One Marine's View

Register to vote, even if at War

It’s only a matter of weeks until the Nov. 2 general election! If you have not already requested your absentee ballot, do so immediately. It's simple and it’s fast. Go to FVAP.gov and use the online registration and absentee ballot assistant to have your forms completed, printed out, and ready to send back home in less than 10 minutes.

Go here for more info: http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0910_vote/

Afghanistan Airstrike Kills 4 Insurgents

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2010 - An air weapons team engaged insurgents who'd fired on Afghan and coalition forces conducting a patrol in eastern Afghanistan today, military officials reported.

Hunting the badguys!

As seen through camouflage netting, Lance Cpl. Gray Smith, a rifleman with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, mans a security post from the roof of the Nawa District Governor’s Center Sept. 10, 2010, the first day of Id al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Marines and Afghan Security Forces provided security for Nawa residents during the holiday. Smith is from Phoenix, Ore.

Taking the fight to the enemy

U.S. Army soldiers with 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 86th Brigade Combat Team, Task Force Iron Gray cordon and search Masamute Bala in Laghman province, Afghanistan, as they provide security on Sept. 25, 2010. DoD photo by Spc. David A. Jackson, U.S. Army. (Released)

Firefight in Kunar Province

U.S. Army Pfc. Ryan L. Carson and an Afghan police officer search the nearby hillside during a firefight that lasted more than three hours at the an Afghan National Police checkpoint in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2010. Carson is assigned to the 327th Infantry Regiment's Company D, 1st Battalion, Task Force Bulldog.see more photos here U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte

1st Marine Division (Forward) memorial ceremony honors its fallen heroes

There isnt anything you can do to bring back a lost warrior. Nothing. You evaluate on how you can reduce it from happening again, you take care of the ones wounded and you remeber those that gave all.They are all heroes.

Families Get Tools to Assist Injured Loved Ones

Families Get Tools to Assist Injured Loved Ones By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 24, 2010 – Family support is a key factor in the long-term recovery process and success of wounded warriors suffering traumatic brain injuries and other mental health problems, said senior staff members at the National Naval Medical Center here.

Gold Star Mother's Day

Gold Star Mother’s Day is observed in the United States on the last Sunday of September each year. It is a day to for people to recognize and honor those who have lost a son or daughter while serving the United States Armed Forces.  More here:http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/gold-star-mothers-day

GABBI'S HUNT

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Stacey Harrington, not shown, waits as his Military Working Dog "Gabbi" searches the Neighborhood Activities Center prior to a Business Development Seminar in the Gazaliyah district, Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2008. Harrington and Gabbi are assigned to the 435th Security Forces Squadron attached to 4th Infantry Division.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Charles W. Gill

Marine move to Guam gets final approval

By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 24, 2010 9:58:32 EDT

HONOLULU — The U.S. military gave final approval to the single biggest part of its planned buildup of forces on Guam: a proposal to move 8,000 Marines and their dependents from Okinawa, Japan, to the U.S. territory in the Pacific.