Cops kill another Marine. Are they scared of the scarlet and gold?

I caught this on Military.com and to be honest I missed the uproar.  

Forgive me.

Go there to read the whole story but check out this statement by the Marine's Commanding Officer.

Loggins' commanding officer, Col. Nicholas Marano, countered back with a bruising statement issued to the media: "While I am confident they will do the right thing in the end, I am less than satisfied with the official response from the City of San Clemente and Orange County. Many of the statements made concerning Manny Loggins' character over the past few days are incorrect and deeply hurtful to an already grieving family."

Col. Marano gets a big OOHRAAAH from me.

But my question to the greater community is this.  Have statements from the Dept. of Homeland Security made local police forces so afraid of service members that they're going into a shoot first mode?

It appears to me that that might be the case.

If it is then liberty instructions to the Marines here in the states need to be changed.  Vets need to be warned.  Oh and before you accuse me of being alarmist, remember that we've only seen a few of the dispatches that have been sent from DHS to local departments, not the full documents with regards to service members and vets becoming threats because of their training.

This trend of police shooting Marines is disturbing.

Monday Funny.

A dad buys a lie detector robot that slaps people when they lie. He decides to test it at dinner.

"Son, where were you today?"
The son says "at school dad."
Robot slaps the son!

"Ok, I watched a dvd at my friends house!" the son says
"What dvd?" asks the father
"Toy story."
Robot slaps the son again!
"Ok, it was a porno" cries the son.

"What!? When I was your age I didn't know what porn was" says the dad.
Robot slaps the dad!

Mom laughs "HaHaHa! He's certainly your son."
Robot slaps the mom!

Awkward Silence

Breaking News from David Cenciotti's website. 2 Italian Marines in Indian custody!

Wow.

From David's site.

Two Italian Navy riflemen belonging to the San Marco Battalion, are currently under custody in India pending the investigation about the alleged killing of two Indian fishermen 30 miles off the southern Indian coast on Feb. 15.
The two military were on board the merchant ship Enrica Lexie as Military Security Team on Italian ships in areas under threat of pirates. Although the episode is still under investigation, the Italian Navy explained in an official statement that at about 12.30PM  Italian Time, the merchant ship was approached by a suspect vessel with armed sailors that did not respond to warning signs.
In compliance with the stardand procedures, the security team on board the Enrica Lexie fired three sets of warning shots for deterrence whose effect was to discourage the pirates. The alleged pirate boat departed from the Italian merchant ship without signs “of obvious onboard damages.”
However, two fishermen died and Indian authorities denied that any of the crew members of the “suspect” vessel was armed.

This is not going to end well unless some adults take charge with a quickness.

31st MEU concludes Cobra Gold 2012

Are you a gear head or a gear whore?

Are you a gear head or a gear whore?

Seems like a pretty outlandish statement doesn't it.  But bear with me one second.  Do you like gear and shop for the best that's out there at the best price?  Or do you simply jump on whatever bandwagon is rolling by and buy what's popular?

I came up with a little saying.  I call it the CHE.  Costa-Haley Effect.

When ever one of those guys comes out with a new setup for the AR they're running, people will go out and spend good hard earned cash to copy them.  Not slamming Raven holsters but kydex is kydex.  I've seen guys put together some impressive holsters in the kitchen and then on their build tables.  But I have an even better example.  Check this out from KitUp!

SureFire G2ZX Combat Light $115.00

Kit Up Pick: G2ZX Combat Light

 Like a good headlamp, another must have is a tactical light that can literally light up the room and blind adversaries.  SureFire has be doing this for a long time.  In my opinion, they continue to make the best weapon lights, and for the money you can’t beat the G2ZX.

Now don't get me wrong.

They just put out a list of their own top ten picks.

But reading over the list, it got me to thinking.  Is this actually good gear or is it simply "famous" gear that's sporting a "designer" price.

I chose the light because its the simplest and most in your face example that I could find.
These are its specs...straight from the surefire website.  200 Lumen run time for 2 hours.  It runs on CR123 batteries and its made of a virtually indestructible polymer.

Sorry boys and girls but for 115$ there are competing flashlights that perform much better.  Exhibit number one.  The M20 Olight by 4Sevens.  The specs on it from 4sevens website gives this info...320 Lumens for 4 hours and 110 Lumens for 11 hours and if you just use the light to make head calls and to read letters/books you can use 5 lumens for 600 hours.

Long story short.  Don't be a gear whore.

Be a gear head.  Shop around, make your own judgements and determine what type of performance YOU need, not whats fashionable.

SEAL/Act of Valor blowback...reading between the lines.

I saw this article on Military.com and it gone my head spinning.  Go to the site to read the whole thing but check out this snippets....

"All evolutions you see in the movie involving ranges, vessels, aircraft, and submarines were part of regularly scheduled training and were at no cost to the Navy or American taxpayers," the Navy's Office of Information said in a statement. "The Navy will not financially profit from AOV."

and then this...

 "I hope, personally, to be 'one and done' with the sanctioned movie business for awhile," Rear Admiral Sean Prybus, head of Navy Special Warfare, said at the AFCEA West convention in San Diego a few weeks ago. "Navy Special Warfare is challenged in this environment -- with the media exposure -- and the number of public domain transactions. Operational security matters to us. We, as a community, are not used to operating under such a spotlight

Interesting.
 

A highly decorated, former Special Ops General and basically the creator of SOCOM yelled at the head of SOCOM (a Navy SEAL) and told him to get out of the media.

The media laughed and the prick Admiral made a snide remark which amounted to...its the world we live in, its not my fault.

NOW...we have the head of Navy Special Warfare saying that he hopes this is a "one and done".

Translation.

The SEALs are getting blowback from the Special Ops Community.  I predicted that it would be the US Army Special Forces that would lead the charge to get the SEALs to STFU and I don't know cause I'm not there but it sure looks like its happening.

11th MEU mourns the loss of one of its own.

A Battalion Landing Team 3/1 rifle detail fires a salute at a Feb. 17 memorial service aboard USS Makin Island honoring hospital corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler L. Estrada, who died in a Djibouti training accident Feb. 14. Estrada, who served with the landing team's Company I, was 21 and a native of Maricopa, Ariz. Doc died in the company of his brothers, said company commander Capt. Matt McGirr. The landing team is the ground combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group to the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility.

Military training is rigorous.  A euphemism used at all Marine Corps School Houses for extremely difficult and challenging training.  Being a Corpsman attached to a Marine Corps Unit opens you up to all those dangers.

God Bless you Doc.

Semper Fi.

F-35 at Edwards AFB -- 2011 in Review

BAD ASS!

A Wounded Warrior swims laps during practice for the 2012 Marine Corps Trials at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 15, 2012. Wounded Warrior Marines, veterans and allies are competing in the second annual trials, which include swimming, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, track and field, archery and shooting. The top 50 performing Marines will earn the opportunity to compete in the Wounded Warrior Games in Colorado Springs in May.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Chelsea Flowers)

 

 

First he volunteered for service.

Then he went to war.

He was gravely wounded but instead of sitting on his ass getting fat and lazy, he's out there busting his butt--still competing.

Beyond impressive.  Every time a Marine drops out of run 'cause he hurts or whatever, he should be shown this pic.

Bad Ass!

NOTE*
This photo represents every Marine, Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Coast Guardsman that are participating in these events.  You guys and gals put a whole lot of shit into perspective.  Thanks.

Dutch Marines still training hard...

Dutch Royal Marines patrol through the Military Operations in Urban Terrain compound here with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Feb. 14, 2012. 24th MEU conducted the final mission for their Certification Exercise (CERTEX) with the Dutch Royal Marines as a way to integrate partnered operations with allied countries. The 24th MEU's CERTEX with Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group included a series of missions from Jan. 27 to Feb. 16 intended to evaluate and certify the unit for their upcoming deployment.  Photo by SSgt.  Robert Fisher

U.S., Thai Marines practice urban combat during Cobra Gold 2012

Photo Release: F-35 naval variants commence weapons testing

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – Marine Corps Maj. C. R. “Jimi” Clift flies F-35B Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft BF-3 Dec. 19, 2011 with a 1,000-lb inert test GBU-32 in an open internal weapons bay for loads testing. Significant weapons testing for the F-35B and F-35C variants is scheduled for 2012, including fit checks, captive carriage, pit drop and aerial drop tests.

The F-35B is the variant of the Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps, capable of short take-offs and vertical landings for use on amphibious ships or expeditionary airfields to provide air power to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. The F-35B is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)