thedrifter
08-16-05, 12:21 PM
August 22, 2005
Afghan heat wave strikes 2/3
An ongoing heat wave in Afghanistan is forcing the leathernecks and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, to keep track of the temperature hourly to stave off heat casualties, according to an Aug. 8 Corps press release.
With daytime temperatures averaging 115 degrees, water must be kept in the shade or it becomes too hot to drink, the release said.
The unit’s officers must take the weather into consideration when planning operations and assigning workloads because of the risk of personnel succumbing to the heat.
When Marines conduct patrols, they must wear a flak vest with two heavy plates, a helmet and ammo pouches, along with other gear such as first-aid kits. The load is usually about 60 pounds and must be worn while outside of the forward operating base.
Vietnam MIAs’ remains found
The remains of 12 service members listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War have been identified and are returning home, 37 years after the troops died in a fierce battle near the Laos-Vietnam border, the Defense Department announced Aug 9.
The 11 Marines and one soldier are the largest group of MIAs identified since the war, according to the military.
Five of them will be buried by their families. The other seven will be buried as a group in Arlington National Cemetery in October, said Larry Greer, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s missing personnel office.
Villagers, former Vietnamese soldiers and American survivors helped investigators narrow their search to three excavation sites in 1998 and 1999, where they recovered the remains.
The Marines identified include Cpl. Gerald E. King; Lance Cpls. Joseph F. Cook, Raymond T. Heyne, James R. Sargent, Donald W. Mitchell and Thomas W. Fritsch; and Pfcs. Robert Lopez, Thomas J. Blackman, Paul S. Czerwonka, Barry L. Hempel and William D. McGonigle. The soldier was Sgt. Glenn E. Miller.
Ollie North examines battles
Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North is back from the war zone after collecting footage for “The New Face of War in Iraq,” part of his Fox News Channel series “War Stories,” in which he travels the globe to highlight true stories of battles that have shaped American military history.
North and his crew already have traveled to Afghanistan, the Philippines, France, Germany, England, Australia, Pakistan and six times to Iraq to document and explore military feats for the show.
North has interviewed people associated with America’s armed conflicts, including a man who served as Hitler’s personal assistant.
Footage from North’s travels also is featured on the new FX television show “Over There.”
Iraqi buried at Arlington
An Iraqi Air Force pilot was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 11, the first interment there of an Iraqi citizen.
The remains of Capt. Ali Abass were buried with the remains of four members of a U.S. Air Force team who died beside him when their plane crashed near the Iranian border.
Even after the United States withdraws from Iraq, “there will be long-term personal relationships” between the pilots and aircrews of the two nations, said Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.
Abass was popular with the Americans because of an earlier incident, according to an Air Force statement. After he and a U.S. officer were forced to make an emergency landing on an Iraqi road, some vehicles approached. Abass had the American hide behind a nearby sand berm, then convinced the visitors that he worked for the Iraqi agriculture department.
Wooley said the team that died was scouting for emergency landing sites for future use when the Comp Air 7SL plane went down May 30. The cause of the crash, near Jalula, Iraq, remains under investigation, but Wooley said there was no indication of hostile fire.
Pendleton gets punchy
Officials at Camp Pendleton, Calif., hosted a boxing match Aug. 9 as a salute to the troops, according to the Aug. 10 San Diego Union-Tribune.
The six-bout card, which was aired on ESPN but was not open to the public, was headlined by lightweight champion Julio Diaz and 370-pound heavyweight Eric “Butterbean” Esch.
Admission was free for the service members who crowded around the ring at Pendleton’s “main side” football field. Money earned through concession sales was donated to the Corps.
“This is an exciting time,” said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force. “This gives Marines and sailors who have been forward in the fight [the opportunity] to watch good, clean competition.”
The Sycuan Indian tribe, which spent about a quarter-million dollars bringing the fights to Pendleton, is looking into bringing boxing to Marines on deployment.
Fonda dodges radio show
Jerry Newberry, host of the Veterans of Foreign Wars-affiliated radio program, “The National Defense,” asked actress Jane Fonda to answer a few questions about her decision to protest the war in Iraq. But Fonda, through her publicist, declined, according to an Aug. 3 statement by the public relations firm representing the program.
“The National Defense” is a program dedicated to issues affecting veterans. “We ask tough, but respectful questions to our guests,” said Newberry, director of communications for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Fonda says she intends to take a cross-country bus tour to call for an end to U.S. military operations in Iraq.
During a 1972 trip to North Vietnam, Fonda spoke on behalf of the North Vietnamese government when she said American prisoners of war were being treated humanely and condemned U.S. soldiers as “war criminals.” She later denounced the POWs as liars for claiming they had been tortured.
Ellie
Afghan heat wave strikes 2/3
An ongoing heat wave in Afghanistan is forcing the leathernecks and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, to keep track of the temperature hourly to stave off heat casualties, according to an Aug. 8 Corps press release.
With daytime temperatures averaging 115 degrees, water must be kept in the shade or it becomes too hot to drink, the release said.
The unit’s officers must take the weather into consideration when planning operations and assigning workloads because of the risk of personnel succumbing to the heat.
When Marines conduct patrols, they must wear a flak vest with two heavy plates, a helmet and ammo pouches, along with other gear such as first-aid kits. The load is usually about 60 pounds and must be worn while outside of the forward operating base.
Vietnam MIAs’ remains found
The remains of 12 service members listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War have been identified and are returning home, 37 years after the troops died in a fierce battle near the Laos-Vietnam border, the Defense Department announced Aug 9.
The 11 Marines and one soldier are the largest group of MIAs identified since the war, according to the military.
Five of them will be buried by their families. The other seven will be buried as a group in Arlington National Cemetery in October, said Larry Greer, a spokesman for the Pentagon’s missing personnel office.
Villagers, former Vietnamese soldiers and American survivors helped investigators narrow their search to three excavation sites in 1998 and 1999, where they recovered the remains.
The Marines identified include Cpl. Gerald E. King; Lance Cpls. Joseph F. Cook, Raymond T. Heyne, James R. Sargent, Donald W. Mitchell and Thomas W. Fritsch; and Pfcs. Robert Lopez, Thomas J. Blackman, Paul S. Czerwonka, Barry L. Hempel and William D. McGonigle. The soldier was Sgt. Glenn E. Miller.
Ollie North examines battles
Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North is back from the war zone after collecting footage for “The New Face of War in Iraq,” part of his Fox News Channel series “War Stories,” in which he travels the globe to highlight true stories of battles that have shaped American military history.
North and his crew already have traveled to Afghanistan, the Philippines, France, Germany, England, Australia, Pakistan and six times to Iraq to document and explore military feats for the show.
North has interviewed people associated with America’s armed conflicts, including a man who served as Hitler’s personal assistant.
Footage from North’s travels also is featured on the new FX television show “Over There.”
Iraqi buried at Arlington
An Iraqi Air Force pilot was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 11, the first interment there of an Iraqi citizen.
The remains of Capt. Ali Abass were buried with the remains of four members of a U.S. Air Force team who died beside him when their plane crashed near the Iranian border.
Even after the United States withdraws from Iraq, “there will be long-term personal relationships” between the pilots and aircrews of the two nations, said Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.
Abass was popular with the Americans because of an earlier incident, according to an Air Force statement. After he and a U.S. officer were forced to make an emergency landing on an Iraqi road, some vehicles approached. Abass had the American hide behind a nearby sand berm, then convinced the visitors that he worked for the Iraqi agriculture department.
Wooley said the team that died was scouting for emergency landing sites for future use when the Comp Air 7SL plane went down May 30. The cause of the crash, near Jalula, Iraq, remains under investigation, but Wooley said there was no indication of hostile fire.
Pendleton gets punchy
Officials at Camp Pendleton, Calif., hosted a boxing match Aug. 9 as a salute to the troops, according to the Aug. 10 San Diego Union-Tribune.
The six-bout card, which was aired on ESPN but was not open to the public, was headlined by lightweight champion Julio Diaz and 370-pound heavyweight Eric “Butterbean” Esch.
Admission was free for the service members who crowded around the ring at Pendleton’s “main side” football field. Money earned through concession sales was donated to the Corps.
“This is an exciting time,” said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force. “This gives Marines and sailors who have been forward in the fight [the opportunity] to watch good, clean competition.”
The Sycuan Indian tribe, which spent about a quarter-million dollars bringing the fights to Pendleton, is looking into bringing boxing to Marines on deployment.
Fonda dodges radio show
Jerry Newberry, host of the Veterans of Foreign Wars-affiliated radio program, “The National Defense,” asked actress Jane Fonda to answer a few questions about her decision to protest the war in Iraq. But Fonda, through her publicist, declined, according to an Aug. 3 statement by the public relations firm representing the program.
“The National Defense” is a program dedicated to issues affecting veterans. “We ask tough, but respectful questions to our guests,” said Newberry, director of communications for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Fonda says she intends to take a cross-country bus tour to call for an end to U.S. military operations in Iraq.
During a 1972 trip to North Vietnam, Fonda spoke on behalf of the North Vietnamese government when she said American prisoners of war were being treated humanely and condemned U.S. soldiers as “war criminals.” She later denounced the POWs as liars for claiming they had been tortured.
Ellie