Archive for November, 2017
FRIDAY FOTO (November 24, 2017)
Thanksgiving at Sea.
(U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Kevin Leitner)
They used to say it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken, or in this case, enough macaroni and cheese to feed a navy (or at least one ship)
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Corporal Terry Haynes III)
A Marine greets his family at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, (November 21), after returning from a seven-month deployment. The Marine is assigned to Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, which supported combat operations in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.
FRIDAY FOTO (November 17, 2017)
Wait, what?!!
(U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Caitlyn Smoyer)
Sergeant Rocky, the 3rd Infantry Division’s mascot, jumps over obstacles behind a soldier during a competition at Fort Stewart, Georgia. The November 13 event was part of Marne Week 2017, a celebration of the division’s centennial.
The mascot’s name and Marne Week derive from the division’s World War I nickname: “The Rock of the Marne.” According to the website, Global Security, the division was activated at Camp Greene, North Carolina 100 years ago this month.
Eight months later, at midnight on July 14, 1918 the Division went into combat for the first time. As a member of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Europe, the Division earned its name as the “Rock of the Marne,” when it stuck to its position after surrounding allied units retreated during the Second Battle of the Marne. Casualties were very high but the German advance was driven off.
3rd Infantry Division shoulder patch (U.S. Army image)
In World War II, General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. led the division in battles in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. The 3rd ID saw 531 continuous days of combat — the only Army division to fight the Axis on every European front — in places like Casablanca, Anzio, Tome, the Vosges Mountains, Colmar, the Siegfried Line, Palermo, Nurnberg, Munich, Berchtesgaden, and Salzburg. Lieutenant Audie Murphy, the most decorated U.S. soldier in World War II, was a member of the 3rd ID.
The division also fought in the Korean War. One brigade fought in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and Marne division units deployed to Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan in ensuing years. Last year, one of the division’s battalions was posted to Ukraine in support of Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.
Designated a mechanized infantry division, the 3rd ID is now part of the XVIII Airborne Corps, based at based at Fort Stewart and Fort Benning, Georgia.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you’re wondering, Sgt. Rocky the 3rd ID mascot is a bulldog and shouldn’t be confused with Sgt. Rock of Easy Company.
SHAKO: Happy Birthday Leathernecks
242 Years Young.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo Staff Sergeant Mark E. Morrow Jr.)
Friday, November 10, was the 242nd anniversary of the creation of the United States Marine Corps. The organization has been defending the Republic since before there was a Republic — by about nine months.
The Continental Congress resolved on November 10, 1775 to create two battalions of Marines. Captain (later Major) Samuel Nichols — considered the Corps’ first commandant — advertised in and around Philadelphia for “a few good men” and signed them up at Tun Tavern in Philly.
As we have noted in the past, 4GWAR has a warm spot in its heart for the USMC because this blog was born on Nov. 12, 2009 — just two days after the Corps’ birthday.
In the above photo, Marines with color guards from various units stand ready for the Joint Daytime Ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on November 8, 2017. The event honored the 242nd Marine Corps birthday and included the traditional birthday cake-cutting.
In 1952, the 20th Marine Corps commandant, General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr., formalized the ceremony, stating the first piece of cake must be presented to the oldest Marine present, who passes it to the youngest Marine.
Marine Corp uniforms since 1775 (the green number with wig, 5th from the right). Photo courtesy of United States Marine Corps Historical Company.
SHAKO is an occasional 4GWAR posting on military history, traditions and culture. For the uninitiated, a shako is the tall, billed headgear worn by many armies from the Napoleonic era to about the time of the American Civil War. It remains a part of the dress or parade uniform of several military organizations like the corps of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York.
FRIDAY FOTO (November 10, 2017)
Night Flight.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Gregory Brook)
Air Force C-17 Globemaster III pilots from the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron conduct combat airlift operations for U.S. and coalition forces in Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
To see a video of this massive cargo plane, click here.
Here’s another shot of these folks at work.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Gregory Brook)
FRIDAY FOTO (November 3, 2017)
Building Bridges.
(U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Michael Eaddy)
Soldiers with the Puerto Rico Army National Guard’s 190th Engineer Battalion from Juncos, Puerto Rico, pick up a section of a 40-foot bridge being built for the citizens of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, on October 27, 2017.
These soldiers are with the aptly named 892nd Multi Role Bridge Company. Below is a photo of the gap the new bridge will cross. The span will provide the municipalities of Quebradillas, San Sebastian, and Isabela with a functional bridge until the bridges around the Guajataca Dam, destroyed by Hurricane Maria, are repaired.
(U.S. Army photo by Sergeant Michael Eaddy)
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