STRIKE up the SUMMER III Marine Expeditionary Force Band Director Chief Warrant Officer 2 Forest Q
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iii marine expeditionary force and marine corps bases japan JUNE 6, 2008 WWW.OKINAWA.USMC.MIL STRIKE UP THE SUMMER III Marine Expeditionary Force Band Director Chief Warrant Officer 2 Forest Q. Brown conducts his Marines May 31 during the Summer Concert at the Okinawa Convention Center. The annual community event included performances from local artists as well as the III MEF Band. SEE STORY ON PAGE 6. Photo by Sgt. Christine M. Wilcox Innovative program Wounded Warrior Battalion employs civilians to fill expands to the Western Pacific Lance Cpl. Joseph A. Cabrera Marine Corps Bases Japan, West, located at Pendleton. deployment deficiency OKINAWA MARINE STAFF during the brief. “The pro- The battalions house the gram started as a great idea, barracks where injured Ma- Lance Cpl. Daniel A. Flynn CAMP COURTNEY — Cur- as the right thing to do, and it rines and sailors receive OKINAWA MARINE STAFF rently, Marines and sailors has really built up steam over assistance as they embark on Okinawa who are referred the last few years.” down the road to recovery, CAMP FOSTER — Problem: 441 pieces of equipment, to the Wounded Warrior Bat- The Wounded Warrior said Johnson. including bulldozers, road scrapers and light, medium talion are required to travel Regiment began to take shape Though no solid plans and heavy trucks, need to be maintained or repaired, to Camp Pendleton, Calif. to in 2006 when Commandant have been made to date, the and no one is here to do it. receive assistance. of the Marine Corps Gen. brief covered the feasibility Marine Wing Support Group 17 knew this would The intent to extend the James T. Conway, presented of establishing such a facility happen when 98 percent of Marine Wing Support battalion’s reach to the West- his guidelines for the pro- on Okinawa. The barracks Squadron 172 deployed in support of Operation Iraqi ern Pacific was the topic of a gram, according to Lt. Col. would remain part of the Freedom in March. brief at the Camp Courtney Charles H. Johnson, com- Wounded Warrior Battalion- Solution: MWSG-17 officials implement the Over- Theater, May 30. manding officer of Wounded West. flow Maintenance Program employing a team of civil- The pu r pose of t he Warrior Battalion-West in The program’s mission ian contractors, from Marine Corps Logistics Com- Wounded Warrior program Camp Pendleton. The regi- is to “provide and facilitate mand, Barstow, Calif., with the mission of maintaining is to ensure Marines and sail- ment was activated March assistance to wounded, in- the equipment left here. ors receive the treatment and 2007, and consists of two jured and ill Marines; sailors This is the first implementation of this type of pro- support they deserve, said Lt. battalions, Wounded War- attached to, or in support gram by any unit in III Marine Expeditionary Force, Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, com- rior Battalion-East, located of, Marine units and their according to Chief Warrant Officer 5 James A. Varner, manding general of III Ma- at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and family members throughout SEE OVERFLOW PG 5 rine Expeditionary Force and Wounded Warrior Battalion- SEE WARRIOR PG 4 APPETITE FOR DYNAMITE THE LIFE AQUATIC Combat engineers, some for the first time since Whether avoiding claw shrimp or hunting DE I MOS school, get back to the basics with a day of the elusive Jaguar Shark, diving dangers shape charges, fence rails, and a lot of C-4... are no fictitious matter INS PG. 9 PG. 10 2 okinawa marine | OPINION & EDITORIAL | june 6, 2008 The deadliest weapon Corps Championships allows Marines to get back to their roots as riflemen Capt. Brad Botanes onships held in April or May each Matches. Unfortunately, Zins said or pistol once a year, the Division year at Stone Bay, Marine Corps he didn’t think that there were Matches gives Marines an oppor- seventeen man team rep- Base, Camp Lejeune. The Eastern even 300 shooters total in all four tunity to improve their marksman- resenting Marines from Division Match and the Marine matches last year. ship skills. Each Division Match Athe Far East embarked on a Corps Championships were hosted Zins is the only man or Marine enables a Marine to re-qualify in journey to Quantico, Va. recently to at Weapons Training Bn., MCB with eight national titles. Pistol both weapons, trains and certifies compete in the 2008 Marine Corps Quantico, Va. this year due to the shooting legends Harry Reeves, them as combat marksmanship Championships. But this event has construction at Stone Bay. Huelet Benner, and Bill Blanken- coaches and gives them an oppor- been overshadowed by recreational The championship match dif- ship each had six, while his near- tunity to represent their division at sporting events such as soccer, fers from the Division Matches est active competitor, Steve Reiter, the Marine Corps Championships. flag football and even racquet- in several ways. The weapons has five. How did this year’s Far East ball. In fact if you ask any Marine used in the championship match He added that shooting is a skill, Team do? stationed on Okinawa what the are the National Match M-16 which Marines must continually The Far East Team won the Marine Corps Championships are, rifle and National Match M-1911 work on, and that skill has gone by Fleet Marine Force Combat Infan- the most likely response would be, pistol. Competitors at the cham- the wayside. He said that the word try Trophy. The Infantry Trophy ‘What sport are you talking about?’ pionships receive eighteen days needs to get out, so Marines can get Team match consists of six shoot- Once upon a time, any Marine of training focused on the funda- back to their roots as riflemen. ing members, a team captain and could tell you about the Marine mentals of marksmanship taught One of the major problems with team coach, which simulates a rifle Corps Championships. The pin- by Marines from the Marine trying to get Marines back into squad in a combat situation. The nacle of the Marine Corps Marks- Corps Shooting Team. that mind set is their commands ITT match has been fired in the na- manship Program has lost its The Marines receive live-fire don’t feel that they can lose their tional matches since before World appeal among the new generation practice with both weapons every Marines for a one month train- War II and was fired in the Marine of Marines. This change came training day and exchange ideas ing evolution during the Division Corps matches from 1960 to 1967. about because of such things as with Marines from other divisions Matches. Due to a low turnout at this year’s high operational commitments, the to further refine their skills. As a What they’re not looking at, championship match, participation Global War on Terrorism and unit result, these Marines return with however, is that their Marines will in the ITT match was changed to commanders’ reluctance to send improved marksmanship, which return with the knowledge they four shooting members. The Far Marines to such a time consuming they can pass on to fellow Marines. gained from participating in the East Team that won the Combat training evolution. matches could pass that knowledge Infantry Trophy were: shooting The Marine Corps Rifle and Every Marine a Rifleman to other Marines. members, Capt. Chris Eichner, Pistol Championship, hosted by the Rifle and pistol re-qualifica- Chief Warrant Officer 2 Mark W. commanding officer of Training But Marines just aren’t participat- tion is mandatory for all Marines Clark, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Long, and Command, Quantico, Va., is the ing in Division Matches like they annually and it affects promo- Lance Cpl. Brandon Morris; team culmination of the four Division used to. tions and retention. For lance captain, Cpl. David Frizzell; and Matches conducted throughout the According to Gunnery Sgt. corporals and corporals, the team coach, Master Gunnery Sgt. Marine Corps each year as part of Brian H. Zins, the former staff higher their rifle score, the more Raymond B. Brown. the Competition-in-Arms Program. noncommissioned officer in charge points they receive toward a pro- Botanes is the assistant disburs- Division competitors finishing in of the pistol team, not long ago, motion to the next rank. ing officer of Combat Logistics the top 10 percent move on to com- at least 300 shooters would par- Since the majority of Marines Regiment 37, 3rd Marine Logistics pete in the Marine Corps Champi- ticipate in each of the Division only get to practice with the rifle Group. FACT CHECK SUNGLASSES IN UNIFORM Q: What kinds of sunglasses may I wear in uniform? Sunglasses may be worn on leave, liberty and in uniform, but not in formation with troops, unless Created by Gunnery Sgt. Charles Wolf Charles Created by Gunnery Sgt. A: the need to wear sunglasses has been certified by medical authorities. Eyeglasses or sunglasses must also be conservative in appearance; eccentric or conspicuous eyepieces are prohibited. More information may be found in paragraph 1004 of Marine Corps Order P1020.34G, empertoons Marine Corps Uniform Regulations. S to SUBMit AN opiNioN OR EDitorial, E-Mail US at [email protected] okinawa marine | NEWS | june 6, 2008 3 31st MEU Marines, sailors fast rope at sea Lance Cpl. Ryan Wicks 31ST MARINE EXPEDITIONARY UNIT ABOARD USS ESSEX, Andaman Sea — Ma- rines and sailors with the 31st Marine Expe- ditionary Unit, currently forward-deployed aboard USS Essex (LHD 2), conducted static fast-rope training in the Andaman Sea May 18 in order to familiarize personnel with the pro- cesses and techniques involved with helicopter rope suspension training.