Tag: U.S. Marines

US Marines are busy doing what US Marines do:

South Korea and the United States are conducting joint military drills in the Yellow Sea.

South Korea’s Marine Corps said on Tuesday United States Marines based in Japan have been sent to take part in the ongoing drills, which began last month near South Korea’s northernmost Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong Islands.

About 200 U.S. marines belonging to the third Marine Expeditionary Force stationed in Okinawa and 120 South Korean marines are taking part in the training exercise, named Korea Maritime Exercise Program.

The marines are practicing to defend against various scenarios of possible provocation by North Korea.  [KBS World Radio]

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if the activists are willing to accept 6 out of 7 females failing the fitness test or will they they try and force the Marines to change the test to let more women qualify to be in frontline combat jobs?:

New physical standards established so women can compete for combat posts in the Marine Corps have weeded out many of the female hopefuls. But they’re also disqualifying some men, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

In the last five months, six out of seven female recruits — and 40 out of about 1,500 male recruits — failed to pass the new regimen of pullups, ammunition-can lifts, a 3-mile run and combat maneuvers required to move on in training for combat jobs, according to the data.

The tests, taken about 45 days into basic training, force recruits who fail into other, less physically demanding Marine jobs. And that, the Marine commandant says, is making the Corps stronger.

The high failure rate for women, however, raises questions about how well integration can work, including in Marine infantry units where troops routinely slog for miles carrying packs weighed down with artillery shells and ammunition, and at any moment must be able to scale walls, dig in and fight in close combat.

The new standards are a product of the Pentagon’s decision to allow women to compete for front-line jobs, including infantry, artillery and other combat posts. But Marine leaders say they are having a broader impact by screening out less physically powerful Marines — both men and women.  [Marine Corps Times]

You can read more at the link, but remember this is just the fitness test; there is a lot more training that occurs that will further reduce the number of females who want frontline combat jobs.  I have always said that women who want to work frontline combat jobs should have the opportunity to do so, however be prepared for very small numbers which is exactly what is happening.

The resolution by lawmakers on Okinawa cannot be enforced, but it just shows that they will use any incident to make a political statement against the US military on Okinawa.  What I find interesting though is that this statement calls for only the US Marines to withdraw and not any of the other services:

Okinawa lawmakers unanimously adopted a protest resolution Thursday calling for the Marine Corps to withdraw completely from the island prefecture after a U.S. base worker was arrested in the death of a 20-year-old woman.

“Such a brutal act by a civilian military employee, who is a former Marine, was absolutely unacceptable,” says the prefectural assembly’s strongly worded declaration. It demands that all Marines leave the island that was returned to Japan from the U.S. post World War II military administration in 1972.

“Pains and sorrow of the family are immeasurable, and a torrent of anger is growing among people of Okinawa,” says the resolution, which was adopted during an emergency meeting by a majority from ruling parties that support anti-base Gov. Takeshi Onaga, while the opposition, including the Liberal Democratic Party, abstained.

The resolution also questions the effectiveness of preventive education by the U.S. military after past crimes by U.S. servicemembers, and demands a drastic reduction in the U.S. military presence on the island, the closure of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and the cancellation of a plan to move Futenma’s operations to Okinawa’s remote north.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link.

South Korean and U.S. marines run through a snow-covered field carrying each other over their shoulders at a mountain training center in Pyeongchang, east of Seoul, on Jan. 28, 2016. The marines from the two countries conducted the joint drill, set in extreme cold winter conditions, to enhance their combined military capability. The U.S. maintains about 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. (Yonhap)

South Korean Marines engage in a shooting drill at a training camp in the western border town of Gimpo on Sept. 17, 2015, as part of a three-week joint exercise. The drill involving 500 South Korean Marines and 600 from the Third U.S. Marine Division, is aimed at improving their combat readiness and boosting joint combat skills. (Yonhap)

A South Korean Marine shows his camaraderie by pouring water on a U.S. Marine’s head to beat the heat at a training camp in the western border town of Gimpo on Sept. 17, 2015, after finishing their training as part of a three-week joint exercise. The drill involving 500 South Korean Marines and 600 from the Third U.S. Marine Division, is aimed at improving their combat readiness and boosting joint combat skills. (Yonhap)

A US Marine officer who recently served in South Korea has earned the scorn of Deadspin.com for what was basically a publicity stunt reunion during a St. Louis Rams preseason game:

During last weekend’s preseason St. Louis Rams game, a familiar ritual played out: With a stadium full of fans and a television audience watching, Rams cheerleader Candace Ruocco Valentine was surprised by the arrival of her husband August Valentine, a Marine Corps first lieutenant, who had just returned home from service abroad.

As a series of visuals, shown in the video below, it was a sterling example of the genre. The All-American cheerleader literally drops her pom-poms to run toward her husband, relief written across her face as she does; the happy young couple embraces; and Rampage, an anthropomorphic ram, looks on approvingly at their release from anxiety and fear.

As a set of facts, though, the heartwarming moment was basically bullshit, despite which the viral glurge machine went ahead and ran with the story of a joint triumph for the Valentines, the St. Louis Rams, the NFL, and the Pentagon. [Deadspin]

You can read the rest at the link, but 1st Lieutenant August Valentine is part of the Busch family of Anheuser-Busch beer fame and his wife’s first game as a cheerleader just happened to be when he makes his surprise arrival back from Korea.  Anyone think this was just coincidence?  According to this Fox News interview his wife knew her husband’s unit recently came back from South Korea which made me think he may have just been over there for UFG and not even on a long deployment like most other servicemembers.  Also of interest is that Mrs. Valentine’s mother is running for an Illinois State Representative seat and using the publicity of this reunion to help her campaign.  I am willing to bet this was all setup by Busch family connections to be the publicity stunt that it became.

Despite all this what gets me is that Mrs. Valentine is also a Marine officer.  You would think that with all the sexual harassment and assault criticism that the military has received that cheerleading which sexually objectifies women would be frowned upon.  Then again with all the issues of alcohol abuse in the ranks, the military allowed itself to be used to sell beer during the Super Bowl.  Guess who was also involved in that controversy, you guessed it Anheuser-Busch.

Korea, 1952: U.S. Marines line up to pick up their pay during the Korean War.  [Stars & Stripes]

Soldiers take part in a joint landing drill between South Korea and the United States on a beach in Pohang, southeastern South Korea, on March 30, 2015. (Yonhap)

I have to think this US Marine is pleading not guilty for murder in the hopes that he will instead be charged with a lesser manslaughter charge:

A Philippine court entered a not guilty plea Monday for a U.S. Marine charged with murdering a transgender Filipino, allegedly after he discovered her gender when they checked into a hotel.

Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton refused to enter a plea in the brief proceeding in a court in Olongapo city northwest of Manila, according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. Journalists were barred from the courtroom.

Dozens of left-wing protesters waved red flags outside the courthouse, demanding justice and an end to the U.S. military presence in the former American colony. Gay and lesbian groups have also staged protests denouncing the killing of Jennifer Laude, whose former name was Jeffrey, as a hate crime.

Monday’s arraignment paves the way for Pemberton’s trial, which lawyers of the victim’s family said is scheduled to start next month.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.