Print:

1/7 seize bunkers to kick off ITX

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Platoon after platoon assaulted the Combat Center’s Range 410A for the first training event of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment’s Integrated Training Exercise here, Jan. 19. ITX is a 30-day training evolution that entails a collective training experience to prepare a battalion for the Marine Corps’ current mission, which for 1st Bn., 7th Marines, is their next combat deployment to Afghanistan. Click here to read more

3/7 Battalion surgeon awarded for lifesaving medical care

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SABIT QADAM, Afghanistan – Navy Lt. Jonathan T. Lau, battalion surgeon, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, was awarded the U.S. Central Command Joint Theater Trauma System Ditch Medicine Award at Forward Operating Base Sabit Qadam, Jan. 31. Lau earned the award, which recognizes excellence in tactical combat casualty care, for his stand-out dedication to his patients’ treatment and his detailed documentation in his Tactical Combat Casualty Care After Action Reports, said Army Maj. John Robinson, pre-hospital director serving with the Joint Theater Trauma System. These reports are a means for the providers to record in detail their patient’s combat casualty evaluation, management and observations after they have been treated and transported. Click here to read more

1st Marines reflect on 100 years of service

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – As hundreds of Marines and their families watched, Col. Peter Baumgarten, the commanding officer of 1st Marine Regiment, attached battle streamers to the regiment’s colors, celebrating the many honors the regiment received throughout its 100-years of service. Baumgarten said assuming command of 1st Marine Regiment was a dream come true. He first reported to the regiment as a second lieutenant and participated in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. He returned a few years later as a company commander with 1st Battalion. Click here to read more

Geronimo Battalion prepares for pivot to Pacific during weeklong exercise

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - It’s a scene that looked like old films of Marines fighting in the Pacific as dozens of young men stepped off the ramp of an amphibious boat and waded through knee-deep ocean water. Though the trek to the beach was only 100 meters, the Marines carried their weapons and ammunition, as well as packs bulging with equipment. Sweating, sandy and wet, they set up defense positions, organized themselves, and radioed reports to headquarters. Click here to read more

Trumpet Master excels in Corps

ESCONDIDO, Calif. – A quiet hush came over the crowd as the curtains rose to reveal the 1st Marine Division band in their dress blues. They thrilled the audience with a variety of musical pieces including a trumpet solo that brought a raucous applause. Each song played represented experiences Marines go through from recruit training to retirement. Lance Cpl. Gregg Alvarez, a trumpet instrumentalist, for the 1st Marine Division Band, performed the solo as a nod to the rich history of the Marine Corps. He decided to be part of that lineage when he joined the military after earning a master’s in music at the University of Louisville. He started playing the trumpet 18 years ago, but it was his dream to become a Marine, a dream that he achieved in 2012. Click here to read more

Division band member entertains at home, defends abroad

ESCONDIDO, Calif. - The lights in the auditorium began to dim until the low mumbles of the audience ceased. The large red curtain on stage rose slowly revealing dozens of Marines in their dress blues uniforms, instruments in hand. Gunnery Sgt. Tracy Martinez, the 1st Marine Division band conductor, stood in front of the band at the 73rd anniversary concert at Escondido, Calif., Jan. 31, 2014. He led them through each song, ensuring that the sound flowed with swift precision. Click here to read more

Video:

1st Marine Division Band Performs in Escondido

Marines with the 1st Marine Division band perform a concert at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Calif. The performance marked the 73rd anniversary of the 1st Marine Division and gave a chance for local residents see the Marines perform. Available in High Definition. Click here to watch