Washington

Marine Corps Marathon Notebook: Reasons for running

By Bethany Crudele on October 19, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Sports, Washington, Wounded warriors

There’s nine days left until the 37th Marine Corps Marathon. For many runners living in Washington, D.C. or Virginia, this weekend’s Army 10 Miler will be a good preview of what’s in store for the big day on Oct. 28. Many marathon runners use the Army 10 miler as a last training run in advance of the longer course. While the crowds of spectators are generally smaller, the turnout is always impressive and the course is flat, making it one of the most popular races in the area. This year’s marathon is expected to be the largest in the race’s…

Marine Corps Marathon Notebook: Staying Motivated

By Bethany Crudele on October 10, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Sports, Veterans, Washington, Wounded warriors

The marathon is now just around the corner. With less than three weeks until the race, my running partner Staff Sgt. Jeremy Boutwell (ret.) and I each completed a solid and steady 19-mile run over the weekend. We both finished in about three hours, causing us to slash our goal in the actual marathon by 45 minutes, from 5 hours to 4 hours, 15 minutes. “That’s my goal. I think that’s realistic based on training,” Jeremy said over the phone. Last weekend was the final long run for each of us. Our schedule has us slated to run 12 miles…

Marine Corps Marathon Notebook: Sept. 11, 2001

By Bethany Crudele on September 13, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Pentagon, Sports, Training, Washington, Wounded warriors

As we get closer to the marathon, the perks begin to appear: training runs in cooler weather; running sneakers that are comfortably broken in; and an escalating confidence in athletic ability. For me, the idea of running 26.2 miles starts to become palpable in mid-September (a realization that I have to keep up with a Marine is also incentive to stick to my training schedule). For Jeremy Boutwell, my marathon teammate, his long training runs are becoming more comfortable as he continues to train in the Texas heat. Another perk of getting closer to the race is the increased buzz…

For service chiefs, sequestration question doesn’t go away

By Dan Lamothe on August 30, 2012 General officers, The CMC, Washington

Commandant Gen. Jim Amos has made two appearances in a room full of reporters over the last week, fielding questions about everything from the war in Afghanistan to the ongoing manpower drawdown in the Marine Corps. Perhaps more frequently than anything else, one topic came up: What about sequestration? It’s a tough topic. Anyone following public policy, politics or national security issues in Washington is well aware of the automatic federal budget cuts that are looming if the U.S. government doesn’t find another way to reduce its deficit. They were put in place by the Budget Control Act of 2011,…

Marines discuss ‘MuscleFest’

By Bethany Crudele on August 3, 2012 Fitness, Marines, Sports, Training, Washington, women

Yesterday, I posted about ‘MuscleFest’, the sixth event of the 2012 Commanders Cup at Marine Barracks Washington 8th & I. The event was part of a series designed to introduce Marines to a variety of physical fitness activities and enhance camaraderie through friendly competition. This morning I spoke with two Marines who participated in the event on July 30. Staff Sgt. Noel Min Just 10 minutes before our conversation, Min was informed that he won the Masters Division for Marines 33 years and older. The Huntsville, Ala. native participated in MuscleFest in 2011 and said the preparation of knowing what…

Marine Barracks Washington completes ‘MuscleFest’

By Bethany Crudele on August 2, 2012 Competitions, Fitness, Marines, Sports, Washington

On Monday, Marines stationed at Marine Barracks Washington 8th & I, competed in MuscleFest, the sixth event of the 2012 Commanders Cup. Events are designed to promote diverse forms of physical fitness and athletic competition. The series includes events ranging from indoor rock climbing to an urban challenge to the ‘Raging Rhino’, an alternating combination of running and swimming. MuscleFest competitors focused on heavy lifting and functional fitness. Marines had to bench-press half their body weight in two minutes, push a 2.25 ton pickup truck 40 yards for time, flip a 100-pound tire 40 yards, pull a 90-pound sled 40…

Behind the Cover: Jobs after the Marine Corps

By Dan Lamothe on July 30, 2012 Awards, Behind the Cover, Drawdown, Washington

The job market is struggling, just as the Marine Corps undergoes a drawdown of forces that will reduce the size of the service from 202,100 Marines in 2010 to 182,100 by fall 2016. What’s a Marine to do, then? This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story explores the options that are on the table in a new transition assistance program the White House and Defense Department have planned for all troops leaving military service. It has similarities to a program the Corps rolled out earlier this year, but there are definitely differences, too. Marine and Pentagon officials are now in…

Behind the Cover: Examining 2013’s reenlistment rates

By Dan Lamothe on July 10, 2012 Behind the Cover, Manpower, Washington

The Marine Corps may be in the process of drawing down from 202,100 Marines to 182,100, but there are still plenty of opportunities for personnel to cash in if they’re willing to take on the right job. That immediately becomes obvious when examining the Corps’ 2013 Selective Reenlistment Bonus plan, which is the subject of this week’s Marine Corps Times cover story. First-term Marines are eligible to receive up to $69,750, and 18 military occupational specialties actually will see larger bonuses in 2013 than they did in 2012. With assistance from Manpower and Reserve Affairs out of Quantico, Va., we…

Marines ask: Why not more Presidential Unit Citations?

By Dan Lamothe on June 25, 2012 Afghanistan, Awards, Infantry, Washington

The decision to award the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation to 28,000 personnel who served under Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010 has led to a basic question from other Marines: Why not us? Marines, veterans and their family members are questioning online why troops who served in heavy combat in Iraq and Afghanistan outside the MEB’s deployment haven’t received a PUC, which is considered the unit-level equivalent to the Navy Cross. The only other PUC awarded to a Marine unit since 9/11 went to I Marine Expeditionary Force (Reinforced), for actions during and immediately after the initial invasion of…

Sgt. Rafael Peralta’s Medal of Honor case shifts again

By Dan Lamothe on June 22, 2012 Awards, Infantry, Iraq, Medal of Honor, Washington

Sgt. Rafael Peralta’s case for the Medal of Honor has shifted again, according to a congressman who has pressed the Pentagon to review new evidence that he says shows the Marine chose to smother a grenade to save his buddies in Iraq. Peralta, 25, died Nov. 15, 2004, in Fallujah. He was awarded the Navy Cross in 2008 for disregarding his own personal safety while already mortally wounded, pulling the grenade to his body, “absorbing the brunt of the blast and shielding fellow Marines only feet away,” according to his award citation. Despite the extraordinary heroism, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates…

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