Leadership

Devil pup ships off to boot camp

By Gina Harkins on March 28, 2013 Boot camp, Leadership, Marines, Recruit

A new recruit is about to step onto the yellow footprints — only he needs four of them, and they need to be paw-shaped. Rct. Chesty XIV, the new Marine Corps mascot, met his drill instructor, Sgt. Chesty XIII, for the first time this month. And judging by the look on the sergeant’s face, it seems he’s prepared to use some serious knife-paws on the pup. Rct. Chesty will fill a long line of English Bulldogs who represent the Marine Corps. He’ll likely meet important players like the commander in chief and the defense secretary, which is why he’ll need…

Marine junior officer: Cut my pay

By Hope Hodge Seck on March 25, 2013 Battle Rattle, budget, Leadership, Marines, Washington

The Wall Street Journal is starting the day with a provocative opinion editorial ($) by Benjamin Luxenberg, a Marine first lieutenant who says some troops should be willing to take a cut to pay and benefits in order to solve the nation’s fiscal crisis–and he’ll be the first to volunteer. Luxenberg argues that troop pay has become “sacrosanct” in the national dialogue, and crucial defense programs are facing deeper cuts because of that. “National security shouldn’t be sacrificed on the altar of military pay,” he writes. The statement comes with caveats: before wholescale cuts, Luxenberg says pay should be aligned across…

“Mattisisms” — Gen. Mattis motivates from your computer

By Gina Harkins on March 21, 2013 Battle Rattle, General officers, Leadership, Marines

You’ve heard some of the motivating remarks by Gen. James Mattis, but did you know about the memes floating around the Internet that showcase some of his best quotes? Marines love Mattis, this we know. One launched a presidential campaign for the outgoing head of U.S. Central Command. And another got fired over having one of the “Warrior Monk’s” famous quotes tattooed on his arm. Mattis simply motivates today’s generation of Marines, and that has spread to the digital sphere. So in honor of this week’s profile on Mattis, as he prepares to pass the CENTCOM torch to Army Gen. Lloyd Austin,…

Sgt. Maj. Barrett tells Marines to step up, stop sexual assault

By Gina Harkins on March 13, 2013 Leadership, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps

The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps issued a video message with some straight talk for Marines on the issue of sexual assault prevention. [HTML1] Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett told Marines in the passionate message posted Tuesday to “step in and do something.” When the Corps has a problem within its own ranks, they have to own it and fix it, he said. “There’s never a wrong time to do the right thing,” Barrett said. “Remember who you are. … Remember who we are.” The message introduces the Defense Department’s theme for the 2013 Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is…

Callout: Help us find the Marine behind the Mattis Christmas tale

By Gina Harkins on March 11, 2013 General officers, History and heritage, Leadership

Marines love Gen. James Mattis so much that there’s even a special Christmas tale about the “warrior monk” that makes the rounds on the Internet each holiday season. As the story goes, Mattis stepped in for a young Marine who had guard duty at Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., on Christmas Eve back in 1998. Mattis — then a one-star — is rumored to have told the Marine on duty to go home and spend the holiday with his family. Mattis took over and spent the night pulling guard duty. Now, we know Marines love Mattis. We’ve seen…

Our ‘2010 Marine of the Year’ eyes a run for The Hill

By Gidget Fuentes on February 28, 2013 Capitol Hill, Leadership, Marines, Military Times Marine of the Year

Marines, of course, are trained to take the hill. Then there’s a group of leathernecks who actually have taken that mission to a different level, as in Capitol Hill. The lists of senators and representatives include Marines who served on active duty or in the reserves, and some saw combat. They bring a familiarity with the military, and the Marine Corps in particular, to a Congress whose members with military service represent less than 20 percent of both houses. In fact, the number of veterans serving in the House or Senate has hit its lowest since World War II. But veterans continue…

Behind the Cover: Marines prepare for women in combat units

By Dan Lamothe on January 28, 2013 Infantry, Leadership, Manpower, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps, Uniforms, Washington, women

Pentagon leaders announced last week that they were rescinding the 1994 Combat Exclusion Policy that kept women out of ground combat units, raising a host of questions about what will change for rank-and-file service members. This week, Marine Corps Times addresses many of those concerns. Our cover story is splashed across four pages inside the magazine, and includes interviews with Lt. Gen. Robert Milstead, deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike Barrett, and other senior leaders. By now, it seems safe to assume that nearly all of our readers are aware of the…

Video: Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett on women serving in combat units

By Dan Lamothe on January 25, 2013 Infantry, Leadership, The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps, Washington, women

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey announced yesterday that they were lifting the 1994 Combat Exclusion Policy that bans women from serving directly in the infantry and other ground combat units. The move has been greeted with mixed reaction, with some hailing it as a victory for equal rights and others saying it will weaken the U.S. military. I’ve spent most of the last 24 hours working on a full-length cover story that will be published soon addressing what the change means for Marines. In particular, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike…

Report: Harrier squadron CO Lt. Col. Christopher Raible died leading counter attack after Camp Bastion infiltrated

By Andrew deGrandpre on September 22, 2012 Afghanistan, Aviation, Camp Leatherneck, Leadership

The Washington Post published a noteworthy story this morning revealing new details about the deadly Sept. 14 attack on Camp Bastion, a British facility in Afghanistan’s Helmand province that abuts the Marine Corps’ principal hub there, Camp Leatherneck. Citing multiple Marine sources in theater, the Post’s Ernesto Londoño reports that Lt. Col. Christopher Raible — the commanding officer of Marine Attack Squadron 211 who was killed along with Sgt. Bradley Atwell after 15 insurgents dressed as U.S. soldiers infiltrated the base and torched six AV-8B Harriers — died heroically while leading several other Marines in an aggressive counter attack as mayhem…

Silver Star recipient takes command of 1/4

By Gidget Fuentes on September 7, 2012 Awards, Infantry, Leadership, Marines

The Marines of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, welcomed a new boss in Maj. Christopher J. Bronzi during a Sept. 6 ceremony at Camp Pendleton’s Camp Horno. Bronzi, 39, of Poughquag, N.Y., deployed to Afghanistan and served as operations officer with 1st Marine Regiment and Regimental Combat Team 1. A 1996 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, he received the Silver Star for his actions leading his men in battle over two days of heavy fighting in Iraq’s volatile Sunni Triangle in April 2004. Bronzi, then a captain, was commanding Golf Company, 2/4, through the intense deadly battles with insurgents April 6-7 in…

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