Trackpads Community - Marine Corps http://www.trackpads.com/forum/ For any current or former marines of any Armed Forces en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:14:54 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png Trackpads Community - Marine Corps http://www.trackpads.com/forum/ U.S. Marines load supplies onto a CH-46 Sea Knight http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/943622-u-s-marines-load-supplies-onto-ch-46-sea-knight.html Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:08:55 GMT 08/18/2010 - U.S. Marines load supplies onto a... 08/18/2010 - U.S. Marines load supplies onto a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (Reinforced) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) in the Arabian Sea Aug. 18, 2010. The helicopter and embarked Marines will be joining 11 other helicopters from the ship that are on station in northern ...more.

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Click to send Email image. ]]> Marine Corps Jacklou59 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/943622-u-s-marines-load-supplies-onto-ch-46-sea-knight.html Fake Military Veteran/9/11 Survivor http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942891-fake-military-veteran-9-11-survivor.html Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:51:54 GMT *Fake Military Veteran/9/11 Survivor* Iraq... Fake Military Veteran/9/11 Survivor

Iraq veteran impostor Rick Strandlof about his actions impersonating heroes.

Richard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion.

Crowds ate up his story. He canvassed Colorado appearing at the sides of politicians. Inspiring and seemingly authentic, he spoke on behalf of veterans at the state Capitol.

It turns out the whole thing was a lie. He wasn't at the Pentagon. He was never a Marine. He never served his country. He never graduated from the Naval Academy. He claimed his name was Rick Duncan.

He formed a group called the Colorado Veterans Alliance, and the FBI is now investigating whether he embezzled money as a result.

Where was he on 9/11, the day he said he witnessed heroism firsthand?

"I was in San Jose, California, watching it in horror on TV with a few other people," Strandlof told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

He was at a homeless shelter at the time.

Strandlof denies being a pathological liar. He says he suffered from "some severely underdiagnosed mental illness" and that he got caught up in the moment around "people who are passionate and loved what they did."

He told CNN he had put on a "production, which I'm sorry for."

"Hopefully the people that I hurt can in some way gain closure from that, and I myself don't know what I can do short of leaving them alone and not being in their lives, to make that happen," Strandlof said.

He said he's not sure exactly how he's hurt people. "It's not for me to say, and time will tell," he said.

Hal Bidlack, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, is one of those people. He ran for Congress as a Democrat and had Strandlof appear with him. Bidlack isn't too happy.

"Once one lie fell apart, the whole series of things ... just cascaded into an ocean of lies," he said.

Bidlack was at the Pentagon when it came under attack on September 11, 2001. He now realizes that Strandlof stole portions of his own story.

"Now that we know he's a lying fraud," Bidlack said, "I think he was just parroting my own story back to me."

"There are an awful lot of things that he kept straight to try to fool an awful lot of people for an awful long time."

Doug Sterner has cataloged hundreds of people claiming to be military veterans who never served in the military. He says it's typical for those perpetuating the hoaxes to claim mental illness.

"I don't buy that," Sterner said. "What he was doing was looking for a cause to promote himself. I see this repeatedly. I've had a hundred cases just this year like Rick Strandlof's. ... What they're doing is building a kingdom of self and feeding their own ego."

Sterner has pushed for a federal database listing the names and citations of all decorated military veterans to help put an end to such cases. He said Strandlof has robbed true veterans of their veracity.

"Doing good does not take away from the bad that he did," he said. "Because of Rick Strandlof, the next global war on terrorism veteran that speaks in a school or talks to the media or gets involved in politics is going to be questioned."

Strandlof's story began to unravel about a month ago when he was arrested in Colorado Springs on a minor traffic charge. According to the Denver Post, Strandlof came to authorities' attention first in 1997, when he was sentenced to five years on forgery and bad-check charges.

With the FBI now investigating him for fraud, he told CNN he's innocent. "We did not take money to use on non-veterans projects. I did not enrich myself on this. I did not gain any money from this," he said.

That's not the point, said Sterner. "The one thing he robbed from every veteran that comes out now is credibility."

YouTube - Fake Military Veteran/9/11 Survivor ]]> Marine Corps cato2 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942891-fake-military-veteran-9-11-survivor.html <![CDATA['The enemy, they love to hit the Marines']]> http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942619-enemy-they-love-hit-marines.html Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:16:41 GMT 'The enemy, they love to hit the Marines'

Attachment 9611

COMBAT OUTPOST TURBETT, Marjah district, Afghanistan with 4th Squad, 2nd Platoon, Fox Company -

“Should I kick it down?” one of the Marines asks when they reach the first compound.

The highly fortified metal doors often require a heavy hand when the Marines are on patrol.

“Go ahead,” says SSgt. Joe Zamora, the Platoon Sergeant.

The Marine busts open the door, and the three men push forward into the field within the mud building. They immediately receive fire from behind and jump down into the ravines.

“One shot came over the wall and almost hit me in the head,” one of the Marines says later.

No one is surprised when rounds fly through the air. This day's mission is to locate and engage the enemy in a firefight.

“We always get contact when we get up there,” says Zamora, who heads outside the wire every other day. “I can’t stay back here knowing that my guys are out there. And the days I don’t go on patrol and I‘m here and I hear they’re in contact, it just drives me crazy.”

As expected, Zamora and his men receive contact a few hours into the patrol, although those hours pass by like minutes.

“The enemy, they love to hit the Marines, or they like to engage the Marines when we’re in the open,” says Zamora.

After the initial burst of at least seven or eight shots in the first building they enter, Zamora and his Marines must sprint across a field for cover behind the tree line. Most people would run the other way when under fire, but the Marines push forward through open spaces, deep mud or wadis (a kind ofirrigation ditch) of stinking, dark water that reaches their knees.

The Marines make their way to a street with housing structures on both sides.

“We search as we go through, we clear it as we go. This way, we don’t miss anything,” says LCpl Daniel Brennan, team leader for the squad.

The Marines clear four buildings, finding an old man sleeping under sheets, a vicious dog, goats, chickens, more elderly people and children.

“We said hello, proper greetings and everything,” says Brennan.

In one of the buildings the locals inform a Marine that the Taliban was shooting from that location.

“We saw some bullet casings a little farther down and we took that as we were getting close to them, they’re on the run,” says Brennan.

At the end of the road, the Marines head left to a known hotspot. There is a mosque, a small room and a tree, which the men call the Taliban tree.

Inside the room, the Marines search the owner and his belongings. Several documents, reviewed by their Afghan National Army (ANA) counterpart,

have suspicious words like RPG and M16.

The Marines decide to detain the man and head for the COC, their base headquarters. They only have to travel a few minutes before they hear the ominous sounds of helicopter rotor blades disappearing into the distance. The UH-60 Blackhawk MEDEVAC birds and their security escorts are transporting a patient to higher levels of treatment. According to the Marines, the Taliban wounded a young boy in a firefight in another area.

“We’re gonna be receiving fire soon,” says one of the Marines, knowing the Taliban often strikes when air support departs.

“One thing about here in Afghanistan is that you’re not done until you come back to the COC,” says Zamora. “As soon as we start moving south we

got contact again so we responded.”

The Marines take cover in the wadi nearby as the shots crack in the air. One of the men suspects the shooters are in the building to the left. The men line up against the high, mud wall and move back into the housing area.

“The Taliban here, they’re fast, they’ll engage from a good distance,” says Zamora. “We’ll engage, they’ll see us moving towards their position,

they will egress. They don’t have as much gear as we do so they’re pretty fast.”

The Marines knock in doors and search every room. One door won’t budge and shots are fired at the lock stirring up clouds of grey dust. The

Marines find nothing, some rooms reveal barren floors without any signs of civilian inhabitants. The men move out back to the streets, with a

detainee they must hurry back to headquarters.

“All you gotta do is harass the enemy,” says Brennan. “We’re doing something right if they’re trying to shoot at you and you walk away.”

The men return to the base with their detainee, who is later released.

It’s barely mid-day and the men have spent hours on patrol, searching empty compounds and chasing after enemies they refer to as ghosts.

“All we can do is hope for the best, do what you can,” says Brennan. “In my eyes it was a successful mission because everybody made it back.”

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Attached Images
]]> Marine Corps cato2 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942619-enemy-they-love-hit-marines.html Racers slog through the mud for Run Amuck http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942582-racers-slog-through-mud-run-amuck.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:20:05 GMT *Racers slog through the mud for Run Amuck *... Racers slog through the mud for Run Amuck
8/16/2010 By Lance Cpl. Benjamin Harris , Headquarters Marine Corps

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — Hurdling over hay bales, crawling through pipes, braving two mud pits and running 3.5 miles. This may sound like a Marine Corps run, but this was the Run Amuck, a race hosted by the Marine Corps Marathon that tested the endurance and speed of 2,130 runners August 14 aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

While most races end with the runners drenched in sweat, the draw of this race was to get dirty, said Rick Nealis, the director of the Marine Corps Marathon.

“It’s a culture thing. When we’re young, we’re told to stay out of the mud. Well, now we’re saying to get muddy and wet,” he said.

Runners faced a variety of obstacles and exercises, ranging from crawling under barbed wire to ten jumping jacks, but the mud pits were where most of the fun was, said Jessi Cisewski, a graduate student from Chapel Hill, N.C. After the race, she had a message for the onlookers who weren’t into getting dirty.

“Suck it up and do it next year!” she shouted.

While Run Amuck is technically a race, not everyone came dressed for speed. A Viking hat, ballet skirts, and the combat utilities of the German Air Force were considered appropriate attire for the mud. Some of the runners even took their time to enjoy the different stations, said Nate Delong, an Arlington, Va., native.

“We had a mini mud fight in the second mud pit,” said Amy Lang, who came with Delong. “I’m definitely glad I wore old clothes.”

Run Amuck is the most unusual of the ten-race Marine Corps Marathon series, said Nealis. Making the runners stop and get out of their rhythm makes the challenge more “Marine-like,” a test that wasn’t lost on some of the muddy finishers.

“This was great – even awesome,” said Chris Park, a 17-year-old Stafford, Va., native who plans on joining the Marines. “I feel more prepared, because Marines do stuff like this.”

Sgt. Justin Jensen, a food service specialist with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base Quantico, signed his wife and himself up as a chance to bond and show her a part of his life.

“It definitely was a lot of fun … and dirty,” exclaimed the Murphy, N.C., native. “It’s a good example of what Marines are like because we’re amphibious and willing to do anything.”

Runners started in waves, so the winner wasn’t announced until long after the last finisher dragged his muddy shoes across the finish line. William Mikolajczak, 24, a Triangle, Va., native whose father is a retired Marine, claimed his third victory in the three-year-old race, and Robin Witlin, an Oak Hill, Va., native, claimed the title of fastest female. But the result for most of the finishers was that they had fun, which made the race director call it a success.

“Mud is a badge of honor out here,” said Nealis. “Run Amuck is truly a special event.”

:flag-marines: ]]> Marine Corps cato2 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942582-racers-slog-through-mud-run-amuck.html The True Heroes, 1st Battalion 6th Marines: Marjeh Afghannistan http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942549-true-heroes-1st-battalion-6th-marines-marjeh-afghannistan.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:38:12 GMT *The True Heroes, 1st Battalion 6th Marines:... The True Heroes, 1st Battalion 6th Marines: Marjeh Afghannistan

Not your normal "Mot Video" but this video will make you think twice about the men and women in the Marine Corps. Against GySgt Wallgreens request I recorded his speach in secret..... the result is this awesome video with the last words we heard before boarding helos and heading into the heart of Marjeh. Have you ever wondered how Marines get pumped up? This video will show you how true leaders inspire their Marines to do the unthinkable.

YouTube - The True Heroes, 1st Battalion 6th Marines: Marjeh Afghannistan

:drillsergeant::flag-marines:
 ]]> Marine Corps cato2 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942549-true-heroes-1st-battalion-6th-marines-marjeh-afghannistan.html Marines want to save lives using alternative power http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942540-marines-want-save-lives-using-alternative-power.html Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:52:32 GMT *Marines want to save lives using alternative... Marines want to save lives using alternative power
By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise

Marine Corps leaders hope that using solar and wind energy on the battlefield will cut gasoline and diesel fuel consumption, reduce the number of missions trucking and flying those fuels and, by exposing fewer transport personnel to attack, save lives. And they want to start soon.

"I've never seen anything like this ever," said Maj. Sean Sadlier, standing amid tents, solar panels, windmills and growling generators. The experimental forward operating base had been set up at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Training Center near Twentynine Palms on Tuesday.

It's the latest phase in a project that will put solar-powered lights and solar-assisted cooling systems at outposts in Afghanistan by the end of the year. That's only a year after the project was kicked off by the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James T. Conway.

With one exception, the equipment being tested during the forward operating base's one-week run is manufactured by private companies. Officials invited 11 companies and are testing 14 different technologies, including wind power, hybrid generators, hydrogen cells, storage batteries and even a passive cooling system utilizing a subterranean network of pipes. The equipment will be tested and analyzed over the course of a week. Promising products will go through field tests at the base's Mojave Viper Afghan training villages.

Sadlier, a 16-year Marine Corps veteran, said he has never seen a program carried out so quickly. A tent shade with solar panels helps cool the tent and powers interior LED lights. It already has been field tested at the Twentynine Palms base and will be part of the equipment a Marine company will take when it deploys to Afghanistan next month. The company will help evaluate the shade's usefulness in the field.

Lt. Greg Wolf, who works at the Pentagon, helped organize the test. He oversaw a similar experimental base at Marine Corps Base Quantico in the spring.

"We had our first ExFOB in March," Wolf said, of the test base. "And now they're deploying in the September-November time frame. That's how quickly it can happen. If we get one truck off the road, that could save a life."

Roadside bombs have caused the most deaths among U.S. military troops in Afghanistan.

Paul Madden of Energy Technologies Inc., an Ohio-based company, brought a system that combined a diesel generator with solar panels -- on a tent shade and in a separate array -- and even incorporated a windmill.

"There's enough solar and wind to power radios and computers," Madden said, "but not the air conditioning 24/7."

The excess power from the solar and wind generators, as well as the diesel generator, is stored in a battery system. When the batteries are full, the diesel unit shuts down. Madden said he just delivered a similar but larger system for use at Fort Irwin. Eventually, he plans to add biomass-generated hydrogen fuel cells to the setup.

He also was testing a tent coated on the inside with a thin layer of insulating ceramic material, similar to what is used on the heat shields of the space shuttle.

Madden said he has been contracting with the military for years. This project, he said, is not typical.

"It's very difficult to introduce new products into the defense organization," he said. "This is kind of an accelerated process."

Instead of months of lead time, he said, he was asked just three weeks ago if he could come to the test week at Twentynine Palms.

"We had to jump through some hoops," he said. "My guys had to drive all the way from Ohio, which took about a week in itself."

That shows the importance the Marines are placing on the program, he said.

Reach Mark Muckenfuss at 951-368-9595 or mmuckenfuss@PE.com

:flag-marines: ]]> Marine Corps cato2 http://www.trackpads.com/forum/marine-corps/942540-marines-want-save-lives-using-alternative-power.html