Celebrating 100 Years of Marine Aviation Vol. 69, No. 37 www.cherrypoint.marines.mil September 15, 2011 President to award MOH to Dakota Meyer CPL. SAMUEL A. NASSO MCAS CHERRY POINT Every Marine knows about the legends; the epic stories about their predecessors in Iwo Jima, Belleau Wood, Chapultepec, and many others. Even recent battles such as Fallujah in Iraq or Marjah in Afghanistan have been cited for their degree of intensity. The stories of Chesty Puller earning fi ve Navy Crosses or Dan Daly and Smedley Butler attaining two Medals of Honor are common yelps of motivation construed by Marines corps-wide. In the modern era, other than Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions sacrifi cing himself to save his Marines in Husaybah, Iraq, LANCE CPL. SCOTT L. TOMASZYCKI An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 kicks up a dirt storm during a confined area landing at a in 2004, not many names have surfaced as a dirt landing zone in Belize Saturday. In combat theaters, it is necessary to land at unimproved landing zones like this modern war hero to Marines. Today will be one in order to take Marines and their supplies to wherever they are needed on the battlefield. Practicing in the jungles a historical day as President Barack Obama of Belize is valuable training for the pilots for later battlefield missions. is scheduled to praise Dakota Meyer with the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions displayed in Afghanistan in 2009. Sept. 8, 2009, a day that should be marked Ospreys demonstrate unique on all Marines’ calendars, Meyer in the Battle of Gangjal, fought in a six-hour fi refi ght in Kunar province, Afghanistan. He is credited for saving 13 U.S. troops and 23 Afghan aerial capabilities in Belize soldiers. President Obama approved Meyer’s award LANCE CPL. SCOTT L. TOMASZYCKI First, the squadron fl ew themselves Capt. Ryan E. Benes, a pilot for VMM- This isn’t MCAS CHERRY POINT to Belize. VMM-365 needed the sup- 365. “We’ve done this multiple times BRITISH ARMY TRAINING SUP- port of only one other unit to success- where we’ve fl own from North Caroli- “about me. PORT UNIT, Belize — The MV-22 fully deploy, which was Marine Aerial na to Arizona or San Diego or Key West If anything Osprey is one of the newest machines in Refueler Transport Squadron 252, who with only the support of KC-130s refu- comes the American arsenal and is still in the provided mid-fl ight refuelling. Doing so elling us by air. We have the ability to do process of establishing its value. Marine demonstrated a unique ability that can humanitarian relief efforts as well. With out of it Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 self- carry the squadron anywhere and handle the self deploy aspect, we can launch for me, it’s deployed to the small Central American a variety of missions. from the United States and go anywhere for those country of Belize to take part in training “We could fl y non-stop from North they really need us.” guys. exercises this week demonstrating the Carolina all the way to the country of After arriving in Belize, VMM-365 ” Osprey’s enhanced utility over conven- Belize without stopping on the ground, – Dakota tional helicopters. allowing us to deploy ourselves,” said See BELIZE page A9 Meyer on July 18, gaining the attention of the entire Marine Corps, as he is the only living Marine Hispanic American Heritage Month to receive this level of recognition for the GUNNERY SGT. HARSHEEN T. EADY origin groups. continue to be recognized by a grateful campaigns in Iraq or Afghanistan. MCAS CHERRY POINT EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ADVISOR However, while the relative nation. Although the spotlight has tracked Meyer In September 1968, Congress position of these groups has remained President Barack Obama said in since the words left the presidents mouth, he authorized President Lyndon B. unchanged since 2000, the next four his 2010 Presidential Proclamation remains humble and appreciative during the Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic subgroups—Salvadorans, honoring National Hispanic Heritage more than 20 interviews he’s endured with Hispanic Heritage Week which was Dominicans, Guatemalans, and Month, news outlets nationwide. to be observed during the week that Colombians — grew faster during the “As members of the armed forces, The citation of his Medal of Honor reads: included Sept. 15 and 16. In 1988, last decade. heroic Hispanic men and women have “During a six-hour fi refi ght, Corporal Meyer President Ronald Reagan expanded This growth and presence within also fought and died to defend the single handedly turned the tide of battle, saved the observance to become Hispanic our country is refl ective in the service liberties and security of the United 36 Marines and soldiers and recovered the American Heritage Month beginning to our nation’s Armed Forces. States in every war since the American bodies of his fallen brothers. Four separate on Sept. 15 and ending Oct. 15. Their service and sacrifi ce was and Revolution, many serving before times he fought the kilometer up into the heart Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting becoming American citizens. of a deadly U-shaped ambush. During the fi ght point of Hispanic American Heritage This month, we honor Hispanics he killed at least eight Taliban, personally Month because it is the anniversary of for enriching the fabric of America, evacuated 12 friendly wounded, and provided independence for fi ve Latin American even as we recognize and rededicate cover for another 24 Marines and soldiers countries — Costa Rica, El Salvador, ourselves to addressing the challenges to escape likely death at the hands of a Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. to equality and opportunity that many numerically superior and determined foe.” In addition, Mexico declared its Hispanics still face. His citation continued ... “Despite being independence on Sept. 16 and Chile In refl ecting on our Nation’s rich wounded, he made a fourth attack with three on Sept. 18. Hispanic heritage, let us take pride others to search for missing team members. As of April 1, 2010, the estimated in our unique and vibrant history, Nearly surrounded and under heavy fi re he Hispanic population of the United and recommit to a shared future of dismounted the vehicle and searched house States was 50.5 million, making freedom, prosperity, and opportunity to house to recover the bodies of his fallen people of Hispanic origin the nation’s for all.” team members. By his extraordinary heroism, largest ethnic or race minority. As we celebrate this month with our presence of mind amidst chaos and death and Hispanics constituted 16.3 percent Hispanic brothers and sisters let us be unselfi sh devotion to his comrades in the face of the nation’s total population. reminded of the many sacrifi ces that of great danger, Corporal Meyer refl ected great According to the 2010 U.S. Census, have been made by a proud and strong credit upon himself and upheld the highest Hispanics of Mexican, Puerto Rican, people. traditions of the Marine Corps and the United and Cuban descent remain the nation’s For we have fought side by side and three largest Hispanic country-of- in every clime and place. See MEYER page A9 Marines prepare for exercise Bold Alligator PFC. PHILIP R. CLARK personnel, resupply and evacuate are a few our amphibious operations.” simulate their missions in. 2ND MARINE DIVISION of the missions that get sent to us,” said There are several challenges the Marines “Our bread and butter is amphibious MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP Col. Thomas R. McCarthy, 2nd MEB’s have had to face so far, especially since an operations,” said Master Sgt. Keith LEJEUNE, N.C. — Marines with Operation Offi cer. “We do these missions exercise this big hasn’t been performed Rhoades, the operations chief with 2nd various units participated in Atlantic to setup a standard operating procedure in ten years. One of these consists of MEB. Response, a week-long training exercise so when Bold Alligator comes along next relearning to operate programs and “The general public sees what we aboard Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing year we have procedures on what to do procedures for missions that occur, but are doing in Afghanistan and what we Field Bogue, N.C., Aug. 17-24. when something happens.” the challenges are easily handled now that did in Iraq, but sea to land assaults and Atlantic Response is a deployment Exercise Bold Alligator is a live, they are getting into the routine of what operations bring us back to our roots and exercise to develop 2nd Marine simulated deployment of Marines to react needs to get done. what Marines are all about.” Expeditionary Brigade’s ability to rapidly to a mission or crisis that has happened or “Our biggest challenge is getting back Exercise Atlantic Response is serving to respond to today’s emerging crises. will occur. It will be the fi rst operation of into that routine of being amphibious since prepare for exercise Bold Alligator 2012 The exercise is a highly valued training its kind that has happened in the past 10 it’s something we haven’t done in a long which will be in late January to early effort centered on technology simulations years. time. February 2012 and will be the largest – maximizing the training value while “We are getting our tools and procedures “There are a lot of Marines nowadays combined joint amphibious training minimizing the cost. Its main purpose is down now and getting used to the that have never even been on a ship exercise conducted on the eastern seaboard identify, rehearse and validate 2nd MEBs actions that need to take place so when before,” said McCarthy.