Andrew deGrandpre

‘Terminal Lance’ Tuesdays: The MCMAP novice and recruiting Max Uriarte to Marine Corps Times

By Andrew deGrandpre on September 4, 2012 Terminal Lance

In March 2010, Marine Corps Times wrote a short story about then-Lance Cpl. Maximilian Uriarte, creator of the popular web comic “Terminal Lance.” He came to our attention because his website, which had been live for about two months, had racked up an impressive 80,000 page views (now in excess of 93 million!) from Marines enthralled with his ability to jab fun at the inanity that sometimes defines life in the Corps. … That, and we were curious about rumors a master gunns was angling to have the site shut down. We put Max on our payroll within the year.…

Report: Deadly attack on Marines at FOB Delhi was carried out by unvetted Afghan teen

By Andrew deGrandpre on August 18, 2012 Afghanistan, Allies and training, III MEF, MARSOC, Safety

The Washington Post published a disturbing report Friday evening, detailing the deadly Aug. 10 attack on Marines at Forward Operating Base Delhi in the Garmser district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Among the revelations, according to reporter Kevin Sieff’s story: These killings were carried out, allegedly, by a 15-year-old Afghan boy — described as a personal assistant to the district police chief, who’s been accused of having an affinity for young boys and abusing them. Moreover, Sieff’s report contends the boy lived on the base but was never put through the coalition’s rigorous vetting process used for all members of the…

Behind the cover: Commandant calls out complacent leaders, tells Marines to quit embarrassing the Corps

By Andrew deGrandpre on April 30, 2012 Behind the Cover, Leadership, The CMC

The Marine Corps’ top general wants an end to the monkey business that, since the start of 2012, has cast a steady, unflattering light on an institution defined in no small part by the pride it exhibits in being a disciplined, moral fighting force. “We are allowing our standards to erode,” Gen. Jim Amos, the service’s 35th commandant, laments in an internal memo distributed to all of his generals, commanding officers and sergeants major. Known as a White Letter, the sharply worded missive comes in response to “a number of recent widely publicized incidents” involving Marines misbehaving abroad. Complacent leadership…

General: Marines targeting Afghan drug smugglers ahead of spring poppy harvest

By Andrew deGrandpre on April 16, 2012 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Embedded journalism, Infantry, Kajaki, Marjah

We trust you’ve been reading — and enjoying — senior staff writer Dan Lamothe’s numerous dispatches from Afghanistan, where he and photographer James Lee are embedded presently with members of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Thanks so much for your continued interest in their work. Today, over on Marine Corps Times’ home page, we’ve rolled out Lamothe’s first hard-news report from this trip to the war zone. It details aggressive efforts to curtail the flow of stored poppy out of Afghanistan ahead of the spring harvest, now just weeks away. Before shipping out last week to…

Behind the cover: Marine lieutenant’s firing causes uproar over rules of engagement

By Andrew deGrandpre on April 16, 2012 Afghanistan, Behind the Cover, Capitol Hill, Infantry, Sangin

First Lt. Josh Waddell ordered his men to take out an insurgent last fall in Afghanistan, and that decision has come back to bite him pretty badly. Now, the 25-year-old finds himself at the center of a contentious debate over the rules of engagement and the potentially disastrous career implications for those deemed to have violated them. When the incident occurred, Waddell was the executive officer for his company with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, which oversaw security in the Sangin district of Helmand province. He was subsequently fired from that job, given a lousy fitness report and told he would…

UFC hopeful and former Marine George Lockhart back in the MMA spotlight

By Andrew deGrandpre on February 28, 2012 MCMAP, Mixed marital arts

Today, our friend and fellow military blogger Phil Creed posted a great story about the re-emergence of mixed martial artist and former Marine Sgt. George “Loaded” Lockhart. Regular readers of Marine Corps Times will recognize that name. Lockhart was the subject of a cover story two years ago after the Marine Corps told him he could not accept Spike TV’s invitation to appear on “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality show for up-and-coming MMA pros seeking a shot at UFC stardom. At the time, commanders in Quantico worried that Lockhart’s participation could reflect poorly on the institution, as some of the…

Video: Gen. John Allen motivates soldiers after deadly attack fueled by Koran burning

By Andrew deGrandpre on February 25, 2012 Afghanistan, General officers

On Friday, Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of all coalition forces in Afghanistan, visited a forward operating base in eastern Nangarhar province, where the day prior a man protesting the Koran-burning scandal shot and killed two U.S. soldiers. It’s a passionate address and a unique look at this Allen’s leadership style. You can watch the video below. To learn more about Gen. John Allen, check out Marine Corps Times’ profile. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqa3LrjSMNs[/youtube]

Behind the cover: Cutting 20,000 Marines

By Andrew deGrandpre on February 7, 2012 Behind the Cover, budget, Force Structure Review, Manpower

Throughout the Corps, anxiety is high as Marines and their families wait to learn how the commandant intends to execute massive force cuts ordered in January by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. And their uneasiness certainly is justified. The reality is that over the next five years, the service will purge some 20,000 from the active-duty force — about as many as it added during the latter part of the last decade to sustain operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This week’s cover story, which was co-reported by Marines Corps Times’ senior staff writers Gina Cavallaro and Dan Lamothe, examines how the…

Behind the Cover: Did Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter cover a grenade to shield his buddy?

By Andrew deGrandpre on January 16, 2012 Afghanistan, Awards, Behind the Cover, Marjah

UPDATE: An updated version of this story has now been posted online here. You may recognize this face. That’s Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, who was severely wounded in Afghanistan in 2010 when insurgents chucked a hand grenade onto the roof where he and another Marine, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio, were posting security. In the months since the attack, as Carpenter has undergone numerous surgeries to address his injuries, he has become an ambassador, of sorts, for the Marine Corps and its wounded warriors, inspiring family, friends and fellow Marines with his undying optimism in the face of a difficult recovery.…

Behind the Cover: Snitching and the Corps’ drug problem

By Andrew deGrandpre on July 5, 2011 Afghanistan, Behind the Cover, Gear, General officers

This week in Marine Corps Times, junior Marines and noncommissioned officers debate one general’s controversial initiative to eradicate illegal drug use in his command. Dubbed “Not in My Corps,” Brig. Gen. William D. Beydler’s new campaign encourages rank-and-file troops within Japan’s 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to inform a superior if they see anyone in their unit getting high. Some troops call that snitching and a call to violate the trust Marines must have for one another at the small-unit level. But the commandant praises the effort, and the three-star head of all Marine forces in Japan says commands across the…

Author Andrew deGrandpre