26th MEU

26th MEU leaders prepared for mission in Syria

By Gina Harkins on December 6, 2013 26th MEU, Battle Rattle, Life at Sea, Marines, MEU operations

Top leaders of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit said they were preparing to put boots on the ground in Syria during their eight-month deployment, which wrapped up last month. Col. Matthew St. Clair, the MEU commander, and Navy Capt. Jim Cody, who led the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group, spoke to a group of reporters at the Potomac Institute in Virginia on Thursday. When President Obama discussed a military strike in September against the Bashar al-Assad regime following an apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians, St. Clair said Marines were preparing for a situation that would require them to make landfall, according to U.S. News…

Vietnam War-era Huey completes final Marine Corps deployment

By James Sanborn on November 10, 2013 26th MEU, Aviation, Battle Rattle, Deployments

The last UH-1N Huey ever to deploy with Marines recently conducted its final flight Nov. 5, ending a storied era of Marine aviation. The two-bladed version of the Huey recently deployed with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 (Reinforced) out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., in support of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 26th MEU recently returned from a float in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. The two bladed UH-1N variant has now been replaced by the heavier-hitting four-bladed UH-1Y. The specific UH-1N that was the last to deploy was also among the oldest…

Marine Corps Times deployment map

By Gina Harkins on August 7, 2013 26th MEU, Afghanistan, Africa, Battle Rattle, Deployment map, Deployments, Japan, MEU operations, Status of forces map

Check out what Marines are up to around the world, as of Aug. 7: [HTML1]

U.S. Marines cast long shadow near Syrian fighting

By Dan Lamothe on June 11, 2013 26th MEU, Blue-Green operations, Reconnaissance

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit landed in Jordan recently, putting the bulk of its 2,400 personnel on land to participate in Exercise Eager Lion. It’s an annual event designed to improve security in the region and relationships between the two militaries. As MEUs frequently do, however, the unit has cast a long shadow across the region. Ongoing fighting in Syria between government forces and rebels has gripped the region, leading to some foreign media reports questioning whether the Marines have been stationed along the Syria-Jordan border for the sake of security. Take this one: A large American military force disembarked…

From Kangaroo Flats to kayaks in the south of France: Your Marines around the globe

By Hope Hodge Seck on May 23, 2013 26th MEU, Afghanistan, Africa, Australia, Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton, Deployment map, Deployments, Japan, Status of forces map

[HTML1] Take a look at what Marines are doing around the globe in our newly updated Status of Forces map! Highlights include: Marines in Darwin, Australia conducting squad-attack exercises at a place called “Kangaroo Flats” Some lucky Marines doing coalition exercises with French partners in kayaks in the Mediterranean Urban crisis contingency training with local counterparts at Mihail Kogalniceanu Military Base, Romania. Major moves: About 160 reserve troops from Camp Lejeune’s R4OG (Retrograde and Redeployment in Support of Reset and Reconstitution Operations Group) deployed to Afghanistan this month, replacing an R4OG from Camp Pendleton. About 200 Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air…

Your Marines around the globe: status of forces this week

By Hope Hodge Seck on April 26, 2013 26th MEU, Afghanistan, Africa, Australia, Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton, Deployment map, Japan, Korea, Status of forces map

[HTML1] Status of Forces (as of April 19) Active duty: 194,370 Selected Reserve: 39,705 Reservists on active duty: 2,477 It’s been awhile since we did a blog update on the status of forces around the Marine Corps, but we’re going to start in again on making this a weekly feature. The positions above are as of April 19. Of note, the 26th Marine Expeditionary Units and 15th MEU are moving through their areas of operations, with the 26th MEU’s Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group near the Gulf of Aden, at the eastern tip of Africa, and the 15th MEU’s Peleliu ARG…

26th MEU set to deploy

By Gidget Fuentes on March 5, 2013 26th MEU, Blue-Green operations, budget, Camp Lejeune, Deployments, Marines, MEU operations

[Updated: High winds and strong seas churned by that winter storm the National Weather Service dubbed Saturn has pushed the deployment start by several days, the Navy announced. The three ships of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group will depart the Norfolk, Va., area on Monday, March 11, according to U.S. Fleet Forces Command. That will give a few extra days at home for the sailors and Marines before they take their final equipment aboard and begin the scheduled deployment with, hopefully, smoother seas and calmer stomachs.] The federal budget crisis has put a halt to some ship deployments, but the 2,200…

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