Company I conducts long-range raid

PACIFIC OCEAN-Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard A. Reveles adjusts his glasses aboard USS Makin Island here before a long range helicopter raid Oct. 6. Reveles, a Bell Gardens, Calif., native, is a corpsman with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Battalion Landing Team 3/1. The unit embarked the amphibious assault ship Makin Island, the amphibious transport dock New Orleans and the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November., Cpl. Gene Allen Ainsworth III, 10/6/2011 10:01 AM

PACIFIC OCEAN-Lance Cpl. Manuel R. Morin, loads blank ammunition in USS Makin Island’s hangar here before a long range helicopter raid Oct. 6. Morin, a Houston native, serves with Battalion Landing Team 3/1, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit embarked the amphibious assault ship Makin Island, the amphibious transport dock New Orleans and the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November., Cpl. Gene Allen Ainsworth III, 10/6/2011 10:09 AM

PASO ROBLES, Calif. -An AH-1Z Cobra with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Units aviation combat element, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), lifts off to support a training raid here Oct. 6. The unit embarked the anphibious assault ship Makin Island, the amphibious transport dock New Orleans and the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November., Cpl. Gene Allen Ainsworth III, 10/6/2011 1:12 PM

PASO ROBLES, Calif.-1st Sgt. Carey R. Wells takes accountability of his Marines before a helicopter training raid here Oct. 6. Wells, a Christchurch, New Zealand, native, serves as the first sergeant for Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit embarked the amphibious assault ship Makin Island, the amphibious transport dock New Orleans and the dock landing ship Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November., Cpl. Gene Allen Ainsworth III, 10/6/2011 1:59 PM

Harriers perform vertical landings on USS Essex

Finally the 31st MEU steps up to the plate.  Thank you PAO!

"Wings of a Marine" - 1965 US Marine Pilot Training

Video courtesy of THINKDEFENCE.  Thanks buddy...

Iconic pic. Royal Marines storm Taliban compound.

In this dramatic image, the Officer Commanding 10 Troop is shown sending a situation report during an initial entry into an enemy compound.

M Company, 42 Commando Royal Marines took part in an operation to clear the compounds used by the Taliban in Barikjo, Helmand Province Southern Afghanistan, in early 2007. This was part of Operation Volcano.

Photographer: LA(Phot) Gaz Faulkner

Friday Porn...

Its the F-35 on the USS Wasp.

You weren't thinking...Geez....enjoy....

Marines participate in Exercise Dawn Blitz

Company I Marines prepare for a training raid

A CH-53E Sea Stallion with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced) carrying Marines departs USS Makin Island Oct. 6 to conduct a training raid. The Marines are with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, which serves as the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit embarked USS Makin Island, USS New Orleans and USS Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in Novembe

Marines with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, board a CH-53E Sea Stallion with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced) before conducting a training raid Oct. 6. The battalion serves as the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which embarked USS Makin Island, USS New Orleans and USS Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November.

Marines with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1, wait to board a CH-53E Sea Stallion with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced) before conducting a training raid Oct. 6. The battalion serves as the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which embarked USS Makin Island, USS New Orleans and USS Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November.

Cpl. Scott Mackie waits to board a CH-53E Sea Stallion with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced) in the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island’s hangar Oct. 6 before conducting a training raid. Mackie, 22, is from Huntington Beach, Calif., and serves with Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/1. The battalion serves as the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which embarked USS Makin Island, USS New Orleans and USS Pearl Harbor in San Diego Sept. 28 and is participating in its final exercise before deploying in November.

Today in history...

The Yom Kippur War began today...

Who gives a damn if a Marine dies?

No Title

Take a man and put him alone

Put him twelve thousand miles from home

Empty his heart of all but his blood

Make him live in sweat in mud

This is the life I have to live

This the soul to the devil I give

You have your parties and drink your beer

While young men are dying over here

Plant your signs on the white house lawn

"Lets all get out of Vietman"

Use your signs and have your fun

then you refuse to use a gun

There's nothing else for you to do

Then I'm supposed to die for you

There is one thing that you don't know

and thats where I think you should go

I'm already here and it's too late

I've traded all my love just for hate

I'll hate you till the day I die

You made me hear my buddy cry

I saw his leg and his blood shed

then I heard them say "This one's dead"

It was a large price for him to pay

to let you live another day

He had the guts to fight and die

to keep the freedom you live by

By his dying your life he buys

but who gives a damn if a marine dies

~Author Unknown

Found in the pocket of a dead marine – Quang Tri Providence,Vietnam

7 JUNE 1969

Rest in peace Steve Jobs...but remember...


Remember your Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen that are in harms way.


Steve brought you entertainment.


The military is fighting and dying for you.


Give a damn when one of them dies.

F-35B below deck...

and we have to see another one on deck too, right?

The most valuable ships in the fleet are under stress.

The G-man has a write up on the Amphibious Fleet that must be read.  Check it out here but this part is telling...

The amphibious fleet of the US is in high demand because they are the most flexible ships in the US arsenal, but is seen as and is given a low priority by leaders in the US Navy with the total amphibious force now 15% below clearly articulated bare minimum size and 25% below stated requirement size. For whatever reason, both Congress and the DoD are watching the Avondale shipyard that builds amphibious ships go out of business due to lack of work.
What is the plan to address these problems, because all indications are there is no plan.

Defense Review's write up on the SRTV-5

Defense Review has a write up on the SRTV-5 .  Worth checking out.  Read about it here.