Kassner said the battalion's link to the city aligns with their unit's credo.

"Our motto in 3rd LAR battalion is 'the strength of the pack is the wolf; the strength of the wolf is the pack,'" he said. "We are a stronger organization for being members of the Hemet community."

The community kept their pledge of adoption and supported the battalion while they were overseas.

"They sent us a lot of care packages, and especially an abundance of coffee," Kassner said. "We, along with all the Marines, are very thankful for what the people of Hemet have done for us."

McBride said his experiences during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 helped him understand what deployed troops need and cemented his desire to help the unit.

"When I was there, it was a little different. People sent us a lot of perishable stuff, but hopefully we took care of the Marines better," McBride said, jokingly. "We'll certainly be supporting the battalion in their future deployments. We just hope we can keep the Marines' morale up by sending the care packages."

Brian Nakamura, the city manager, spoke for the people of Hemet by complimenting all service members and wishing them his best.

"Doing this for the Marines is a tremendous opportunity to show thanks for those in the service, especially the Wolfpack," Nakamura said. "All of us here certainly wish we could do more.

"The key we gave them is a symbol of the full access the service members have to the city," he added. "We're all truly appreciative to those who serve their country."

The battalion is scheduled to deploy again later this year, and the city of Hemet has pledged their conviction and continued support to 3rd LAR.

-------------------------------- I know, I was saying the same thing...where the hell is Hement, Ca. Reminds me of a sign I used to see in Vietnam. Ok, any town, city that adopts an LAR has to be ID'ed to the ninth degree. I am abashed to admit, despite my 26 years in CA. I had no idea, myself. Hemet (wiki)Hemet is a city in Riverside County, located in the San Jacinto Valley and it covers a total area of 27.1 square miles (70 km²), or about half of the valley, which it shares with its neighbor to the north, the city of San Jacinto. In 2007 the city's population was estimated to be 74,185 according to the California Department of Finance^[1]. Hemet was founded in 1887, predating the formation of Riverside County, and was incorporated on January 20, 1910.^[2] The formation of Lake Hemet helped the city prosper, and allowed further agricultural growth in the area, as well as population growth. The city is probably best known for being the home of "Ramona", California's official and one of the longest running outdoor plays, having been started in 1923. Hemet has also been named a Tree City USA for 20 years by the Arbor Day Foundation for its dedication to the local forest.^[3] The city is also home to the Hemet Valley Medical Center, a 320 bed general hospital.^[4]

Three LAR at Joshua Tree National Park

Sgt. Alberto Garcia (left), an infantryman with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Pvt. Nicholas Pezzuto, also with 3rd LAR, from Lakewood, Calif., finish watering a newly-planted Joshua tree at Joshua Tree National Park during a restoration effort, April 7. Volunteers and park staff dug holes for 120 plants from the Joshua Tree National Park's nursery.

Photo Lance Cpl. Andrew Avitt

Winter in Bishop With First LAR War Pigs

01/23/1997---1st Light Armor Reconnaissance (LAR) BN, 1st Marine Division assault through the objective at Bishop training facility located in California, during Operation LONGBALL 97-1

photo LCPL C.S. CLINE

Maneuver and Rehearse-Alpha 4LAR

1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division maneuver to rehearse immediate action drills Sept. 8, 2009, in Twentynine Palms, Calif. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Keith A. Stevenson

While POTUS Arthur Neville Chamberlain-Obama Waves the White Flag Here is Something to wash out the taste ....

Chamberlain Obama really has me pissed. Deals with the Russki's. HEH. Now there is a plan you can take to the bank. Kicking all Israeli nuke scientist out! ahuh. Israel is now our enemy? But allows this Islamofascist clown Tariq Ramadan in. Tell me again...who is this potus the leader of??

What next--invitations to Iranian nuke scientist? Banning Islamofascist labels. yead, buddy, that'll work. Now, There's a hoot. Bet that sucker is going over big in Tehran. I'm sure this POTUS is trying to kill our enemies by forcing them to laugh so hard they break a rib or worse yet laugh their ass off. You know, When Bush was in, there never was- NEVER any doubt in my mind, as much as I disagreed with Bush, that the security of this country was first and foremost on his mind...damn if I can say that about this leftist POTUS. To his mind, a good licking is not only what we deserve but we have got coming to us. What a bastion of democracy! NOT! Standby for the incoming Democrat massacre in November. Stupak already jumped ship.

4th LAR Digs

An aircraft hangar located at Blair Field in Al Kut, Iraq, occupied by US Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) Marines assigned to Kilo/Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, bears the Units insignia for the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (LAR), who were the previous occupants, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

Photographer's Name: LCPL ANDREW WILLIAMS, USMCLocation: AL KUT
Date Shot: 8/20/2003
But what I really want to know is...who got up on the hanger and drew the Iron Horse?

BZO the War Pigs

b

BZO-AKA-Battle sight zero otherwise known as reconciling the differences between what you aimed for and what you actually hit at the firing range instead of the combat zone.

"Marines Battlesight Zero (BZO) their Light Armor Vehicle 25 weapons. Scenes include the Marines adjusting their weapons and firing them from their Light Armor Vehicle 25's. Produced by Marine Lance Cpl. Tammy K. Hineline."

Two LAR in Djibouti, Africa

Elements of Two LAR are in AFRICA. Company is not detailed:photos Cpl. James Frank

"2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance platoon, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit participate in a live fire range while performing sustainment training in Djibouti."

4LAR Working Bomb Dogs

Sgt. Eric R. Taylor, trains with Hhavoc to find explosives at Combat Outpost Castle, Helmand province, March 28. The military working dog handlers train with their dogs for building, personnel, vehicle and area searches, with the Afghan national police, Police Mentoring Team, and 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.

Photoshop credit: Leo Alberti

These are the eight House Republicans who voted with the Democrats to send the Waxman-Markey bill to the Senate

From the WTF! File

NAWA, Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (From left to right) Lt . Col. Matt Baker, commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Sgt. Maj. Dwight D. Jones, sergeant major of 1/3, and Maj. Rudy Quiles, civil affairs team leader with 1/3, dressed in traditional Afghan ceremonial garb and headdresses in honor the occasion. (Official Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brian A. Tuthill)

When I saw this photo-I recalled a memory going back 40 years to my first year of enlistment in the Marine Corps. I had been ordered to report to a base where veterans of the landing on Saipan, and Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal were still serving and like any 20 year I did not think anything of their presence other than to make sure I stayed out their way--prickly-- is the least of the descriptions for these men until came that day when we all, by company orders, required, requested and ordered to report in full dress. Now these men appeared in full anger. None were amused. Forced to present themselves in full regalia, these men were not ...well never mind. And while they bitched, one of them recalled a friend who had stuck it to command(while they were in the midst of fighting the Japanese)--who had ordered him away from his men--to present him with a Medal--what kind I can no longer recall or who this Marine was...what I can recall is that this Marine appeared on deck as ordered in his combat icky uniform. Ordered to shave, shower and dress he refused and said this uniform was good enough for me to get this medal-it should be good enough for me to get it pinned on. OMG.WTF would he say now.

Today is Merle Haggard Birthday

Missed Home Plate By a Mile

4LAR War Pigs Out For Generator Security 12/16/2007

Marines from 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force provide security for Iraqi civilians as they transport generators in the Al Anbar province of Iraq Dec. 16, 2007. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Gordon Rehdantz

America! Who is NOT on your Six?

NYTimes WASHINGTON — President Obama said Monday that he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons.

Liberty Pundits:
I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. (Check.)

I will not weaponize space. (Check and Mate.)

I will slow our development of future combat systems. (Check, Check and Check.)

And I will institute an independent defense priorities board to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending. (Ummmm, yeah.)

Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. (Check.)

To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons. (We’re not.)

I will seek a ban on the production of fissile material. (A dancing unicorn non-starter.)

And I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBM’s off hair-trigger alert and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenal. (Check and Check.)

And after all of those check marks for a man of his word, at least when it comes to defense and security, we have what is being dubbed the “Obama nuclear weapons manifesto.”

Our POTUS-Projecting weakness to our enemies just as the nation is heading into the eye of the economic hurricane.

SSGT Kwatakowski, Charlie, 4LAR

3/18/2003: Sergeant (SSGT) Kwatakowski, Platoon Sergeant for the 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion, 4th Marine Division lines up 25mm rounds for his vehicles weapon at a range on Camp Pendleton, California, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

Photographer's Name: CPL KIBEL M.D., USMC

2LAR Sgt. Frank J. World KIA AFG

DOD Announcement:

The following Marines died April 1 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:

Lance Cpl. Tyler O. Griffin, 19, of Voluntown, Conn.

Sgt. Frank J. World, 25, of Buffalo, N.Y.

Griffin was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

World was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Buffalo News...

When the remains of Marine Sgt. Frank J. A. World return home today, it will be with full honors.

The plane bearing Sgt. World, who was killed a week ago in Afghanistan, is scheduled to land at noon at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, and then his flag-draped coffin will be escorted by state police and a Buffalo Fire Department truck to Amigone Funeral Home, 2600 Sheridan Drive, Town of Tonawanda.

His older brother, Larry, is a Buffalo firefighter.

An honor guard will be on hand at the funeral home, where a wake is set from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p. m. Saturday and Sunday.

Services will be at 10 a. m. Monday in the funeral home, followed by a procession to Forest Lawn, where the 25-year-old serviceman will be laid to rest.

“I’m happy that my hero is finally going to be home. The support from everybody has been unbelievable, and I’m glad my husband is getting the recognition he deserves,” Beth World said.

Sgt. World was killed last week by an improvised explosive device while he was traveling in a light-armored vehicle in Marjah, the site of a major offensive by Marines against the Taliban more than a month ago.

In addition to being a member of the Marine Corps, which he joined after graduating from Riverside Institute of Technology in 2003, he had achieved a black belt in tae kwon do, learned how to play the guitar on his own and enjoyed rock climbing, writing poetry and songs, and pencil drawing.

In the Marines, he was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

Surviving, in addition to Sgt. World’s wife, the former Beth Zielinski, and brother, are a 3- year-old son, Jacob; a 3-month-old daughter, Lilly; his mother, Susan World-Missana; and a sister, Candy Rodriguez.

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/04/09/1013808/sgt-frank-j-a-world-marine-who.html

Lou Michel

Buffalo News Family, friends and fellow soldiers greeted the body of Sgt. Frank J. A. World when it arrived by jet at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station today. World, who was raised on Buffalo's West Side, was killed April 1 in Afghanistan.

The remains of United States Marine Corps Sgt. Frank World is transferred at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Friday, April 9, 2010. Family members say they were told the father of two died when his light armored vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device during a combat mission in Afghanistan.

Kleppel and Alpha 4LAR 02/10/2003

Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Kleppel (foreground) and Marines of Alpha Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion in formation 02/10/2003 at Camp Pendleton, CA in preparation for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

USMC photo CWO2 B. SEAN FAIRBURN, USMC

Deep Strike 97 4LAR

Marines from the 4th Light Armor Reconnaissance (LAR) Headquarters and Support Co. disembark a Landing Craft Utility on 04/01/1992 (LCU) at Red Beach, Camp Pendleton, during DEEP STRIKE 97. USMC photo CPL JON W. HALINKOWSKI

And Now for a Bit o'Fun...