Training

Pimp My Ride: Afghanistan Edition

By Hope Hodge Seck on May 28, 2014 Afghanistan, Blue-Green operations, Embedded journalism, Training, Vehicles

During my last few days in Afghanistan, I got a behind-the-scenes look at a “dress rehearsal” for a large-scale training exercise the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps was planning at Camp Shorabak in Helmand province to showcase the Corps’ military training and enhance interoperability. The scale of the exercise was pretty impressive: it involved hundreds of Afghan soldiers, two of the 215th Corps’ Mi-17 helicopters, and over a dozen M1117 armored vehicles, plus Humvees and trucks. The M1117, used by the U.S. Army’s military police corps and the Army National Guard, has less armored protection than the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle,…

Five reasons to consider the argument this female Marine officer makes about infantry training

By Hope Hodge Seck on April 2, 2014 Training, women

The Marine Corps has been sending female volunteers to its Infantry Officer Training at Quantico, Va. since late 2012. But while female Marines hump gear, navigate land, and climb ropes alongside their male counterparts, one officer says Marine women still aren’t getting a fair shot. Second lieutenant Sage Santangelo writes in a Washington Post op-ed that part of the reason that all 14 women who have attempted the course have washed out is that male lieutenants can opt to retake the course if they fail to succeed the first time, while females must move on to training in their non-infantry military…

PHOTOS: New images show impact of deadly Hawthorne mortar blast

By Hope Hodge Seck on April 1, 2014 Battle Rattle, Training

A newly-released collection of photographs from the Marine Corps depicts the horrific aftermath of a March 18, 2013 explosion that claimed the lives of seven Camp Lejeune Marines who were conducting live-fire training in Hawthorne, Nev. A previously released command investigation, obtained by Marine Corps Times, revealed that the source of the tragic accident was a mortar tube that was unintentionally double-loaded during night training. Three Marine officers were dismissed in the wake of the tragedy. New photographs, released to Marine Corps Times this week through a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal the force of the blast and its…

The Marines made a video about their cold weather exercise…and it’s kind of awesome

By Hope Hodge Seck on March 18, 2014 Training

Why are Marines training in white camouflage parkas in the snow? It’s part of Cold Response 2014, a joint multinational training exercise designed to build allied collaboration and provide experience training in cold-weather conditions. But don’t take my word for it. In this video, produced by Marine Forces Europe and Africa, a few of the 15,000 participants in Cold Response from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and ten other countries define the exercise in their own terms. [HTML1] What’s to love? The folksy background music, the bouquet of accents from different NATO nations, and the guy…

31st MEU teams with Darwin Marines for Australian exercise

By Gina Harkins on August 29, 2013 Australia, Battle Rattle, Life at sea, Marines, MEU operations, Training

About 850 Marines headed to the remote Australian outback to test the capabilities of a training range as the U.S. prepares to deploy a battalion-landing team-sized unit there next year. Exercise Koolendong 2013 kicked off on Tuesday at Bradshaw Field Training Area outside Darwin, Australia. The two-week long exercise will be conducted with about 1,000 Australian and U.S. troops. It is designed to assess the capabilities of the training field to accommodate live-fire training for a battalion-sized unit, according to a Marine Corps news release. Included are about 700 members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based out of Japan,…

Video: Sounds of a drill instructor in training

By Gina Harkins on May 24, 2013 Boot camp, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Marines, Recruit, Training

Every Marine knows that drill instructors can yell, but you might not realize how much training they go through in order to be able to do it right. Military Times’ Senior Video Journalist Colin Kelly got up close and personal with some students at DI school aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. There, they learn how to project their voices correctly to avoid serious damage to their vocal chords. The staff noncommissioned officers run drills just like they will in boot camp to train their voices not to break. The instructors at the schoolhouse stand a set pace…

Marines killed in Nevada training explosion remembered

By Hope Hodge Seck on April 25, 2013 Camp Lejeune, Events, Marines, Training

One month after a mortar explosion killed seven Marines and wounded eight more troops during a live-fire exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev., the unit gathered for a small private ceremony to remember their fallen. Killed in the mortar blast were Pfc. Joshua M. Martino, 19, of Clearfield, Pa.; Lance Cpl. David P. Fenn II, 20, of Polk City, Fla.; Lance Cpl. Roger W. Muchnick Jr., 23, of Fairfield, Conn.; Lance Cpl. Joshua C. Taylor, 21, of Marietta, Ohio; Lance Cpl. Mason J. Vanderwork, 21, of Hickory, N.C.; Lance Cpl. William T. Wild IV, 21, of Anne Arundel, Md.; and Corporal…

Behind the Cover: Fighting with the pistol

By Dan Lamothe on February 4, 2013 Behind the Cover, Training, Weapons

Qualifying to use the pistol is about to get a lot more complicated for Marines. The service has adopted the new Combat Pistol Program, which replaces the longtime Entry-Level Pistol Program in marksmanship. Tens of thousands of Marines will be required to qualify with it each year. In this week’s Marine Corps Times cover story, we outline what the program includes and how it compares to the legacy pistol qual, table by table. Officials with Weapons Training Battalion, out of Quantico, Va., explain how the rollout of the new program will occur, and when. This week’s story also expands on…

Behind the Cover: New PFT requirements

By Bethany Crudele on December 3, 2012 Behind the Cover, Boot camp, Combat Fitness Test, Fitness, Marines, Recruit, Sports, Training, women

This week’s Marine Corps Times takes a look at the new physical fitness requirements for female Marines and the impact the change is likely to have on the entire force, not just women. In a forcewide message last week, Marine Commandant Gen. Jim Amos announced that women will be required to complete three pullups to pass the test and eight to achieve a perfect PFT score starting in 2014. The change is likely to impact promotion fairness and unit training for men and women starting in 2013. The flexed-arm hang will remain as part of the Corps’ initial strength test…

A buddy in need, indeed

By Gidget Fuentes on October 19, 2012 Animals, Logistics, Marines, Science & Technology, Training

When you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, and that mountain just ahead seems almost insurmountable, it often helps to turn to a buddy. Especially one that can carry, say, heavy cases of ammunition, anti-tank missiles and gun tubes. It’s why pack animals – like the mules at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. – are the wheels of choice for the heavy lifting for much of the world, including armies over the centuries. A group of Hawaii-based Marines with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, this month took to the Sierra Nevada mountains with…

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