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Opinions, editorials and columns
If you’ve visited our news channel, you know what’s going on in your neighborhood and around the military. But do you know what your peers think about what’s going on? Here, you’ll find our views on the news of the day, along with views from your friends, co-workers and neighbors.
Marine Corps Times: Opinions & Columns
Simulation saves lives
In recent years, the Corps has put a premium on pre-deployment training that looks and feels like combat.
VA needs bold change
When it comes to the vast and stubborn backlog of veterans benefits claims, Congress seems all too content to take a flyswatter to an elephant.
Letters
The story “Ambush kills Marine trainers, raises questions” [Sept. 21] upset me greatly. To deny our fighting men and women proper support when needed is inexcusable.
From our forums
It is flattering that airmen would compare themselves physically to Marines. Think about it. When you are on top, everyone wants to be you.
Learn to shoot, first
There’s a debate taking place among the Corps’ weapons experts over plans to equip Marine snipers with a new rifle that would nearly double the reach of their M40, which the...
Turf war hurts families
The 2010 defense authorization bill, on a fast track to final passage at press time, included two important improvements in legal and financial protections for troops and their families.
From our forums
The only true way to mold someone’s leadership is through experience. Just because someone goes to a course that supposedly teaches them to be a good corporal, they won’t necessarily...
Letters
Unlike President Barack Obama’s plan [“Obama enacts new missile defense plan,” Sept. 28], we need a long-range missile defense system. Long-range missile systems can be used on...
Limit Feres’ reach
With little fanfare, the House Judiciary Committee has approved landmark legislation that would override a 59-year-old Supreme Court ruling barring active-duty members from suing the government for...
On the right track
Fourteen Marines died in motorcycle accidents during the past year.
Letters
We owe it to our young noncommissioned officers to provide them with the best tools and knowledge available to get the job done [(Sgts. major priorities, Oct. 5]. Some corporals who only plan to stay...
From our forums
What a dumb gimmick. The Marine Corps opens an official USMC Facebook page. Then, they make Facebook off limits to all Marines.
Letters
Recently, reports of Marines pointing guns at other Marines and pulling the triggers to validate their trust for one another have surfaced [“Trust on trial,” Sept. 21, and “The...
A familiar VA pattern
Veterans Affairs Department officials told Congress in late June that preparations for the Aug. 1 launch of the Post-9/11 GI Bill were going swimmingly.
From our forums
The commandant wants more Marines in Afghanistan. What about sending the Marines who are just sitting around? Third Battalion, 9th Marines, is on a shortened deployment to Iraq. Why can’t they...
Contingency for EFV
The Marine Corps’ future capabilities are at stake in the Quadrennial Defense Review now being worked. One central question is whether the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle — more than $1...
Give heroes their due
On the day President Barack Obama awarded just the sixth Medal of Honor since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, all of them posthumous honors, Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that soon...
From our forums
This is what this war has come to: Commanders — sitting in forward operating bases, covering their backsides and protecting their promotions — call the shots while warriors outside the...
Good intention, bad plan
The House version of the 2010 defense authorization bill would place problematic new mandates on support programs serving military family members with autism.
Letters
Your Sept. 14 editorial “UAVs aren’t ‘unmanned,’” describing Air Force Gen. William Fraser’s proposal to change the name of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Remotely...
Letters
I thought the article [“Recognized for valor,” Aug. 31] on Cpl. Richard S. Weinmaster receiving the Navy Cross was great.
Acquisition fix a tall order
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has made it clear that he intends to change how the world’s richest military buys its gear.
From the forums
This game has been around for a very long time. The problem is that many have played it, seen it played, not reported it or turned a blind eye but would never admit to it. Where have the warnings...
Letters
I’m writing about a July 27 letter to the editor by Sgt. Harold Nance, which he wrote in response to the story “Tough new swim quals” [July 20]. Nance’s letter suggests that...
Protecting you, charities
Some small charities that support troops and their families are having a bit of heartburn over new vetting rules handed down by Defense Department officials.
More accountability at VA
The Veterans Affairs Department has proposed rules to make it easier for veterans to link their diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder to their military service and become eligible for disability...
‘Trust’ no one
The tragic, inadvertent death of Lance Cpl. Patrick Malone this past March should be a wake-up call for every Marine who calls himself a leader.
From the forums
I grow facial hair fast so at 5:30 a.m., I have a shadow. Some sergeant said I should shave, but it doesn’t make any sense. If I shave before physical training, my face burns like high hell.
Letters
Honoring our fallen troops through funeral honor details is the most sacred and solemn ceremonial service the military provides. Whether a dignified transfer, a memorial service or cemetery honors,...
Letters
A replacement for the Amphibious Assault Vehicle is desperately needed, but I don’t believe the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle is the solution.
From the forums
I worry that giving noncommissioned officers power over leave and liberty will result in the babying of Marines. As it is, my unit makes us do a five-paragraph order to go on leave, show a round-trip...
Fully fund the military without using tricks
The White House has made clear that it intends to halt the use of supplemental funding bills, those “emergency” measures that critics have long contended obscure the true scope of the...
Letters
Regarding your Aug. 10 article “NCO Power,” it is about time that policymakers started returning decision-making authority to where it belongs — in the hands of noncommissioned...
Bridge DoD-VA record gap
For years, the Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department have struggled to build a system that can quickly and easily share medical records of troops moving from the military’s health care...
Get real on social media
The Pentagon has a growing problem — the phenomenon called social networking.
Do more with less
If any doubt remains that the military must overhaul the way it buys weapons systems, look no further than the Navy’s 15-year effort to build a 65-foot minisub for its SEAL commando teams.
Obama can help vets
President Barack Obama and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki met last week with Military Times and other military journalists in a bid to restore confidence in the administration’s...
From the forums
They should charge the recruiter instead of Pvt. Joshua Fry. Fry was taken away from a controlled environment geared toward his condition and thrown into an environment where he didn’t have a...
Letters
In response to the Aug. 3 story “Marine charged with puppy’s death,” I have to say, as a devoted dog lover, I hope Lance Cpl. Jordan Darbyshire will spend time in prison if he...
Allow spouses to choose
Service members can claim permanent state residence in any state in which they are “permanently” assigned during a military career, for as long as they stay in uniform and no matter how...
Right call on pregnant mid
When a senior midshipman turned up pregnant just weeks before graduation, Navy leaders faced a quandary: bar her from graduation because of a clear violation of academy rules, or let her graduate and...
Letters
One of the articles in the July 13 issue mentioned that an 18-year veteran of the Air Force, who was outed as a homosexual by a civilian, will be discharged and lose his retirement pay and medical...
From the forums
Ever wonder why more than 74,000 Marines stop at swim level 4? For corporals and below, it doesn’t count toward a composite score. If it worked on a point system, you’d see an increase in...
New threats in the ’Stan
Sending well-trained, well-equipped foreign fighters to prop up a rebel force is not a new tactic.
End burdensome offsets
One reason Congress gets such routinely low approval ratings from the American people is that lawmakers often are seen as quick to break their promises.
From our forums
Thank God Marines don’t have to shave on leave and liberty anymore. That must be the case because wherever I go off base — or even on base — I see unshaved Marines, especially on...
Letters
As I read Marine Corps Times and constantly see the bickering between grunts and persons other than grunts, it tears me up inside. Some of you might be saying I feel this way ’cause I’m a...
Make ’em show ID
From the time most Marines turned 16 — in some states, 15 — they’ve carried picture identification.
Letters
A young corporal signaled me before I entered an air-conditioned dining facility here in Iraq. As an embedded subject matter expert, I teach a number of courses when not in the field, and I...
From our forums
I’m angered that a Web site would just allow people to purchase awards certificates. Do they have no checking system?
Shed light on pay data
Having led the fight to close the gap between average military and private-sector pay — once as high as 13.5 percent and now under 3 percent — advocacy groups are setting their sights on...
From our forums
So the Corps has bumped its numbers up to over 200,000 in record time, and yet it does not have enough Marines to train them. Another indicator of how flawed its promotions boards are. Why not boost...
Letters
I have some thoughts about Sgt. Aaron Denning’s recent letter, “No, We’re not all riflemen” [May 11]. First, while it is true that we are not all riflemen in the strictest...
Tips for Secretary Mabus
Incoming Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has a lot to wrap his brain around since being sworn in on May 19.
We owe wounded a lifetime of support
On Memorial Day, like every day of the year, we are inspired by the courage, competence and sacrifice of the men and women in our armed forces as well as their families.
Concurrent receipt — now
Five years ago, Congress finally decided to kill a century-old law that forced disabled military retirees to forfeit a dollar of retired pay for every dollar they received in disability compensation.
Letters
I want to clear up a misunderstanding about the range officer military occupational specialty (marksmanship trainer 0930) merging with the 0306 gunner MOS [“Gunners, range officers merge into...
Letters
I have a simple way to eliminate the supposed discrimination associated with awards submissions [“More prestigious combat medals go to officers,” May 4]: Do away with questions such as...
From our forums
I’ve never come across it anywhere other than in a classroom in grade school. Other than perhaps Little Johnny’s first civic/patriotic exercise, it is a vestige of a bygone era.
Budget needs to balance personnel, weapons
The unveiling of President Barack Obama’s first defense budget was anticlimactic, coming weeks after Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced major program cuts and after Congress had approved...
Letters
In the past few months, we have heard that suicides, attempted suicides, drunk driving and off-duty incidents are on the rise in the Marine Corps. That alarms me and should alarm each one of you.
From our forums
This may be the closest we can come, ethically, to personalizing and driving home the possible consequences [“Images show ‘that was somebody’s fellow Marine,’” April...
Waiting is right move
Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway is laying down a challenge to industry: Either the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle comes in light enough to be carried by a helicopter, or the Corps might bow out of...
Raise fees responsibly
“Hit us over the head with a two-by-four three times, and we’re beginning to get the message.”
From the forums
It’s a great idea to tell the story of such brave men. You don’t hear anybody saying: “Hey, don’t play that game about World War II. That’s disrespectful.” So...
Pattern of misconduct
The Pentagon and the services have come far in fixing the many flaws in the disability review process for combat-injured troops. But Congress often has had to push them — sometimes hard —...
Letters
As the head of the Marine Corps’ Military Awards Branch, I would like to clarify the information on our military awards system presented in the May 4 article “More prestigious combat...
Murder trial a lost cause
Determination is a defining characteristic of the Corps, shaping everything from firefights to budget debates to political scuffles.
From the forums
“Red Zone: Cuba” — Bad acting, bad editing, bad direction, bad lighting, bad sound, bad story, bad everything. Plot summary: Three losers join a paramilitary unit for the Bay of...
Letters
With regard to “Beat the ticket” [April 20 Lifelines], I offer the following response: It is abhorrent that Marine Corps Times would advocate a service member do anything other than...
‘V’ is for valor
They make up about 90 percent of the force, but enlisted Marines earn only about half the Corps’ most prestigious combat medals.
Letters
I am a civilian Marine spouse who has worked in the family-readiness arena for more than five years. The job has given me an opportunity to interact with Marines of all ranks, spouses and extended...
From the forums
Somali pirates vs. Navy SEAL snipers. Problem solved.
The time is right
“Black Hawk Down” was a hit on the bookshelves and in the movie theaters because of its riveting portrayal of the deadly 1993 battle between elite U.S. Army forces and Somali bandits....
Valor overlooked ?
Marine Corps Times’ March 30 cover story, “Honor denied,”noted that no campaign in modern history has produced so few Medals of Honor — just five, and all of them posthumously...
Letters
In response to the April 6 letter “Reward responsibility” by Sgt. Michael M. Elder, I disagree wholeheartedly. If the Corps started giving certain military occupational specialties extra...
From the Forums
At the same paygrade, some ranks are more respected in one service than in others. I’m an E-6 in the Navy, and I’m fully aware Marine E-6s are the most respected. Navy Chiefs are the most...
Sensible acquisition
In making a bold new call for sweeping cuts in some of the military’s most high-profile weapons programs, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is striving to bring to America’s military posture...
A lost cause
President Barack Obama, under the guidance of U.S. Central Command boss Gen. David Petraeus, plans to send thousands additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
From the forums
According to the article [“Alarm sounds on 24/7 fitness,” March 23], only 15 active-duty officers have been assigned to the Corps’ Body Composition Program. I notice about 10 per...
New VA reality: women
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are forging a new place in history for military women, who make up more than 10 percent of the deployed force.
Grade the evaluators
Promotion boards are administrative battlefields where Marines are pitted against each other.
Letters
Our Corps’ position remains unequivocal: The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle is essential to what we do and is our top acquisition priority [“Dump the EFV now,” Editorials, March 2]....
From our forums
I’ve worked more than 20 years as a military cop, both stateside and overseas. Based on my experiences, I’d go with setting the legal age to buy/consume alcohol at 25. It would remove all...
2 sides to Dover debate
On Feb. 26, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the repeal of a policy dating to the 1991 Gulf War that prohibited media coverage of flag-draped coffins of U.S. war casualties coming home to...
Continue closing pay gap
President Barack Obama’s first defense budget calls for a military pay raise of 2.9 percent next year, which sounds generous when many Americans are losing jobs.
Fewer stressors may help
When it comes to suicides among large groups of people — whether it’s college kids or, in this case, Marines — rarely do investigators find a single, unifying reason.
Letters
I have been reading articles complaining about Veterans Affairs medical centers for a long time now and at one time I believed every complaint I read. Then in 2000 my brother, a retired Marine,...
Ammunition alternatives
The military spent four years and $33 million developing and testing the XM8 carbine. It beat every competitor in an Army-conducted test. Now, we’re starting over, so we will need another four...
The new readiness
Anyone who thinks Robert Gates won’t make big changes during his second stint as defense secretary hasn’t been paying attention.
From our forums
I always thought the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard could attend one basic training. It seems the Defense Department could save a ton of money and bring all components together...
Enlisted deserve better
The new marching order at Arlington National Cemetery is that enlisted soldiers killed in action qualify for burial with full honors.
‘Loose lips’ warning even more important in digital age
The supermarket is buzzing with noise as everyone makes their purchases. You are in the middle of a long line that juts out into the middle of the busy store. Behind you, you overhear a woman on her...
Editorial: Maintain strong defense
The new year has not been rung in with the traditional hope and optimism — 2009 has all the makings of a historically tough one, with the worst economic crisis in decades straining budgets...
Editorial: Report burn-pit truth
Military officials say no known long-term health effects can be linked to heavy, lengthy exposure to the smoke from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Close the fighter gap
“When word of crisis breaks out in Washington, it’s no accident the first question that comes to everyone’s lips is, ‘Where is the nearest carrier?’”
From the forums
Anytime I’ve been deployed over the holidays, the harder people tried to make it seem festive, the more it made me realize I was away from home. I would rather just treat it like any other day,...
Military groups most deserving of government ‘bailout’
If the United States can afford to spend almost $1 trillion in bailouts for companies whose financial troubles were caused by their own mismanagement, what about those in the military community who...
Shinseki as VA secretary
Nominating retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki as secretary of veterans affairs is the latest bold move by President-elect Barack Obama to reassure troops and veterans that he intends to look out for...
Editorial: Job plan too generous
President Bush has signed an executive order that gives a huge advantage to military spouses seeking federal government jobs.
Forums
How about the one where the guy in the Hawaiian shirt walks up to two teenage girls and gives them a lecture on OPSEC?
Editorial: The MRAP solution
The tradeoff for the superior blast protection provided by Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles is that they are top-heavy and prone to rollover, too tall and too heavy for much of the roadways...
Marching along
If you are ever in the Washington, D.C., area from late spring through summer, there are two significant events you should try to attend: the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., or...
Editorial: Give Marines Warrior Pay
The Army’s campaign to implement “Warrior Pay” of up to $1,500 a month to reward soldiers for cumulative time served in a war zone is running up against a hard deadline that could...
Forums
The choice of words to describe brand-new NCOs may have been on the harsh side, but calling them by any other name makes them no less inexperienced. A person who is under 21, spent only eight months...
Editorial
For the third consecutive year, the Pentagon’s budget request calls for big hikes in enrollment fees, deductibles and pharmacy co-pays in its Tricare health insurance program.
Editorial: Build before you buy
Any initiative launched in an administration’s last year faces an uphill battle for survival, and the prognosis is even worse when it comes from a team suffering record-low approval ratings. So...
Leaders as mentors
I still have the chevrons I was given for my promotion to lance corporal by Lance Cpl. Bobby Alley. Those chevrons are special, not because they were the first, but because they were Bobby’s.
Letters
I think the idea of starting riding clubs at Marine installations and requiring Marines with motorcycles to join them is a bad one [“2-wheel tragedies: Corps moves to slow rate of motorcycle...
Sense of urgency needed
The two-year-old Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization has the critical — and so far, elusive — mission of living up to its own name. The insurgent networks that build and...
Pass wounded warrior bill
On the list of military issues on which Congress has shown a breathtaking mismatch between rhetoric and action, few examples loom larger than taking care of troops wounded in the wars in Iraq and...
Editorial
We’ll probably never know exactly what happened Sept. 16 when private security contractors protecting a State Department convoy in Baghdad opened fire.
Editorial
On Sept. 17, the Web site for the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project — which has spent the past seven years collecting the oral histories of tens of thousands of combat...
Letters
This is in response to the letter “Everyone should deploy” [Sept. 24]. As a Marine who has been in for about three years and gone on one non-combat Marine expeditionary unit deployment,...
Vietnam redux
Listening to Army Gen. David Petraeus explain to Congress how he intends to pacify Iraq brought back with painful clarity the warning Clark Clifford said he issued to President Lyndon Johnson when...
From our Message Boards
As a retired Marine and father of two Marines who both entered the corps at 18, if you can die for this country at 17 or 18, then you can have a drink if you want.
Editorial: Establish valor database to honor national heroes
After watching the film “Saving Private Ryan,” which showed scenes of the U.S. cemetery in Normandy, France, Monty McDaniel became curious about the grave of his uncle, who is buried...
Letters
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s lame reason for why none of his sons has served in the military really reflects the views of many presidential candidates, members of Congress and the...
Truth, trust at risk
This summer, the Army, National Guard and Defense Department issued requests to industry to hire contractors to analyze and monitor media reporting and make recommendations to the highest ranks of...
Just say no to running suits
In case you haven’t heard, the higher-ups are developing a Marine Corps running suit. They even had a PT uniform survey for Marines to vote on which of two prototypes is more aesthetically...
Editorial: Congress can fix Feres
After 21-year-old Nathan Hafterson died during a routine medical procedure in March 2006, his family might well have expected they could sue the doctors and hospital whose negligence they say killed...
Editorial: Inappropriate message
A charitable group that enjoys at least tacit official support from the Pentagon is embroiled in a controversy that is proving too hot for defense officials.
Letters to Marine Corps Times
Thank you for printing so many articles about traumatic brain injuries [“War’s ‘signature’ wound,” Lifelines, Aug. 13]. As this is the product of the Iraqi...
Letters
I have been in for almost 25 years and have seen a lot of things during my career. Now, I see that our senior enlisted leadership has recommended that we look at personal appearance as a way of...
Editorial: Don’t reinvent the wheel
The Army may have been slow in 2004 to fit its vehicles with armor plate, but it’s moving at record speed in 2007 when it comes to buying combat robots.
Sunny tropic scenes?
Although I haven’t spoken to all Marines personally (I’ve spoken to four, which is close), I feel confident that I represent the feelings of the entire Marine Corps when I propose that we...
Editorial: Looks aren’t everything
For the past five years, the Marine Corps has decided whether you were truly fit based on a physical fitness test.
Editorial: A simple solution
The Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act provides troops with legal protections for breaking apartment and auto leases upon receiving deployment orders.
Editorial: Streamline armored vehicle purchases
Army and Marine Corps efforts to field a new blast-proof vehicle to beleaguered troops in Iraq are an exercise that can be best characterized as the good, the bad and the ugly.
Editorial: Start with the truth
The Army, Pentagon and now the White House have turned the tragic death of Cpl. Pat Tillman into a national disgrace without end.
Letters
“Good morning, sir/ma’am” — a proper greeting of the day — is so simple yet so seldom heard these days. Young Marines, to include noncommissioned officers, are beginning...
Serving after separation
I’m back. I separated from the Marine Corps three years ago, but recently re-enlisted.
Adm. Mullen must bring straight talk back to chairman’s post
When Adm. Mike Mullen becomes chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — he is expected to receive Senate consent — will he give serious advice to President Bush and to Defense Secretary...
FROM THE FORUMS
In the end, he is still a Marine. Once a Marine always a Marine! If he allowed the Food Network to “believe what they wanted to believe,” then that is his business. He had the courage to...
FROM THE FORUMS
The one grooming standard I would change is male Marines not being allowed to wear an earring while in liberty attire. This regulation is outdated and does not make any sense. Liberty attire should...
The price of free speech
I have always heard that if we are to change the world, we must speak our minds.
Letters
I read with great interest the article about officers below colonel and staff noncommissioned officers switching to the M4 [“Pack in your pistols: Many staff NCOs and officers will now carry...
Editorial: Tour lengths make sense
During a recent tour of West Coast bases and stations, the commandant told Marines and their families that he’s sticking to seven-month deployments for most Marines.
Letters
The recent article [“Helmet headache,” June 25] highlights the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of the Lightweight Marine Helmet and the adopted pad system manufactured by Team...
Lost professionalism
The decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates not to renominate Marine Gen. Peter Pace to a second two-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff because of the possibility of a difficult...
Editorial: Month home shifts burden
Marines are deploying three, four or more times to Iraq. But you won’t hear much in the way of complaints, because a shared sense of honor and duty overrides most self-interest.
Rural America answered the military’s call, deserves better care
The government goes to great lengths to recruit young men and women to enlist in the military. Recruiters often travel the extra mile to convince young people from rural America that the military is...
From the forums
As a combat veteran, I don’t care what rank you are, being on the ground equipped only with the M9 is like going to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral with a butter knife. As I am a senior...
From the forums
As a former Marine and a chef, [I think] the Food Network should remove him from the network. I served in the Persian Gulf War. Once I returned, I graduated from the California Culinary Academy and...
Keeping our promise
The government goes to great lengths to recruit young men and women to enlist in the military. Recruiters often travel the extra mile to convince young people from rural America that the military is...
Editorial: Budget for construction
If the House and Senate Appropriations committees have it right — and there’s no reason to doubt them — the Pentagon is headed for rough water on military construction that could...
Letters
I read with interest Individual Ready Reserve Sgt. Liam Madden’s recent submission to Marine Corps Times [“Right to speak out,” Letters, June 25], coming hard on the heels of the...
Editorial: Field test helmet pads
Last October, when the Marine Corps decided to ditch the uncomfortable leather slings in its helmets in favor of pads, it ensured that leathernecks would be better protected from the effects of...
Editorial: Give troops their leave
On April 18, Pentagon personnel chief David S.C. Chu announced details of a new plan to compensate combat troops who are deployed longer or more often than Pentagon policy permits.
Necessary limits
Some media question a recent change to embed ground rules in Iraq. The requirement states that images of wounded service members “will not be released without the service member’s prior...
Surprise homecoming puts dad back in family duty station
Yellow bows, $27. Materials for making welcome home signs, $15. Getting my hair done, $81. Seeing my husband come home early for the first time in 15 years as part of his unit’s advance party,...
Letters
I enjoyed retired Col. Dirk Ahle’s June 25 letter about being told by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service that he was dead [“Hey, I’m...
From the forums
How sad it is for someone to be so insecure about their own service to embellish it or to ride on the coattails of those who actually served.
Lifetime gets ‘Desperate’
As an Army wife, I waited with bated breath to view the first episode of the new Lifetime series “Army Wives.”
Editorial: Photo rules hide the truth
Some of war’s most memorable images include the wounded and the dead. It is impossible to chronicle a war without including that defining characteristic. But if the most current ground rules...
Letters
Marines, service members and fellow veterans, there is an elephant in the room. The room is the political dialogue surrounding the war in Iraq. The elephant is war crimes.
Editorial: Move beyond talk
Whoever coined the name “Families First” for the military’s effort to overhaul its household goods shipping process was either the sunniest of optimists or the most cynical of...
FROM THE FORUMS
There is something seriously wrong here. [Cpl. Adam] Kokesh, a man who actually served in Iraq, is being persecuted for exercising the rights he fought to defend.
LETTERS
Because the perfect is the enemy of the good, Marine Corps procurement officers need to take a more realistic approach to the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, the replacement for the Assault Amphibian...
From The Forums
I have Marines under me who have lots of tattoos and some who don’t have any. One Marine has a sleeve that is almost finished, but he is deployed. He will not be able to finish it. But he is...
Editorial: Fixing the death gratuity
In 2005, Congress raised the so-called “death gratuity” paid to survivors of service members who die on active duty from $12,000 to $100,000 — a generous gesture of wartime support.
A call for help
Over the past few months, there has been a debate on these pages whether it is worth serving in the reserve. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have seen a heavy burden placed on reservists, who must...
Today, while I hung back in my office for a few minutes before securing for the Memorial Day holiday, I thumbed through the May 28 edition of Marine Corps Times. I came across the special supplement,...
Editorial: It’s about pay, not leave
After more than five years at war, reservists continue to answer the call to arms, deploying at an unprecedented pace.
From the Forums
I agree with the White House that we don’t really need a raise larger than the inflation rate this year. We are spending ourselves into the ground, and need to start putting our greed aside and...
Editorial: Clarify tattoo rules
Before the new tattoo regulations took effect April 1, the Corps suffered from a vague policy that wasn’t applied evenly across the service.
Editorial: Prorate danger benefits
It’s no secret that you can qualify for a full month’s danger pay — $225 — and a month’s federal tax-exclusion benefits — worth far more — for spending even...
Enough is enough
“And when you ask them, how much should we give?
LETTERS
Here we are again, talking about tattoos and whether they affect Marines’ proficiency at turning a wrench, walking a patrol or whatever [“Blurry lines,” May 28]. I say that is only...
Joint chiefs must return to prominence within command chain
If Fleet Adm. Ernest King and George Marshall, general of the Army, were members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in March 2003, we might not be bogged down in a dreadful and misguided war in Iraq.
Editorial: Let junior troops testify
A lesson seemingly never learned is how fundamentally wrong it is to be anything less than fully open and truthful about what is taking place in the war zone.
Letters
My sentiments are 100 percent with Army Sgt. Jim Wilt, who favors flying U.S. flags at half-staff for fallen military members in Iraq and Afghanistan [“Honoring the Fallen,” Back Talk,...
Editorial: In the end, war’s truth cannot be contained
One battlefield lesson seemingly never learned is how fundamentally wrong it is to be anything less than fully open and truthful about what is taking place in the war zone.
FROM THE FORUMS
It is bad enough that our elected politicians take it upon themselves to publicly convict our servicemen before any and all investigations are complete, now we have our own brethren doing it. From...
Editorial: Recruits come out ahead
For Marines who like to boast that the Corps is tougher than the Army, they’ve been given a whole new arsenal.
Letters
On reading your editorial in the May 7 issue [“Estrada’s tenure marked by caring and tenacity”], I was somewhat dismayed at the comments by the outgoing sergeant major of the Marine...
On the road to ruin
News that the White House is now, more than four years into the Iraq war, seeking a “czar” to oversee policy implementation is a long-overdue admission that the administration has failed...
Editorial: VA fixes require money
A committee drawn from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council has produced a report that discusses how the VA could better serve the rising number of Afghanistan and Iraq combat...
The evidence against our Marines is based on the word of the “eye witnesses” in this Taliban-controlled area. The company commander kept his men together, they maintained combat...
Letters
I have a question concerning a comment made in your “Going Hunting” story in the April 16 edition. Col. Clarke Lethin, I Marine Expeditionary Force’s chief of staff, was paraphrased...
We should never use a draft unless our country is being invaded by massive foreign armies, and then it would not even be necessary. Everyone would be volunteering to do something. A draft for wars...
Editorial: Pay proposal is fair
For more than a century, disabled military retirees were required by law to forfeit a dollar in retirement pay for every dollar received in disability compensation.
Serving in silence
Many mornings, I am at the post walking when the flag is being raised. I wouldn’t be here at this moment if it were not for my spouse’s chosen profession, the military.
Editorial: Half-staff salute in May
In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, where 32 students and teachers died at the hands of a highly disturbed gunman last month, the media published lengthy profiles of every victim and...
Honoring the fallen
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Following the deaths of 32 Virginia Tech students, the President of the United States ordered that all American flags be flown at half-staff for one week.
Reinstituting the draft would be the biggest mistake we could make short of abandoning the mission.
Letters
I am writing this letter for several reasons. First and most important, our beloved Marine Corps is gaining an outstanding senior noncommissioned officer to lead young Marines into the battlefields...
Culture shift
Last month, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, compared homosexuality to adultery in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “We prosecute that kind of immoral...
Protesters should focus on policymakers, not recruiters
Several recent confrontations have put some of our troops in harm’s way. These conflicts didn’t occur on the streets of Baghdad or in the skies over Afghanistan but right in...
Letters
I was disturbed by the April 16 editorial “British troops fed Iranian propaganda.”
Editorial: VA owes veterans more
Lawmakers are watching with alarm the exploding backlog of veterans’ benefits claims, now estimated at 600,000 cases and growing as troops return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Editorial: Decide on detainees
In the summer of 2004, a Marine Corps Times reporter embedded with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, in Ramadi, Iraq, found himself on the business end of one of the biggest complaints among Marines in...
From the forums
When the powers that be sent MSOC to take on the Taliban, they should have realized Marines always attack to the “sound of the gun.” If they wanted to check IDs of those doing the...
War stories
From my foxhole-view as a tactical battalion commander in western Baghdad in 2006, the American press, although not perfect, has reported the reality of the Iraq war.
It's time to allow gays to serve openly in the military
Last month, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, compared homosexuality to adultery in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “We prosecute that kind of immoral...
Editorial: Resolve deployment pay
On Jan. 11, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he wanted to come up with a way to compensate combat troops whose deployments are involuntarily extended or who are redeployed without...
Editorial: Amend ex-spouses' law
The Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act -- which allows for the court-ordered division of military retired pay between service members and former spouses when they divorce -- has...
British troops fed Iran’s propaganda
“Duty is the great business of a sea officer; all private considerations must give way to it, however painful it may be.”
From the forums
I do not oppose people protesting the war in Iraq. However, I vehemently oppose those that would burn the American flag to attract attention to themselves. The flag stands for freedom ... a lifestyle...
On the offensive
The editorial in Marine Corps Times' April 9 issue, “Bomb team isn't producing,” did not give an accurate summary of what the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat...
Letters
We've all come so far it's entirely surreal. I can't stop thinking back to when we all started this whole thing Â… and it was so long ago. Camp Margarita, Horno, Talega, San Diego,...
Editorial: Level with troops on surge
President Bush’s Iraq surge plan announced in January called for extending some current deployments and accelerating some others, enabling the military to increase the number of troops in Iraq...
Editorial: Time to open up
For the second time in three years, the National Security Archive — an independent research institute and library at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. — has given the...
2 plans for Iraq
How do I serve the military and my nation with integrity as both an active-duty airman and an American citizen? Are they mutually exclusive endeavors? I don’t think so.
Editorial: Make re-up bonuses fair
Almost every Marine who wants to re-enlist these days can — and get paid a pile of money to do it, too.
Pitfalls of separation
Long separations due to deployments or unaccompanied tours are hard on both sides of a marriage and may lead to adultery. Partners grow apart or seek comfort from another person. Some just...
I didn’t join the military; I joined the Corps
In conversation with people, it inevitably comes up that I am in the Marine Corps Reserve. The person I’m speaking to may tell me he served in uniform also. If he says, “I was also in the...
Letters
Please pass on my congratulations to Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace for his stance of not apologizing for stating his belief about homosexuality being immoral. It is refreshing to see an...
Talk it out
Sometimes, when I am at my normal job in the real world, memories of my deployment to Iraq haunt me, and I can hardly believe that it happened.
Editorial: Fixing fractured reserves
Almost all of the 13 members of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserve have military experience. Several served in uniform for decades.
Editorial: System cheats troops
The moldy walls and leaking pipes at Walter Reed Army Medical Center will surely be fixed — the whole world is watching.
Facing a new form of war
In a very real sense, all war is driven by politics. The first two “generations” of war were waged between armies: men and materiel introduced to a battlefield or onto a front, with the...
Editorial: Blame at Walter Reed
Defense Secretary Robert Gates got his first big test last week and showed exactly what kind of secretary he is.
Editorial: FROG is the perfect fit
Last spring, when the top Marine commander in Iraq banned sweat-wicking T-shirts from outside-the-wire use, it was an unwelcome bit of news at the beginning of a hot summer.
Hero on the home front
Marines are fearless and strong, there’s no question about that. I respect those who serve in the Corps almost more than anyone in this world. But I recently had an epiphany: Moms are wonderful.
Diplomatic skill, experience make Fallon a perfect fit
The recent selection of Adm. William “Fox” Fallon, current commander, Pacific Command, to replace Army Gen. John Abizaid as commander, Central Command, has raised some eyebrows within the...
Marine Corps Times Editorial: Deployment plan is right
Not long after he became commandant in November, Gen. James Conway took his show on the road, visiting bases and stations in the Carolinas to take the pulse of his Marines.
Marine Corps Times Editorial: Fix disability system
Recent news reports by the Military Times newspapers, The Washington Post and others have highlighted the plight of hundreds of injured and wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in...
Marine Corps Times Editorial: Vaccine policy at issue
Just as the Pentagon is set to resume mandatory anthrax shots for the troops, the vaccine’s sole manufacturer, Emergent BioSolutions, says it is testing its product as a potential treatment...
Turning the tide
Let’s consider a “what if” scenario: The president orders 20,000 more troops to Iraq. However, these troops don’t come from the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps.
Inner strength
Here we go again: It’s deployment time for our family. So much has changed since that horrible day, Aug. 29, 1995, when my husband left on his first deployment as a married man.
Marine Corps Times Editorial: VA needs outside scrutiny
According to his family, when former Pvt. Jonathan Schulze told a Department of Veterans Affairs psychologist that he was feeling suicidal, he was told that the earliest appointment he could get was...
Marine Corps Times Editorial: Empty posturing on Iraq
Having been AWOL on its Iraq war oversight duties for the first four years of the conflict, the Senate finally seemed poised in early February to stage a debate on the conflict.
Inner strength
Here we go again: It’s deployment time for our family. So much has changed since that horrible day, Aug. 29, 1995, when my husband left on his first deployment as a married man.
Marine Corps Times Editorial: One death is too many
Like thousands of America’s youngest generation of veterans, former Marine Jonathan Schulze came home from Iraq, hung up his uniform and tried to move on.
Marine Corps Times Editorial: Show gratitude with benefits
In what has become something of an annual rite, lawmakers once again are talking of improving GI Bill education benefits — and the place to start is with fixes to the Reserve GI Bill.
Is being a reservist still worth it?
In recent months, the Department of Defense has re-examined policies regarding the size and use of our nation’s military, both active and reserve, in light of the demands of operations in Iraq,...
As mobilizations increase, more employers become wary
All National Guard and Reserve members voluntarily signed up to protect their country, but the rules recently changed: The Defense Department now can recall them to active service more frequently and...
Marine Corps Times editorial: Look at fixes before fees
At the initial meeting of the Task Force on the Future of Military Healthcare, it quickly became evident that Pentagon officials want the panel to get behind a proposal to boost fees for some Tricare...
Letters
I was stunned to read “IEDs not just a problem in Iraq” [FastTrack, Dec. 25]. You irresponsibly repeat as fact without any substantiation William Lind’s ludicrous assertion that...
From combat to communication
What follows will stand in the face of everything that comes naturally to the U.S. military and, with few exceptions, its courageous men and women.
Navy Times editorial: Reservists’ jobs on line
Times are getting increasingly tough for reservists, just as they are for active-duty troops. The line between the two has blurred since Sept. 11, 2001, and reservists now are used as an operational...
The Lore of the Corps
The Prisoner of War Medal, established by Congress in 1985, was created to recognize the honorable conduct of Marines and other military members held as prisoners of war since 1917.
Marine Corps Times letters
I just wanted to comment on Cpl. Matt Sanchez’s column [“Missing the big picture,” Back Talk, Jan. 1].
Marine Corps Times editorial:
The new Democratic Congress has an ambitious agenda for its first 100 hours in power, to include the national minimum wage, embryonic stem cell research and alternative energy options.
Marine Corps Times editorial: BAH standards outdated
The 3.5 percent average increase in the Basic Allowance for Housing in 2007 is quite a bit lower than in recent years, when the average hikes ran to 6 percent, 7 percent or even more.
Marine Corps Times editorial: Looking for new course
The military professionals who make up the core of today’s career force no longer believe President Bush is on the right track in Iraq. According to this year’s Military Times Poll, only...
Marine Corps Times letters
In response to the Center of Defense Information report, “V-22 Osprey: Wonder Weapon or Widow Maker” [“Report blasts Osprey testing, readiness,” Dec. 11], I would like to...
Marine Corps Times editorial: It’s time to manage fuel
Recent military experiments with jet-engine fuel made from natural gas are going well — welcome news in a world that has likely bid adieu to the peak of oil production.
Marine Corps Times letters
When I walked into the recruiting office five years ago, I wanted nothing more than to be an active-duty Marine. My dreams were shot down when my recruiter told me I could not become one, due to the...
Marine Corps Times letters
I’m all for nasal mist influenza vaccinations (I call them “flu snots”) over the annual autumn stabbing [“A ‘shot’ up the nose,” Frontlines, Dec. 11]....
Changing their tune
Being a Marine is a tough job. But it is especially tough on the young leathernecks who leave home for the first time and have to live on a military base full of strangers.
Kay Pollard: One kid to another - PCS moves have a bright side
Your first and most basic reaction when you’re told your family is moving is likely to be anger. It’s natural to be irritated or even infuriated with your parents when they tell you your...
Robert F. Dorr: Punishment for impostors
It looks like the outgoing Congress will adjourn without passing the Stolen Valor Act, a bill to stiffen penalties for impostors who pretend to be military heroes.
Marine Corps Times letters
I served four years as a captain in the Corps, from 1986 to 1990, and was later recalled during Operation Desert Storm. With the recent buzz about the Army’s new slogan and commercial...
Coburn’s callous ‘hold’
A bill is pending in the Senate that would grant new benefits to help the families of severely wounded troops keep their loved ones at home, rather than in hospitals and other institutions. But the...
Letters
I almost fell out of my chair watching the video of the naive Air Force training instructor falsely claiming that Air Force recruit training is more strenuous than the Marine Corps’....
From our forums
Props for the president coming out to witness a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, Del. What those Marines, airmen, sailors and soldiers do at Dover is nothing short of remarkable.
Fast fixes are needed
The blast-resistant vehicles that have proven highly successful in protecting troops against improvised explosive devices have developed a devastating new vulnerability, now that insurgents are...
From our forums
I think it is President Barack Obama’s duty to think long and hard before he acts. When our leaders have failed to properly plan their course of action and rushed into battle, we ended up with...
Letters
The intent of this letter is to clarify and amplify remarks made in the Oct. 26 article “Straight shooters.”
Ramp up cultural training
In the coming weeks, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command will deploy its first female engagement team to Afghanistan. There, alongside highly trained operators, they will venture into...
Letters
The other day, I took leave and was asked by the duty to turn in my meal card. I felt a flash of anger when I thought of all the countless meals I’ve paid for, but not eaten. Now I leave for a...
From our forums
These dogs that are training to help wounded warriors are a great asset. Congress should provide money for the project.
Amphib forces essential
Among the issues the Quadrennial Defense Review will determine is whether to retain the Marine Corps’ amphibious assault mission.
Don’t rush ‘don’t ask’
As a candidate, President Barack Obama suggested he would work to overturn the law governing gays in the military as well as the policy that spun out of the law, known as “don’t ask,...
Man suing Corps denied record upgrade
A former Marine who is suing the Corps for $30 million and asking for an upgrade to his military record suffered the first setback of his quest when the Naval Discharge Review Board recently...
Don’t stand by, stand up
Service members pride themselves on being stand-up people, with more integrity than the average civilian. The self-image runs deep: “The few, the proud.” “Aim high.”...
Military health care must become a greater priority
A cultural change is needed to ensure Marines and other service members get what they need to stay fit to fight, says the Pentagon’s recently departed principal deputy undersecretary of defense...
Risk assessment
An amazing revolution is taking place in the history of war, and even perhaps of humanity. The military went into Iraq with a handful of drones in the air and zero unmanned systems on the ground,...
From our forums
1. They could make a weapon out of virtually ANYTHING: paper-towel rolls, popsicles, Legos — even pb and j sandwiches bitten into the shape of a handgun.
No half measures
Commanders in Afghanistan say they don’t have enough people — and not just trigger pullers. They don’t have enough engineers, MPs, intelligence experts or even airlift to get the...
Letters
The column “Learning to let go” [Back Talk, March 2] had a photograph of an Afghan interpreter, with a caption listing his name. Unbeknown to many, there are often higher prizes set by...
Setting a bad example
In July, Lance Cpl. Charles Snowdon was sentenced to eight months in the brig.
Deserving the Medal of Honor
Only five Medals of Honor have been awarded to service members for heroic action in Iraq and Afghanistan — all posthumously.
Signs of stress
Forty-one Marines committed suicide last year. Many of these unfortunate casualties undoubtedly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and could no longer cope with the terrible pressures and...
Burn-pit study needed
Tens of thousands of troops have been exposed to burn-pit toxins in Iraq and Afghanistan, and concerns are mounting that many may be at risk for serious health consequences.
Letters
I would like to offer a solution for what the U.S. should do with detainees who have been kept at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba [“Closing Guantanamo likely to prove more easily ordered than...
From our forums
This whole “they knew and didn’t care” argument is a bit disingenuous. The HMMWV was NEVER designed to survive roadside IEDs.
Out of control
Talk of Draconian program cuts abounds within the Pentagon. Why? Because making cuts is easier than making weapon programs conform to cost, schedule and performance objectives.
Letters
Marines, such as myself, who are in billets where their responsi¬bilities are greater than other Marines in the same military oc¬cupational specialty should re¬ceive extra pay. Junior...
This effort begs the question ... exactly how many sex of¬fenders are there in base housing? There are a lot of children living there, some with lax supervision due to the relative...
No tolerance for assaults
Reports of sexual assaults in¬volving military victims and/or perpetrators in 2008 were up more than 8 percent over 2007.
Sizing up missile defense
President Barack Obama has repeatedly said that the fate of the $9 billion-a-year missile de¬fense program depends on whether it works now. Analysts say that could lead to program cuts of $2...
Reflecting on 5,000
The U.S. military reached a somber milestone in mid-June when the 5,000th American service member died in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Don’t gut gator fleet
The question keeps coming up: How many amphibious ships do the Navy and Marine Corps need?
Letters
I applaud the author of “Make ’em show ID” [Editorial, June 15]. I agree wholeheartedly with that stance. Telling officers and staff noncommissioned officers they don’t need...
From our forums
You can’t have any pornographic material whatsoever in the Middle East, including a picture of your own wife if she’s not completely covered, because it offends people in other countries....
Stamp out burn pits
A growing number of military medical professionals believe burn pits are causing a wave of respiratory and other illnesses among troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Letters
Why is it that there has been no Presidential Unit Citation awarded for all of the Corps’ outstanding achievements and heroics in Afghanistan? We have been over there for nearly eight years....
From Our Forums
It is about time someone evaluated/overhauled the broken medal process. I really hope they look at all of the awards that have been given for valor and gallantry to see if these service members can...
A black eye for MCA
The Marine Corps Association ought to be a pretty exclusive club. Turns out, it has a problem with fakers.
From our forums
So now we’ve pretty much told the Taliban that:
Letter
When the Corps went “digital” and we decided the Eagle, Globe and Anchor emblem would be embroidered on all of our cammies, there was a lot of discussion and to-do about the fact that...
Osprey can still fly
Since its very inception, the MV-22 Osprey has been mired in controversy.
Don’t slight spouses
The Military Postal Service Agency is looking to tighten some mail rules that officials say are too often flouted.
Letters
From the perspective of a current reconnaissance Marine, the article titled, “Rebuilding recon” [June 22] was interesting and informative. In the past, the Corps has not done a good job...
From our forums
Imagine what the rest of the students were thinking. Talk about pucker factor.
Materiel problems
After six long and often bloody years, U.S. military forces have begun pulling out of Iraqi cities — the first step to dramatically cutting the American presence there by the end of 2011.
From our forums
Chase them all into a village. Announce that anyone who wants to leave can — through one exit. After all friendlies leave village, level village. Rebuild village. Insert friendlies.
Letters
One of the most important pledges the military makes in combat is to never leave a service member behind on the battlefield.
Smoking is troops’ right
No one disputes that using tobacco, in whatever form, carries dire health consequences for users while driving up the costs of health care for everyone.
From our forums
I served with Staff Sgt. Foster at his last command. I take offense that he claimed in one article that we ostracized him because he was going to be a single parent. Though I didn’t know him...
Letters
I just moved to Al Asad air base in Iraq, and I cannot believe the rules and regulations that have been made up on this base. My Marines cannot wear green skivvy shirts with civilian-style physical...
Blaming the victim
Everyone who knew Josh Fry knew he wasn’t Marine material.
Senate right to ax F-22
It’s not often that Congress votes to shut down production of a big-ticket weapons system — along with the jobs that the system supports in home states and districts.
I am in the Army, yet I look at the Marine Corps and wish the Army would look at how you train and operate. Somewhere in the last 15 to 20 years, the Army got weak. I would like to see us have a...
When service members go untreated, the entire military suffers
As members of Congress with different views on the war in Iraq, we know how difficult it is to find consensus on this war. But there is one thing that should unite us all — our commitment to...
Editorial
In a late-July interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Commandant Gen. James Conway said there is probably no way that America’s growing dissatisfaction with the Iraq war could turn around.
Letters
So, the Congressional Budget Office thinks our men and women in uniform are making too much money and wants to cut back benefits? [“A fresh look at pay: A new report says you make twice what...
The requirement is a good one. Marines have had more than enough time to achieve their tan belts. There are some important skills and techniques shown in the training that could help save your life...
Editorial: Take TBI seriously
A hidden menace follows our troops home from the combat zone. about 2,100 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, but medical experts estimate up...
Editorial: Upgrade the GI Bill
Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb wants a renewed national commitment to the GI Bill to reward wartime service and the sacrifice of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
Letters: Another take on MCMAP
I commend the commandant for increasing visibility of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, but directing that only combat-arms Marines be required to attain certain belts is a mistake...
Playing their roles
Every Marine, first and foremost, is a rifleman. Any Marine will tell you that, and I respect it. The fundamental purpose of the Army and Marine Corps demands that all their personnel should be...
Letters
Staff Sgt. Daniel Marquez’s in-depth “history” lesson on the beginnings of our first-ever musket range was absolutely wonderful [“Ready, aim, wait: ‘The most dangerous...
Running suit rules
I like my green-on-green sweats. At $20 a set, I can trash them, muddy them and replace them pretty easily. If I rip them, I can sew them. With a jogging suit, how much more will I pay to replace it?...
Letters
The recent article highlighting another round of collaboration between the Marine Corps and marketing firm JWT [“Silent Drill Platoon takes on recruiting ad mission,” Oct. 22] brought me...
From our message boards
The CH-46A was a much-maligned aircraft when it flew into combat in Vietnam. … In spite of its shortcomings, Marines made it work! Regardless of its alleged or real short¬comings, the...
Camaraderie & cold ones
Most members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit had one thing on their minds during a port call in Jebel Ali, Dubai, on Sept. 30: drinking beer. Following combat operations in Anbar province, the...
Think before we redeploy
We can’t simply wish our armed forces home from Iraq — and we can’t leave them there indefinitely.
Better GI Bill needed
Without the political muscle to beef up the GI Bill so it fully cov¬ers the cost of a college education, lawmakers are seeking other ways to help troops pay for school.
Closely track reforms
In the wake of the Walter Reed scandal, the Pentagon belatedly has begun a test program to begin overhauling the complex and, some say, unfair disability rating and payment system.
From our message boards
The Marine Corps isn’t becoming another Army, they are just adapting to what the war is. If the war turned into a tank-on-tank gen three war, our Marines would jump back into the roles of CAT...
U.S. Military (Ret.)
The recent column in which I tossed out some questions about whether the military retirement system needs changing prompted quite a few reader responses.
Editorial: Tough questions
The White House’s nomination of retired Lt. Gen. James Peake as the next secretary of veterans affairs is an interesting choice.
Reimagining GI Joe
What Paramount and Hasbro are doing to GI Joe, an AMERICAN icon, is absolutely awful. This is the epitome of corporate greed and destroys the foundation in the belief in the American way. This is an...
Letters
I was disturbed after reading the Oct. 29 story “Too real? Former Marine sues training contractor for wounds, PTSD.”
Editorial: Don’t cheat your buddies
The latest disturbing news from Iraq: Troops have cheated on problem-solving tests used to spot traumatic brain injuries in order to avoid being pulled out of their units for treatment.
Strength in diversity
Since the integration of our military 58 years ago, and particularly following the establishment of the all-volunteer force, the U.S. military remains the greatest equalizing institution in our...
Letters
I just finished reading the Oct. 29 edition and was impressed with the article on Gen. Peter Pace putting a thank you card, along with his silver four-star rank insignia, on the Vietnam Veterans...
Corps to seek new individual service rifle
One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard against the M4 is that “you can’t drill with it.” The last time I checked, you don’t drill with a rifle, you shoot with it. If...
EOD knights
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The biggest issue polarizing Congress is the Iraq war.
Editorial: Treat problems early
A new study puts hard data behind the many anecdotal reports that mental health problems among combat troops often take months to appear.
Letters
The commandant, Defense Department and Congress should all watch the Military Channel’s “Future Weapons” episode about Dragon Skin armor and then tell us why our Marines and all...
Ready for war
Unlike most V-22 critics, I have actually flown the Osprey. I flew hundreds of hours in this remarkable aircraft when I commanded the Marine Corps’ test and evaluation squadron from 2003 to...
Letters
Understanding Iran is essential for our operations in Iraq, Middle East stability and our overall national security [“Understanding Iran,” Nov. 12].
Sub-par send-off
Twenty years ago, my then-boyfriend and I waited anxiously at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with his recruiter and parents. I was filled with emotion as he boarded a flight to San...
Letters
During the first survey on the proposed change to the staff noncommissioned officer evening dress uniform, I found a photo of Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, then-sergeant major of the Marine Corps, wearing...
New PT uniform
It’s on its way, and it’s not a bad-looking PT uniform. The green on green is still authorized to wear, and I still disagree about wearing it on liberty. I just hope the message says...
Editorial: NMCI needs oversight
The Navy-Marine Corps Intranet is one of the government’s biggest gambles yet on privatization. Worth more than $900 million per year to contractor EDS, the Texas computer services firm founded...
Editorial: Corps put spin control ahead of victims’ health
Lt. Cmdr. John Thomas Matthew Lee, a Catholic chaplain who led a second, secret life as an HIV-positive homosexual predator, acknowledged to a military court that he lied when a lieutenant colonel...
New SNCO Evening Dress Uniform
When the Marine Corps did away with the White Mess Dress SNCO jacket, I asked the SMCC why. He responded [that] we had too many uniforms and needed to stop changing what we already had every few...
Letters
I am writing in regards to the photo on the front page of the Dec. 10 Marine Corps Times.
Saving the military
The stage is set for our armed services to relive the worst days of the 1970s, when discipline broke down, crime ran rampant, race relations soured, many of the best and brightest in the junior...
Letters
This feedback is in regard to your article [“‘Predator:’ HIV-positive chaplain guilty in sex crimes displayed ‘sickening abuse of power,’” Dec. 10].
Corps to slash number of MRAPs it will buy
Marines are the first in, a swift force in action. We need to stay light and mobile — that’s how we win wars. The world is a rough place, and Marines are rough individuals. We do what we...
Editorial: Inappropriate housing
Not long ago, troops living off base were paying about 20 percent of their housing costs out of pocket. Five years of above-average BAH hikes earlier this decade cut that figure to zero. Yet some...
Editorial: Close loan loopholes
The Military Loan Act was supposed to put the clamp on payday lenders, who prey on unsuspecting and naïve service members by offering short-term loans at exorbitant interest rates.
Back-page reality
With presidential elections approaching, American voters should embrace their constitutional privilege to participate in the political process. This includes understanding the presidential and...
Editorial: Patients shouldn’t pay
Asking military beneficiaries to pay higher fees for health care requires a better argument than the one made in a new report by a Pentagon task force.
Letters
This letter is in response to the “Baby NCOs” article in the Nov. 26 issue [“Growing pains: Is maturity taking a back seat in swelling NCO ranks?”].
From the forums
Hold the owners accountable. Dogs need to be trained, not just penned up in a yard. All dogs are supposed to be regis¬tered when the owners live in base housing. Part of the hous¬ing...
Letters
After reading the article “Dressed Down: Lejeune commander goes off over uniform violations, leadership responsibilities” [Dec. 24], it is obvious that there are Marines who just do not...
Lejeune commander reams Marine over uniform
The colonel was doing her duty — a duty that any other Ma¬rine in the store should have done. The Marine was disre¬spectful in anything other than [saying] “Yes,...
Editorial: Improve GI Bill benefits
In a groundbreaking move several years ago, Congress linked GI Bill payment rates to inflation, ensuring that the payments rise each Oct. 1.
Editorial: Focused on the mission
This year’s Military Times Poll reflects in cold hard numbers what we’ve known from our personal contact with members of our professional military: It’s made up of tough, determined...
Back-page reality
With presidential elections approaching, American voters should embrace their constitutional privilege to participate in the political process. This includes understanding the presidential and...
Corps introduces New Combat Fitness Test
All this is going to do is get Marines hurt from doing stupid things. Running in the boots we have now is not good for your feet, back, neck, leg, etc. Running in boots is not good period. Running in...
Letters
When, if ever, will the so-called experts stop blaming the Osprey for deaths that occurred during development of the aircraft and in training flights? The crash in Marana, Ariz., which claimed at...
Editorial: Bill, veto unfair to troops
President Bush gave service members a rude holiday jolt Dec. 28 with a last-minute veto of the 2008 defense authorization bill.
Editorial: Don’t wait on M4 fixes
Everybody knows the M4 carbine isn’t the most reliable weapon available. The Army’s own tests prove it.
How to grade yourself
Upon finding “Fitness Report Time” sitting in my inbox, a winning billet accomplishment flashed to mind: Unwavering 89 percent Freecell average. Diligent effort!
Letters
The purpose of the Combat Fitness Test [“7 possibilities for Combat Fitness Test,” Dec. 17] is to measure the physical fitness of Marines in a manner that accounts for operational...
Problems with the USMC Tanker Jacket
I recently broke a button on my tanker jacket when I PCSed and now I find that no one sells replacement buttons. I talked to Quantico, Lejeune and even the online uniform store. The Marine Corps has...
Editorial: Strength in restraint
When five Iranian gunboats tore through the horizon toward three U.S. warships as they transited the Strait of Hormuz, they endangered lives and could potentially have brought both nations to the...
New Combat Fitness Test
The likelihood of someone other than a grunt or provisional infantry actually needing to do that type of a zig-zag, run and shoot, fireman’s carry, ammo pick-up etc. is not even slim....
Editorial: Suspect’s flight predictable
It took pulling the scorched remains of a pregnant Marine from a shallow grave before the Marine Corps and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service finally concluded what the rest of the world...
Letters
The solution to the incident involving the Marine at the Camp Lejeune, N.C., base store is simple [“Dressed down: Lejeune commander goes off over uniform violations, leadership...
Corps premieres its latest recruiting ad
I have always admired the Army recruiting commercials, be¬cause they show what soldiers actually do. Now I’ve seen the new Marine Corps recruiting commercial, and as a veteran Marine, I am...
Editorial: Demand charity’s integrity
It’s becoming clear that America Supports You, a Defense Department charitable program that supports troops and their families, needs tighter oversight.
Letters
Regarding the Sgt. Jerrod Glass case, being a drill instructor is not easy [“DI guilty of recruit abuse,” Nov. 26]. It requires long hours, especially if you are new. People mess up all...
Corpsman gets 2 years for unearned medals
His sentencing should have been way harsher. All my Marines who gave their lives wore the same decorations; they earned them. What makes him think he can wear them? His chain of command should...
Editorial: Speed medal awards
Two years to the day of the battle that ended Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith’s life, President Bush presented his family with the Medal of Honor.
Editorial: Retire this bad idea
The Commission on the National Guard and Reserve, chartered by Congress to study and propose changes to every aspect of the reserve components, released its final report Jan. 31.
Letters
Is the Navy so lax with awards now that we can’t tell which awards are real? Why would Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Dontae Lee Tazewell’s command buy that he earned a Bronze Star and...
[This means] the complete loss of the “garrison Marine.” When I can no longer check my Marine’s room for cleanliness because he has requested mast stating field-day inspections are...
Editorial: Put BEQ rules to practice
Earlier this year, just a few months after the Corps released its updated campaign plan for bachelor enlisted quarters, then-Sgt. Maj. John Estrada started asking Marines how many of them had read it.
Editorial: Unanswered questions
President Bush’s announcement that he has accepted Army Gen. David Petraeus’ plan to begin drawing down about 21,500 U.S. troops sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the...
Letters
This is in response to the commentary “Yuppies on the Run? Embrace old school; just say no to running suits” [Back Talk, Sept. 10] by a community-relations corporal in Hawaii who...
Your voice
The rule “change” was needed to pull the reins back in. Years ago, this used to be the rule, and it was slowly expanded to allow for gas station stops, then essentials at a pharmacy, etc....
Letters
In response to the recent article, “Don’t Dog me: The once-proud ‘Devil Dog’ moniker is taking a beating” [April 28], I am rather disturbed to see that our prestigious...
From the forums
No Devil Dog ... no tattoos ... pretty soon we will be polished enough to pass for the Air Force. Let’s hear it for politically correct leadership! I do not agree with Marines using an...
Bill to ban pornography on military bases
As a former paramedic, was I able to view the human body injured, misshapen, diseased and traumatized for the good of the country, but unable to exercise individual responsibility by going to a strip...
Editorial: Troops deserve better
“Our troops are our most valuable asset,” military leaders like to say. But as we begin National Military Appreciation Month, it is worth examining how actions and words sometimes...
Editorial: Change starts at the top
Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently echoed the mantra of his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, by saying the military is not moving fast enough to address wartime needs.
Letters
The commandant of the Marine Corps has indeed foreseen the future requirements of Marines in combat, and a need to expand upon the development of all Marines. The new Combat Fitness Test coupled with...
Editorial: Enforce rules equally
It takes a special kind of person to throw caution to the wind and kick in a door, knowing that men with guns are waiting on the other side.
Editorial: Raise Tricare fees, slowly
The Pentagon’s health care costs have more than doubled since 2001 to $43 billion this year, almost 10 percent of the defense budget. At this pace, health care will cost $65 billion by 2015.
Arabic made focus for Iraq-bound battalion
This battalion commander definitely “gets it.” Too many service members who consider themselves professional warriors know little about the histories, cultures and languages of Iraq...
Letters
Leave it to the Army to downplay the obvious.
It’s your future
Education is a topic that is important to all Marines, a continuation from recruit training or officer candidate school. It continues throughout our careers, as consummate professionals who love to...
Letters
Allowing more waivers can be a good thing for the Corps, as well as other branches of our military forces [“Ramped-up recruiting: Waivers allow more felons to become Marines,” May 5].
Remember the fallen
The United States is almost 232 years old, the world’s greatest and oldest experiment in freedom and democracy.
Motorcycle safety
I can speak from experience, having just bought a motorcycle and learning to ride in the last year. I took the on-base riding course, which really taught me everything I needed to know. It’s...
The right path to unity
When the blood of any war soaks your clothes, covers your hands and soldiers die in your arms, every breath forever more becomes an appeal for a greater peace, unity and reconciliation.
Editorial: A workable GI Bill plan
In the congressional debate over how to improve the GI Bill, the question of whether to let service members share their education benefits with their families has reached a flash point.
Letters
The recent editorial in Marine Corps Times [“Ban dangerous dogs,” Opinion, May 26] got my blood pumping a little bit.
Drug operations and Marines
I fail to understand how the U.S. government has anti-drug ops going on in South America, while at the same time we have Marines from the 24th MEU standing in the middle of poppy fields in...
Leadership issue
After hearing about the Military Appearance Program, some Marines seem to have missed the point. MAP was not created because Commandant Gen. James Conway expected us all to have abs of steel. Nor...
Editorial: No justice in secrecy
We may never know exactly what happened on March 4, 2007, when Marines from a special operations company in Afghanistan responded to a suicide attack on their convoy with overwhelming firepower.
Editorial: Combat stress kills
At least 172 service members have killed themselves while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan in the past six years.
Letters
In the “Human Toll” section of your May 12 issue, you ran a picture of a badly burnt Marine, Sgt. Merlin German. I appreciate that this section is in your publication to remember the...
Cutting scores
The scores are not the problem. It’s people who don’t understand the promotions process who are the problem — seniors and juniors, officers and enlisted alike. Just because someone...
A little stressed
As the wife of a Marine, I know how I feel about deployments. I worry about my husband, and how he is doing. I miss the smell of his dirty Physical Training clothes and his diesel fuel-scented...
Editorial: Privacy safeguards needed
A new Pentagon directive states the government can “inspect and seize data” on any government computer in the interest of information systems security.
Marine booted from duty over Christian coins
This Marine should not have done what he did. It was inappropriate, and a proper punishment should be forthcoming… At the same time, Islam needs to stop stressing about “perceived...
Letters
Tucked away in the last four lines of a full-page interview with Commandant Gen. James Conway, [“More Marines, lighter stuff,” June 2, 2008] was a statement by the commandant regarding...
Letters
I was discussing with my fellow corpsmen their feelings on the faker who almost got away, and I wish to give all my brothers and sisters some words of encouragement [“Hero to zero: Faker...
If the privilege of wearing cammies is determined by “earning it” by graduating from basic training, what about corpsmen? Cammies are a combat uniform designed for utility. Having...
Letters
In reference to the “Not this uniform: Contractors can’t wear Marine-issue cammies” story [Frontlines, Feb. 11]: I served as a Marine on active duty for 20 years, and have served an...
Bloated budget
As President Bush backs out the White House door, he is asking Congress to appropriate enough money for the coming fiscal year to enable the Pentagon and its government sidekicks to spend $1.2...
Editorial: Protect grunts’ hearing
Ask anyone with significant hearing loss how they feel and they’ll probably ask you to repeat the question.
Editorial: An outdated standard
Basic Allowance for Housing rates are vastly improved after five years of hefty increases earlier this decade. But the housing standards underpinning the rates are another story.
The story behind ‘Task Force Violence’
Fox Company didn’t fail; the chain of command above them failed. Fox Company is simply paying the price for others’ in¬competence. Despite the lack of support, they made do with...
Letters
What an absolute hatchet job! The more I read, the more it sickened me to see such a one-way slant against the Fox Company Marines [“‘Like a bunch of cowboys’: Spec op sources...
Marines yield to civilian drivers in Anbar
I am glad to see things are secure enough to start allowing some simple things to begin occurring in Anbar province. However, if I said it didn’t scare me half to death that it may now be that...
Undue burden
In a report to Congress on Dec. 20, a health care task force co-chaired by Air Force Gen. John D.W. Corley and economist Gail R. Wilensky unleashed demands for drastic Tricare fee increases for...
Letters
This letter is in regards to the column by Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, in the Feb. 4 issue [“ ‘Baby’? No way: To place that word before NCO is...
Editorial: Follow through for families
Defense Department officials have spoken often and at length in recent years about their commitment to military families. But Congress wants to see less talk and more action.
Letters
I am a Marine stationed at Camp Schwab on Okinawa, Japan. I know there has been coverage of our situation [“Curfew imposed on Okinawa troops: 3 criminal incidents occurred after arrest of...
Puppy video
Given the more likely outcome that the dog was already dead when thrown (which in any other context would reduce it to a typical collegiate frat-boy prank), the massive hysterical response and death...
Editorial: Adding amphibs a must
The Marine Corps says it needs at least 33 amphibious ships to take two Marine expeditionary brigades to war.
Angelina Jolie to talk Iraq on Capitol Hill?
Like it or not, she has more influence on the American people than the average soldier. I’m sure Petraeus has the judgment to put her input in its proper context. She has a right to get...
Letters
This letter is in regard to retired Sgt. Maj. John Estrada’s comments in the March 10 issue [“Estrada campaigns for Obama”].
Editorial: Rethink promotion
A sweeping new report on military compensation seeks to reward the military’s fastest risers with a permanent pay advantage.
Letters
I agree that retired Sgt. Maj. John Estrada has the right to campaign for whomever he wants, but it should be as John Estrada, not as the retired sergeant major of the Marine Corps.
Conway: Time to roll up your sleeves. Really
I don’t get the whole green/desert cammies thing anyway. Since when are we wearing deserts in garrison? That’s stupid. Just another uniform we have to buy. During the first Gulf War, if...
Editorial: Raise single BAH rates
A sweeping study of military pay calls for bringing fairness to the Basic Allowance for Housing. It’s about time.
Editorial: Rank injustice
Rank has always had its privileges in the military — and nowhere is that clearer than in the final honors rendered to service members buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Enlisted vs. officer burial honors at Arlington
The bottom line is this, a second lieutenant can die in a car accident two days after graduating [Officer Candidates School] and get a full-honor funeral, while a master sergeant in the Army or...
Letters
I care not a whit what the world or our enemies may think about the Marine Corps, but I do care about what the American people think about our Corps.
More than a mascot
‘Sit! Stay! Roll over! Salute!” These are all commands that I never thought would be given to any Marine when I arrived at my first duty station, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, but...
Editorial: Don’t phish off DoD pier
In the pervasive online scam known as “phishing,” con artists create official-looking e-mails that appear to come from credit card companies, banks, charities, government agencies and...
New body fat rules prompt concern
The sad thing is that the [Defense Department] has known since 1998 that measuring over the hips isn’t a valid way to measure body fat in a woman who has had a baby. The military refuses to...
Letters
I am writing in reference to the cover story in your March 31 issue [“Appearance crackdown”].
Editorial: VA overhaul overdue
Congress held a hearing last week on ways to modernize the benefits claims system at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has a backlog of 600,000 claims and counting.
Raise single BAH rates
A sweeping study of military pay calls for bringing fairness to the Basic Allowance for Housing. It’s about time.
BAH Paradox
We should look at closing barracks in garrison and paying everyone BAH. Barracks are notorious trouble spots. [They] are a force protection concern with several hundred personnel in one building...
Letters
I will retire next year with 25 years of honest and faithful service in the Marine Corps. I am honestly confused and saddened that the 2007 E-8/E-9 Promotion Board considered me uncompetitive for...
Editorial: R.I.P., Devil Dog
Devil Dog, the iconic moniker attached to Marines since World War I, died this year from wounds sustained in the Battle to Be Politically Correct. It was 90 years old.
Editorial: Secure the vote
A couple of decades into the Internet age, billions of dollars in commerce is transacted by credit cards via secure online servers.
Combat Fitness Test
The CFT is a duplication of effort. I have never seen a man that could run a 300 PFT not be fit for combat. Why make him prove it twice? The answer is not to add yet another new annual test, but...
Letters
I agree with many of the new rules on body fat standards, particularly those addressing Marines who are under the maximum weight allowed, yet over on body fat (the “skinny-fat guys” as...
‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy
The “don’t ask don’t tell” policy is wrong. True, it has given gay men and women the opportunity to join and serve their country, but if a gay man is willing to die for the...
Editorial: Provide paternal leave
The Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed giving new dads in uniform a benefit already widely available in the private sector: a little time off to bond with baby and care for mom.
From our Forum
When I was in boot camp in 1993 they brought us to the PX to buy gifts. It did not detract from our training schedule all that much except for maybe four hours.
Letters
Regarding the article “Freedom of speech?” [Nov. 24], which reported that a worker at Camp Lejeune, N.C., is suing base officials because they banned him from driving on base in his car...
Fix this insurance mess
Anyone who has worked in government long enough has come across rules and policies noteworthy only for being devoid of common sense.
No more bulk for MRAPs
Defense officials have once again whipped out the checkbook and bought into the idea of an indestructible transport vehicle that meets every need.
From our forums
What is your method for getting Marines to do the right thing? I want to motivate without alienating. I would like to avoid games, loud noises and treating them like recruits.
Haunted by memories, troops don’t always fully return
The following item appeared in a roundup of news briefs published in a recent issue of The Arizona Republic: “SCOTTSDALE: Police identified Michael Murray, 22, of Scottsdale, as the...
Hate messages should be banned on base
I recently read an article about retired Gunnery Sgt. Jesse Nieto, now a civilian employee working aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., whose personal vehicle is adorned with bumper stickers displaying slogans...
Letters
Deployment is a time for mixed emotions: excitement, apprehension, fear, sadness and loneliness. Time away from family, friends and home, coupled with a new working environment, often forces us to...
Obama must prove himself
Our latest Military Times poll indicates a good measure of doubt in the ranks about President-elect Barack Obama in his pending role as commander in chief. Six out of 10 respondents said they were...
From our forums
As long as you are fighting a concept and not a defined enemy, you can’t win. We can say “We have defeated Iraq,” and be correct. Some day, we may be able to say, “We have...
The right tools for the job
Have you ever wondered why it takes so long for the Corps to issue gear that works exactly as it’s advertised? I think of all the times I either deployed or went to the field and ended up...
Letters
I am a professor of medicine and I hold an endowed chair in tobacco harm reduction research at the University of Louisville. I read with interest your article about tobacco use among Marines,...
Editorial: Database at turning point
The push to create a public database of the nation’s highest awards for valor — and the mili¬tary personnel who won those awards — reaches a critical cross¬roads in the...
Editorial: FitRep fairness
The Corps’ senior enlisted leaders have taken a firm stance on an issue long irksome to rank-and-file Marines: late fitness reports.
CrossFit is not the problem (although some would like to think it is). The problem is people who aren’t in shape looking for any excuse … for their personal fitness problems.
Back to basics
This summer, while training with U.S. al¬lies in Central and South America, I served aboard ship and participated in an amphibious assault exercise — some¬thing I hadn’t done in...
Letters
I am troubled by a recent post¬ing I read on your online message boards regarding the military’s hunt for Osama bin Laden [Mili¬taryTimes.com, July 17]. The writer stated: “The...
Motorcycle registration
It’s sad that anyone dies, but I only see the motorcycle riders being blamed for this. Changes to motorcycle policies and registration aren’t going to work. Some Marine is going to have...
Editorial: Drop murder charges
When former Sgt. Jose L. Nazario Jr., an infantry squad leader during the November 2004 Battle for Fallujah, left the Corps to become a police officer in Riverside, Calif., he thought his days in...
Editorial: Photos of courage
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so Rep. Walter Jones decided to let the images do the talking.
The least we can offer
Ask any politician if those who serve in America’s military are owed a debt of gratitude for their sacrifices and, undoubtedly, they will say yes. But are we doing our best to show this...
In their honor
This week, the Pentagon Memorial opens to honor the lives of the 184 service members and civilians lost when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001. Let us pause to...
The only way to effectively deal with this kind of stuff is to ignore it. The more outraged we get, the more we sling his name/Web site around in disgust, the more we play into exactly what...
Letters
Ah the good old days. In 1959, Headquarters Marine Corps came out with the Physical Readiness Test (PRT). We had the same requirements as this new Combat Fitness Test [“CFT is ‘hell on...
Editorial: Get with the program
In January, Congress ordered the Pentagon to drop its disability ratings rules and strictly follow the VA’s criteria in assigning ratings to injured and wounded service members.
What drives PTSD?
Humans have a “fight or flight” instinct when faced with a hazardous situation. The military trains troops to stay and fight, which our troops do very well. Once a person experiences...
Where it all begins
We were sound asleep when our bus rumbled across a bridge and pulled into a parking space in the dead of night after a long, tiring trip. Seconds later, loud screams and the sound of somebody...
Letters
In 1967 and ’68, not too long after graduation from Parris Island and infantry training at Camp Geiger, N.C., I joined Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in “I Corps,” which,...
Midrange boots
Yet another piece of gear I’m going to have to lug from one duty station to another. I already have doubles of everything. I already have steel-toes, inspection boots, field boots and regular...
Letters
Great article in the Sept. 15 issue of Marine Corps Times about the two Marines from Beaufort, S.C., who developed a smokeless tobacco product, “Revved Up” [“2 cpls. revved up about...
A little work, a big responsibility
Voting isn’t merely the right of every American, it is our responsibility. And if the pen is mightier than the sword, as the saying goes, your vote is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal.
Editorial: Immediate attention needed
At a recent congressional hearing, Department of Veterans Affairs officials talked about how pleased they are with VA’s year-old suicide prevention hotline, which they credit with saving the...
Editorial: Let families decide
The Army’s new rules allowing better media access to burials at Arlington National Cemetery are inadequate to the task.
Sgt. Peralta’s sacrifice
I fought with Sgt. Rafael Peralta. It is an insult to his family, the Corps and the eyewitnesses in that firefight that he has been denied the Medal of Honor. Does who shot whom have any bearing on...
Letters
I was elated to read “Kiss your SAW Goodbye” on the front page of Marine Corps Times’ Sept. 15 issue. As an infantry weapons officer, I became very familiar with the strengths and...
From our forums
The living Medal of Honor recipients represent the greatest example of why our country is great. Not attending this ball and showing them the respect they earned shows the ignorance of this...
About the Burn Pit
In the Nov. 3 issue, Marine Corps Times reported on the massive open-air waste burn pits on U.S. installations in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones that some service members worry may pose health...
Letters
The generation of Americans that helped build, protect and serve this country so valiantly during the 1940s and into the 1950s has been referred to as “The Greatest Generation.” The...
Reverse Dover policy
The cost of war can be counted in dollars and cents, entered into spreadsheets and processed across budgetary lines.
From our forums
As a mother, I would not want my daughter’s casket to be photographed. It is a personal thing, for family only.
Letters
The Marines’ plan to evaluate four Infantry Automatic Rifle candidates to replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon is woefully flawed [“The SAW’s replacement,” Feb. 2].
Recognize our heroes
More than seven years have passed since we began the war on terrorism. Nearly 5,000 U.S. troops are dead. Thousands more have risked their lives, and sacrificed their blood and sweat in Afghanistan...
Learning to let go
Formerly secret intelligence reports give a valuable insight into why Defense Secretary Robert Gates has so vehemently warned Congress not to try to Americanize the war against terrorists in...
From our forums
The whole attitude of someone-hazed-me-this-way-so-I-get-to-haze-you-this-way is unbelievably juvenile. What a great way to pass on one bad idea after another. If a black eye in the bankbook is the...
Letters
I sympathize with former Lance Cpl. Scott DiDonato [“$30M abuse case began at boot camp,” Feb. 9]. I know from my experience that many officers and even senior enlisted seem to care only...
Dump the EFV now
After spending $1.2 billion in development, and six years after its original delivery date, the Marine Corps wants another $1 billion to re-engineer its Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.
Redefine PTSD standard
Legislation pending in Congress would make a change for the better for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after they separate from service.
From our forums
I would like to know why is it so hard for myself and all my fellow grunts to pick up SGT. It pisses me off that a year or two ago, the Marine Corps had a great idea to give grunts a $60,000 to...
Letters
I want to comment on the column by Maj. Scott A. Huesing [“Recognize our heroes,” Back Talk, Feb. 23]. I served at Camp Corregidor in Ramadi, Iraq. I completed about 40 true combat...
No more blank checks
Only in Washington can a budget increase be characterized as a cut. For weeks, the Pentagon had privately suggested the Obama administration would cut its 2010 defense budget by about $50 billion.
Iraq’s way out
America’s military, faced with a future of small wars and lengthy postconflict nation-building efforts, desperately seeks to understand the logical boundaries between where its work should end...
Time to get creative
Only time will tell whether President-elect Barack Obama views various big-ticket defense programs as too costly for a nation in economic recession, or as valuable jobs programs amid rising...
Rescind Mexico rule
every enlisted Marine or sailor up to the rank of E-6 now must get permission from his commanding officer before making a visit to Mexico, thanks to a rule put into effect Christmas Eve. It’s...
From our forums
I think spouses should not count as dependants for the purpose of calculating Basic Allowance for Housing. A married couple can live in the same one bedroom apartment as a single person, so why...
Letters
The recent death of retired Lt. Gen. Victor “Brute” Krulak is no occasion to mourn the passing of a Marine icon. It is reason to celebrate a wonderful life with the knowledge that the...
Answers are few, but treatment is available for PTSD
I don’t really talk about why I have post-traumatic stress disorder. I relive those moments in my head enough that I have never felt comfortable saying them out loud.
Speak strongly to fix VA
The stubborn backlog of 400,000 benefits claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs has never made sense. It takes an average of 188 days to process a claim, yet VA leaders somehow accept that as...
Bike safety limits
Last fiscal year, 124 service members were killed while riding that breed of low-slung, high-speed motorcycle known as sport bikes.
From our forums
Good for them. I drank Gatorade my whole time in Iraq and busted others who sneaked liquor.
Suggested reading
Barack Obama is already getting outstanding guidance on what he should do, so I will give him a break. Rather than tell him what he should do as the next president, I will suggest some books that he...
Letters
Your article “GI Bill transfers tied to 4-year commitment” [Jan. 12] is concerning. This stipulation doesn’t make good sense for retiring members or for the good of the Corps.
Make housing rules fair
The National Military/Veterans Alliance plans to call for a review of the standards on which housing allowance rates are based. And for good reason.
Obama’s way forward
As President Barack Obama’s team gets down to work, it must not only overcome the errors of the previous administration, but also be sure to recognize its successes.
The Jan. 12 Back Talk piece by Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., “Close the fighter gap” [Jan. 12], was misplaced. It might better have been printed on another page as an advertisement.
From our forums
If their current marketing plan is making them money, why would they listen to him? Marines will buy whatever they please, and that’s the way it should be.
The right mission
When the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003, Afghanistan quickly became the forgotten war. It took a back seat to even the most negligible news from the most remote parts of Iraq.
Father pens poems for families on the home front
Just about the last thing a newspaper writer wants to hear on the other end of the phone line is a guy saying, “I’d like to read you a poem I wrote.” That is, unless the caller is...
Cover rape kit costs now
For all the Pentagon’s efforts in recent years to confront the problem of sexual assault, some inexplicable blind spots remain.
Letters
I am writing due to what I feel was a poor choice of words in the June 9 issue.
Editorial: Expand disability benefit
A provision of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act erased a long-standing policy requiring troops who received disability severance payments from the military to repay that money before they can...
CrossFit
Our whole company does it and it definitely is not a joke. Sometimes we even make our own “crossfit” session out of different workouts. For a 20-minute workout it does wonders. This is...
Letters
The Marine Corps’ tradition of encouraging junior officers and noncommissioned officers to participate in written debate distinguishes Marines and allows for challenges to policies and...
Rifles vs. diamonds
If you are a sensitive first sergeant, sergeant major or even master sergeant, you might not want to read any further — especially if you don’t have a sense of humor.
Editorial: End pre-meal prayer
The Naval Academy has a religious problem on its hands. It centers on a tradition during the noon meal formation, when the 4,000-strong Brigade of Midshipmen gathers in the cafeteria, stands and...
End disciplinary PT
Incentive physical training is supposed to stop when a Marine graduates from boot camp.
Editorial: Better late than never
In 2005, when Congress made it more difficult for people to declare bankruptcy, it included an exemption specifically for disabled veterans.
CrossFit
I have been doing CrossFit now for just under a year and I’m here to tell you that it’s all you could ask for in a fitness regimen. In less than six months, I went from doing 13 pull-ups...
Service members should bring civility home
At a recent mentorship session among senior military officers, I overheard a bit of advice on the treatment of others that caused me to think.
Letters
I’m writing about the article “Ad Sparks Controversy,” [June 23]. The article mentions an unnamed black corporal participating in a drill exercise in the Corps’ new television...
Editorial: Fair review of disability claims is needed now
Once the process of evaluating troops for disability claims had become so Byzantine, backlogged and unfair that it could no longer be ignored, Congress sprang into action and mandated reforms.
Active Reserve bonus
The new, large, unexpected bonus for the AR was something that got everyone excited when it came out, but upon reading the whole message, I found out that I missed it by a month and a half because I...
Letters
I am writing in response to Master Sgt. Rob Kruger’s column regarding first sergeants and master sergeants [Back Talk, July 7].
Running on fumes
One good thing about being at war is that I don’t have to fork over a large pile of money to fill up my gas tank. That’s all going to change before too long. After I leave Iraq,...
Letters
I can’t believe what I am reading in Marine Corps Times.
Editorial: VA adds fuel to fire
The Department of Veterans Affairs, buffeted by a string of controversies in recent years, has another to add to the list.
Are Marines soldiers?
Despite the title of Marine, we all are soldiers. Marine is an honorific specific to them. Consider them the Lamborghini of the military (everyone wants one, but not everyone can even get close to...
New GI Bill generation
Ask any politician if those who serve in America’s military are owed a debt of gratitude for their sacrifices and undoubtedly, they will say yes. But how can we best show this appreciation?
Editorial: It’s your decision
“If Obama wins,” our July 14 cover story, drew hundreds of messages from our readers. Some wondered if Sen. Barack Obama had advance knowledge of our questions — he did not.
Editorial: Miniseries hits mark
From “Full Metal Jacket” to “Jarhead,” the portrayal of the Corps on camera has often caused controversy.
Commandant approves uniform changes
Marines will continue to adjust to regulation changes, and they will also continue to focus on things that really matter and not get wrapped-around-the-axel regarding minor changes in regulations...
Moving forward
My thought that we military spouses are being unfairly penalized started with an ironic remark from a sister-in-law. She told me she knew that every time we moved for the military we got a lot of...
Letters
I just read the article regarding the Congressional Black Caucus getting involved in the personnel matters of the military [“Black Caucus seeks senior officer diversity,” July 14]. The...
Editorial: A simple thanks
This week we honor five Military Times Service Members of the Year for going beyond the call of duty. We honor them not because they are the bravest, strongest or smartest, but rather because they...
Editorial: ‘VA Retro’ needs redoing
A new congressional report details a fiasco involving the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, contractor Lockheed Martin and tens of thousands of disabled military retirees.
Army or Marine
Any service you join is honorable; don’t get caught up in the stereotypical things like which service has better leadership or discipline. All of the branches have good leaders and have...
It’s a leadership issue
When reading about a pit bull killing a 3-year-old boy May 14 at Camp Lejeune, N.C., my heart went out to the father — a corporal — and his family.
Letters
After nearly 45 months of service in the Corps, I recently read the late Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler’s book, “War is a Racket,” and wondered why I didn’t find it on Commandant...
Editorial: Erase inequity in GI Bill
As the details of the recently approved Post-9/11 GI Bill come into sharper focus, a glaring omission has popped up.
Editorial: Reverse recruiting trend
If retention figures are any measure, black enlisted Marines are pretty happy with the decision to join the Corps.
Campaign props
With their recent swings through Minnesota, both presidential campaigns launched their own respective “competing” initiatives to capture the hearts and minds of those who have served and...
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
In the military today, heterosexual men and women work side by side everyday. Their sexual orientation does not seem to cause too many issues. Why does everyone seem to think that a homosexual person...
Letters
The new GI Bill signed into law by President Bush on June 30 contains long-awaited improvements to the educational assistance programs available to service members [“New GI Bill answers,”...
Editorial: Weigh fee hike benefits
The latest salvo in the Defense Department’s quest to raise Tricare fees for retirees under age 65 is a proposal from a Pentagon-sponsored pay study to tie those fees to the annual premiums...
Editorial: Expand tenants’ rights
Service members and their families are particularly vulnerable as the nation’s housing market melts down.
Putting it all together
A powerfully written trip report by retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey is circulating Washington. Taken as a whole, his report describes Afghanistan as being at a strategic and operational inflection...
Should openly gay Marines be allowed?
I do not believe it would hurt morale. At first, there will be a period of adjustment just like when minorities were integrated. I’m not naive enough to believe it would be easy. If you are an...
Letters
As a military spouse and avid reader of Marine Corps Times, I was disappointed when I read the column, “Military spouses do have rank” [Lifelines, Aug. 4].
Editorial: Keep SSNs private
The Defense Department is in the midst of a multiyear effort to eliminate full Social Security numbers from ID cards.
Letters
I just read that the secretary of defense decided to downgrade the Medal of Honor recommendation for Sgt. Rafael Peralta [“Honor or insult?” Sept. 29]. I’m sure he made this...
From the forums
Who’s to say tattoos aren’t professional? We are trained killers. What professional traits should we have? This is far too PC for the MC. Take this reg to another branch.
Letters
I always get nervous when I read that commanders need a new physical fitness tool [“Leathernecks now have longer to prepare for CFT,” Oct. 6]. There seems to be more focus now on...
Drawing strength
The halls of military hospitals in the U.S. and Germany were invaded recently by members of the National Cartoonists Society on a mission to bring smiles to the faces of the brave men and women who...
Editorial: Spend wisely, carefully
President Eisenhower wisely said the economy is the source of America’s national security. It powers the world’s largest defense budget and gives the country worldwide clout.
Sound finance
With the world’s financial markets in turmoil, many Marines and sailors are wondering if their money is safe. The answer is yes, provided you are smart about spending, saving and — most...
Letters
I’m a scout sniper by trade, and I was an instructor at the Scout Sniper Basic Course in Hawaii. The use of optics for rifle qualification is an epic battle that has been going on for years for...
From our forums
I don’t think women should be in the Corps, period. But since they are, physical training and physical fitness training don’t mean anything when it comes to leading Marines and being a...
Investing in the future
A new NATO agreement promises to step up attacks on narcotics trafficking in Afghanistan, hoping to divert some of the estimated $100 million that flows into Taliban pockets from the poppy trade each...
Little faith in VA’s Plan B
Last month, senior Department of Veterans Affairs officials told Congress that VA needed to hire a private contractor to be ready to handle claims and payments when the new Post-9/11 GI Bill takes...
Letters
Staff Sgt. Keith Shampaner’s letter, “More Rank, More Medals,” [Oct. 13] is more on target than many may think. I have been amazed over the past several years with the amount of...
From our forums
The military has gotten weaker during the five years I’ve been in. It’s because the sergeants don’t have full control. If you try to punish someone, you might end up getting in...
Lack of support
The Corps is cracking down on Marines who let their weight slide out of control, but it’s not doing enough to provide us with the proper nutrition that will help keep the pounds from piling up.
Letters
I am concerned for our service members and their families in this troubling financial time. We are not immune to this crisis, and in many cases we may be in a more serious position.
Editorial: Don’t be a victim
The military has long been an irresistible target for unsavory businessmen and businesswomen because all service members draw steady paychecks, the government helps creditors collect what’s...
From the forums
I have started to eat less healthy since coming to Okinawa. There are numerous reasons, but the huge thing is money. I receive community rations, but it doesn’t amount to crap when I am trying...
Editorial: CFT is fine, for now
Once again, the Corps is out in front of the other services with its approach to combat training.
Mission: Family
With its new Family Readiness Program, the Corps finally is making good on its promise to take care of Marines and their families.
How Obama can win trust
If the combined forces of the U.S. military were a state, its 2.2 million residents would have voted strongly in favor of Sen. John McCain in last week’s election — giving him five votes,...
‘Burn pit’ letters
In the Nov. 3 issue, Marine Corps Times reported on the massive open-air waste burn pits on U.S. installations in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones that some service members worry may pose health...
From our forums
Why it is so difficult to get the right equipment for the Combat Fitness Test? It took over a month for us to secure ammo cans, and dummy grenades are controlled items that must be signed out. I have...
From our forums
As a military police officer, my responsibility is to enforce all rules and regulations aboard the base.
Free speech has limits
Retired Gunnery Sgt. Jesse Nieto understands the price of freedom.
U.S. troops, U.S. law
When an Iraqi court recently convicted and sentenced to hang an insurgent who murdered three U.S. soldiers in 2006, it was one of the most significant milestones of the war since Saddam Hussein was...
From our forums
Ultimately, what an Obama presidency means to me is that he will restore my faith and pride in my commander in chief. No longer will I have to be ashamed that I’m being led by a C student whose...
Crisis looms for aging fleet
No military service has an affordable modernization program, and no service has shown effective leadership in modernization and procurement at the level of the secretary and the chief of staff....
Military medical practitioners attack unique challenges
Together with our surgeons general, I am learning how we can better train our medical personnel to prevent and treat the physical and mental injuries of combat, and to help war-torn people care for...
Be wary of Redux bonus
With the economy tanking and family budgets being squeezed, an offer of $30,000 in cold cash might seem easy to snap up.
Doing the right thing
Every war leaves its unique scars, and today’s conflicts are no different.
From our forums
Does our freedom of expression stop at the base? If not, then say what you wish in a civil manner. Nothing treasonous or anarchistic though.
Surrounded by heroes
From mid-October to mid-November, my family faced the most difficult month of our lives. Not only did my mother, Pamela Losey, pass away Oct. 13 from pancreatic cancer, but 11 days later, my uncle,...
Letters
Regarding the letter “Love the ones you’re with” [Nov. 10]: I find it hard to believe that the author, retired Army Master Sgt. Ben Peters, has never been involved in talking...
Expand ‘Recruit Wrap’
There are few things quite as dispiriting as missing the holidays with the family.
Tweak GI Bill for reservists
Having seen Congress overhaul active-duty GI Bill benefits, military advocates are now gearing up to get Congress to fix the reserve GI Bill, too.
From our forums
I would die to keep the freedom we have, but in my opinion, I feel that the death penalty is cruel and unusual. The death penalty does not deter crime.
Letters
I am responding to the article “Officials focus on targeting diverse recruits” [Nov. 3] and the notion of targeting minorities for recruitment due to studies about the decline of certain...
Smart to stay with Gates
In an interview with Military Times last July, President-elect Barack Obama praised Defense Secretary Robert Gates for bringing a “level of realism and professionalism and planning” to...
M4 partnership needed
The Corps has so far steered clear of the ongoing debate over replacing the M4 carbine.
From our forums
Isn’t it strange that our country has grown to be so politically correct that we chastise a former Marine for expressing an opinion against a group that killed his son, yet we tolerate those...
At last, vindication
The National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition applauds the Veterans’ Affairs Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War illness for the release of its thorough review of research into...
Letters
I applaud your recent articles on the pitfalls of taking the Career Status Bonus, “Choose wisely” [Dec. 1] but one article, “Specific plan can make Redux a better option,”...
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