Det 4, Headquarters 4th Marine Division - Chicago Marines
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
US Military Help in the Philippines After the Typhoon
USAF Emergency Evac Flight C 17 Tacloban to Manila
If you feel ‘cramped’ flying in coach on your next trip — remember this picture!
(Tacloban is the city in the Philippine Islands where over 5000 died when Typhoon Haiyan came ashore in early November)
This is onboard one of the US Air Force’s C-17 on one of the evacuation trips from Tacloban to Manila.
Thanks to Colonel Byron Hill for sharing.
Well done, Air Force. I am retired military and we can fly Space Available on US Military Airplanes. My wife and I often fly this aircraft. We came back from Spain last week on a C-17. It was not quite this crowded, although it was carrying a C-47 Helo.
Our Photos at:
How Philippines typhoon aid helps USA: Column - USA Today
www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/11/.../philippines...us.../3500637...Nov 14, 2013 - The United States immediately dispatched relief and troops to aid the ... The storm that ravaged the Philippinesthis weekend was off the charts, ...U.S. Typhoon Aid In The Philippines Underscores Countries ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../us-typhoon-aid-philippines_n_4298054.ht...Nov 18, 2013 - By Manuel Mogato and Aubrey Belford MANILA/TACLOBAN, Philippines, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. military's response to the devastation ...US military relief effort for Philippine typhoon winding down - Stripes ...
www.stripes.com/us-military-relief-effort-for-philippine-typhoon-windin...Nov 25, 2013 - The U.S. military's assistance for survivors ofTyphoon Haiyan appears to be rapidly winding down as responsibility for relief efforts in a number ...News for philippines hurricane us military
- CBC.ca - 21 hours agoTeen heartthrob Justin Bieber arrived Tuesday in thePhilippines, ... by the Philippine and U.S. militaryfrom typhoon-ravaged provinces of Leyte ...
US military footprint on Philippines could grow after typhoon Haiyan ...
www.csmonitor.com/.../US-military-footprint-on-Philippines-could-grow...Nov 13, 2013 - The aftermath of typhoon Haiyan is showing Filipinos the benefits of a robust US military presence. That could help a US-Philippines military ...US role in typhoon relief boosts new military deal with Manila - Reuters
www.reuters.com/.../us-philippines-usa-typhoon-idUSBRE9AO08D2013...Nov 25, 2013 - MANILA (Reuters) - Emergency relief provided byU.S. troops in areas devastated by typhoon Haiyan in the centralPhilippines makes a strong ...US Military to Aid Typhoon-devastated Philippines - United States ...
www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121094WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2013 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel directed U.S. Pacific Command yesterday to support U.S.government humanitarian relief ...US Pledges More Aid To Philippines Typhoon Recovery - World - Time
world.time.com/.../typhoon-haiyan-u-s-pledges-more-aid-to-phi...Nov 18, 2013 - Typhoon Haiyan survivors help carry USAID donated food after a U.S. military helicopter unloaded it in the de
Friday, November 29, 2013
Marine Thanksgiving Spain
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
We are goofing off in Spain, having a great time. As Thanksgiving approached we decided to stop by at the Moron Air Base for an American Thanksgiving Dinner.
Great dinner in the chow hall - we were surprised to see that almost everyone there were Marines in their green cammies. Officers and Staff NCO's were serving the food and cleaning up the mess hall.
I enjoyed watching the officers working in the chow hall since I own the record for days of mess duty in the Marine Corps. I had 100 days of mess duty, the last 30 days for punishment. Glad to see officers learning the ropes.
Fun talking to these Marines. They are not talking of course, but they have been put here to deal with things like the unfortunate Libyan killing of the US Ambassador. Marines were always used for that from Embassy Security
We are goofing off in Spain, having a great time. As Thanksgiving approached we decided to stop by at the Moron Air Base for an American Thanksgiving Dinner.
Great dinner in the chow hall - we were surprised to see that almost everyone there were Marines in their green cammies. Officers and Staff NCO's were serving the food and cleaning up the mess hall.
I enjoyed watching the officers working in the chow hall since I own the record for days of mess duty in the Marine Corps. I had 100 days of mess duty, the last 30 days for punishment. Glad to see officers learning the ropes.
Fun talking to these Marines. They are not talking of course, but they have been put here to deal with things like the unfortunate Libyan killing of the US Ambassador. Marines were always used for that from Embassy Security
and a Battalion afloat, but these guys should be able to get there a little faster - C-130's and Ospreys.
They look so young. And they are.
They look so young. And they are.
________________
We went to the club Thanksgiving evening. These clubs are now all hands - few bases have enough people to have separate clubs for officers, NCO's and troops.
Most of the troops in the bar were young first term troops. We bought the bar a couple of rounds for Thanksgiving. It was fun. I spent a lot of time talking to a Cpl and Lance Corporal swapping stories about boot camp and the Marine Corps.
They make a lot more money than when we were troops. One guy is getting out to go to college. The other guy is going for 20 or 30 years.
Boot camp and infantry training are roughly twice as long as we spent back in the day. We made up the difference in on the job training.
Great young Marines, the age of our grand children, if we were old enough to have them. And of course these young men thought we were older than dirt. And we are. Although I regaled them with some stories about my WWII father who is still going strong.
We went to the club Thanksgiving evening. These clubs are now all hands - few bases have enough people to have separate clubs for officers, NCO's and troops.
Most of the troops in the bar were young first term troops. We bought the bar a couple of rounds for Thanksgiving. It was fun. I spent a lot of time talking to a Cpl and Lance Corporal swapping stories about boot camp and the Marine Corps.
They make a lot more money than when we were troops. One guy is getting out to go to college. The other guy is going for 20 or 30 years.
Boot camp and infantry training are roughly twice as long as we spent back in the day. We made up the difference in on the job training.
Great young Marines, the age of our grand children, if we were old enough to have them. And of course these young men thought we were older than dirt. And we are. Although I regaled them with some stories about my WWII father who is still going strong.
_______________________
MORON DE LA FRONTERA, Spain --
Approximately 500 Marines and sailors arrived aboard Moron Air Base, May 5- 13, to serve as Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, a new expeditionary unit positioned forward to respond to limited crisis within the Mediterranean and African area-of-responsibility.
SP-MAGTF Crisis Response is a rotational force of Marines and sailors sourced from a variety of units from II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C., temporarily positioned on Moron Air Base, Spain, capable of decisive action across a range of military operations.
“The reason we are here is to provide a scalable force to respond to unexpected crisis,” said Major Zane Crawford, the SP-MAGTF Crisis Response operations officer. “We can rapidly deploy to support missions, such as embassy reinforcement, tactical recovery of aircraft, and personnel and non-combatant evacuation operations.”
A Marine Air-Ground Task Force is a balanced, expeditionary force with built-in command, ground, aviation and logistics elements and, while this is nothing new for the Marine Corps, a SP-MAGTF is organized, trained and equipped to accomplish a specific mission, according to Crawford.
The SP-MAGTF CR gives U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa a broad range of military capabilities to respond to crises in its area-of-responsibility including conducting non-combatant evacuation, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and support to U.S. embassies, and other operations, missions and activities as directed by national and command leadership.
_________________________________________
You should mention that Spanish Marines who guard the two bases we lease in Spain are the oldest Marine Corps in the world. The Spanish Marine Corps (Infanteria de Marina) was founded on 27 Feb 1537 by King Charles I. They celebrate their birthday every year on this date. Miguel de Cervantes who authored “Don Quixote de la Mancha” was a Spanish Marine and a prisoner of the Barbary pirates.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
WW II and the Great Lakes
World War II and the Great Lakes
How did we train so many pilots in both comfort (calm seas) and safety (no enemy subs)
We took two old side-wheel Great Lakes passenger steamers and turned them into training carriers on Lake Michigan! Virtually every carrier pilot trained in the war got his landing training on these amazing ships! Sadly nothing but these great photos and the wrecks of the aircraft that ditched alongside them remain to tell their fascinating story! Check this out! USS Sable and USS Wolverine.
During World War II merchant ships were converted to aircraft carriers to train Navy pilots. The USS Sable (IX-81) was a training ship of the United States Navy during World War II. Originally built as the 'Greater Buffalo', a sidewheel excursion steamer, she was converted in 1942 to a freshwater aircraft carrier to be used on the Great Lakes. She was used for advanced training for naval aviators in carrier takeoffs and landings. One aviator that trained upon the Sable was future president George H. W. Bush. Following World War II, Sable was decommissioned on 7 November 1945. She was sold for scrapping on 7 July 1948.
The steamship 'Greater Buffalo' before it was converted to the USS Sable (IX-81).
Overhead view of the training aircraft carrier Sable (IX 81) underway on Lake Michigan with an FM Wildcat making a deck launch from the flattop 1945
The USS Sable (IX-81) lies at anchor in Lake Michigan 1943
training aircraft carrier Sable (IX 81) moored alongside a pier on the shore of Lake Michigan during a break in training operations.
Click below for many more great photos and the rest of the story.
Pilot crashes while attempting a landing on the USS Wolverine. The plane is an SNJ, the Navy version of the USAAF's T-6 trainer.
Monday, November 25, 2013
American Recon Spitfire Video
Here is a real cool video about Spirfire photo recons in WW2. This guy found some 16MM film never seen before and takes it back to the pilot who had never seen it, it's great!
Don't miss this great story-
LiveLeak.com - 83 year old American Spitfire pilot sees his crash ...
www.liveleak.com/view?i=759_137080988683 year old American Spitfire pilot sees his crash landing for the first time. For aviation history fans. Hero (won the DFC) recon pilot flew Spitfires ...
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Goodbye to the Vietnam Era UH-1N Huey
Vietnam War-era Huey completes final Marine Corps deployment
The last UH-1N Huey ever to deploy with Marines recently conducted its final flight Nov. 5, ending a storied era of Marine aviation.
The two-bladed version of the Huey recently deployed with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 (Reinforced) out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., in support of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 26th MEU recently returned from a float in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.
The two bladed UH-1N variant has now been replaced by the heavier-hitting four-bladed UH-1Y.
The specific UH-1N that was the last to deploy was also among the oldest in the service’s inventory. It was built before the end of the Vietnam war.
“Aircraft 30 was built in August 1970,” said Capt. Andrew Kingsbury, UH-1N Huey pilot assigned to VMM-266, referring to his helicopter in a Marine Corps news release. “There were one or two that were older, but they were stricken from the record about 15 years ago. This aircraft has seen every major conflict the Marine Corps has been involved in since the 1970s.”
Helo / Explosion / Ghost Marine
I took this photo in 1970 from Hill 327 near Danang.
I don't know how the ghost Marine got in the shot.
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