thedrifter
02-14-06, 11:38 AM
February 20, 2006 <br />
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Marine News Briefs <br />
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Man charged in Marine’s traffic death <br />
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A motorist who is accused of speeding through a stop sign and crashing into a Marine’s car in Springfield, Mo., was...
thedrifter
02-14-06, 11:40 AM
February 20, 2006
Around the Corps
Compiled from military and other public sources.
Iraq
3rd MAW assumes command of skies
After months of preparation, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing took control of the skies over western Iraq, a Feb. 7 Marine Corps news release said.
2nd MAW transferred authority to 3rd MAW on Feb. 7, almost exactly a year after 3rd MAW, which is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., initially left the area of responsibility in the hands of 2nd MAW, the release said.
According to Col. Jonathan Miclot, 3rd MAW’s commanding officer, the unit’s primary mission has not altered significantly over the past year, despite logistical changes.
Miclot said he’d noticed improvements in security and quality of life at the air base at Al Asad.
3rd MAW includes Marine Aircraft Group 16, Marine Wing Support Group 37 and Marine Air Control Group 38 Detachment, the release said.
California
1st MLG departs for Iraq deployment
About 300 leathernecks from Camp Pendleton, Calif.’s 1st Marine Logistics Group recently deployed to Iraq, a Feb. 7 Marine Corps press release said.
According to the release, the unit is scheduled for a yearlong deployment, but most Marines and sailors will spend seven months in Iraq under the rotation schedule.
The unit will provide combat logistics support for I Marine Expeditionary Force. Marines from the group will also be assigned to “Military Transition Teams,” responsible for training Iraqi troops in logistics for the Iraqi Security Forces, the release said.
North Carolina
MAG-26 leathernecks return to New River
A group of about 100 leathernecks with Marine Aircraft Group 26 returned to Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., on Feb. 9 from a deployment to Iraq.
According to an air station spokesman, the returning Marines were part of the group’s command element. The rest of the group will return in phases through the end of March.
MAG-26 was stationed near Al Asad, Iraq, a Feb. 7 Marine Corps news release said.
2/2 comes home to Camp Lejeune
Roughly 900 members of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, were scheduled to return to Camp Lejeune, N.C., from Iraq on Feb. 10, a Marine Corps press release said.
According to the Feb. 6 release, the leathernecks spent seven months in theater. The battalion trained and worked with Iraqi Security Forces and guarded polling sites during the country’s national elections.
II MEF command element returns
About 50 leathernecks and sailors with II Marine Expeditionary Force’s command element returned from Iraq to Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Feb. 5, a Marine Corps press release said.
“I think the Marines and sailors of II MEF added considerable chapters to the history of the Marine Corps during this deployment,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Johnson, II MEF’s forward commanding general, following his return from Iraq Feb. 2.
South Carolina
Marines, Sailors due back in Beaufort
About 165 Marines and sailors were scheduled to return to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., on Feb. 13 from a seven-month deployment to Iraq, a Feb. 9 Marine Corps press release said.
About 110 leathernecks from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 332 and 50 from Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31 were part of the returning group, the release said.
According to the release, the F/A-18 Hornet squadron used more than 160,000 pounds of ordnance during more than 2,500 combat missions over Iraq’s Anbar province.
Ellie
thedrifter
02-14-06, 11:41 AM
February 20, 2006
A ‘rolling memorial’
Truck fleet’s decals pay tribute to fallen Marine
“My biggest fear is that my brother will be another number — that people will forget he’s a brother, a son, a Marine,” said 22-year-old Molly Kenny. Her brother, Lance Cpl. Patrick Kenny, 20, was killed Oct. 6 by a car bomb while deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines.
The Kennys live in Emsworth, Pa., a small town with a population of less than 3,000 people. When Kenny died, “it hit close to home,” Cindy Lioi said. She and her brother, Ron Faherty, decided to create a memorial for him.
Faherty, president of American Road Lines, worked with Kenny’s parents, Chuck and Trishia Kenny, to create a decal depicting their son. The finished product includes a picture of Kenny after a firefight; the top reads, “Some gave all.”
The decal is on display throughout the U.S., affixed to the sides of 550 semitrailers in a “rolling memorial.”
According to Faherty, the memorial simply recognizes the sacrifice Kenny and his family made.
Faherty and Lioi also created a bumper sticker for sale, with proceeds going to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund in Kenny’s name.
Kenny’s parents said they were overwhelmed with support from inside and outside of their community. They traveled to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to greet their son’s unit, which was scheduled to return from Iraq on Feb. 12.
When people see the rolling memorial on the road, “I hope it lets them know that this is what it costs so they can drive down the highway,” Chuck Kenny said.
— Beth Zimmerman
Ellie