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Click the graphic below to visit our forums.  *** WARNING *** The Squadbay discussion forums are for Marines and FMF Corpsmen ONLY! All others will not be allowed in the forums. So if you did not earn the title MARINE or were not a Corpsman who served with Marines stay out! *** All trespassers will be deleted! *** |
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This Month In USMC History | |
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The Japanese officially surrendered to the Allies on board the battleship MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay. With General Holland Smith transferred home in July 1945, the senior Marine Corps representative at the historic ceremony was LtGen Roy S. Geiger, who had succeeded Smith as Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. 5 September 1956: Eleven Marines from the 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, stationed near Naha, Okinawa, drowned while swimming, from an undercurrent caused by Typhoon Emma. The violent storm, with 140 mph winds, struck the Philippine Islands, Okinawa, Korea, and Japan, causing some 55 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage. 6 September 1983: Two Marines were killed and two were wounded when rockets hit their compound in Beirut, Lebanon. Heavy fighting continued for the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit peacekeeping force in the area near their positions around the Beirut International Airport. 8 September 1942: On Guadalcanal, the 1st Raider Battalion and the 1st Parachute Battalion, supported by planes of MAG-23 and two destroyer transports, landed east of Tasimboko, advanced west into the rear of Japanese positions, and carried out a successful raid on a Japanese supply base. 11 September 1992: Hurricane Iniki devastated the island of Kauai in Hawaii in one of the worst storms the islands had seen in over a century. Marines of the 1st Marine Brigade based at Kaneohe Bay, spearheaded Operation Garden Sweep, the massive cleanup effort. 15 September 1950: The 3d Battalion, 5th Marines landed on Wolmi-do Island in Inchon Harbor and secured it prior to the main landing. The 1st Marine Division under the command of Major General Oliver P. Smith landed at Inchon and began the Inchon-Seoul campaign. 16 September 1814: A detachment of Marines under Major Daniel Carmick from the Naval Station at New Orleans, together with an Army detachment, destroyed a pirate stronghold at Barataria, on the Island of Grande Terre, near New Orleans. 18 September 1990: A new 40-acre training facility for Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) was dedicated at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, by General Alfred M. Gray, Commandant of the Marine Corps. 20 September 1950: Marines of the 1st Marine Division crossed the Han River along a six-mile beachhead, eight miles northwest of Seoul, Korea. Five days later, the 1st and 5th Marines would attack Seoul and the city would be captured by 27 September. 24 September 1873: One hundred and ninety Marines and seamen from the USS PENSACOLA and BENICIA landed at the Bay of Panama, Columbia, to protect the railroad and American lives and property during the revolution. 27 September 1944: The American flag was raised over Peleliu, Palau Islands, at the 1st Marine Division Command Post. Although the flag raising symbolized that the island was secured, pockets of determined Japanese defenders continued to fight on. As late as 21 April 1947, 27 Japanese holdouts finally surrendered to the American naval commander on the scene. 30 September 1945: Marines of III Amphibious Corps, commanded by Major General Keller E. Rockey, began landing in North China to assist the Chinese Nationalist government in accepting the surrender of Japanese forces and repatriating Japanese soldiers and civilians. |
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| History Of The Salute | |
| | A unique aspect of military courtesy is the salute. It is a gesture of respect and sign of comradeship among military service personnel. Accordingly, the salute is a uniform gesture; meaning that the highest man in rank returns the salute in the same form in which it is rendered to him. By saluting first, no officer implies that he is in any sense inferior to the senior whom he salutes. The origins of saluting, like so many military customs and traditions, is shrouded in the past, but there are several possibilities concerning its beginnings. In the medieval days of chivalry, mounted knights in mail raised their visors to friends for the purpose of identification. Because of strict adherence to rank, the junior was required to make the first gesture. Another possibility concerning the origins of saluting comes from an age when assassinations by dagger were not uncommon. It became the custom in such times for potential adversaries to approach each other with raised hand, palm to the front, showing that there was no concealed weapon. It seems reasonable to assume, however, that the hand salute as now rendered in the military, evolved to some degree from the British navy. There is general agreement among scholars that the hand salute is actually the first part of "uncovering" in front of a senior. That practice gradually evolved over time into merely touching the cap, and became the present salute.  There are several types of military salutes - the hand salute, the rifle salute at order arms, a rifle salute at right shoulder, and still another rifle salute at present arms. "Eyes Right" is another type of military salute which is rendered by troops in rank when passing in review. A unique type of salute is the respect that is rendered over a grave by a military honor guard. Originally, three rifle volleys were fired into the air over the grave of a fallen soldier. This custom may well have originated in a perceived need to scare away evil spirits "escaping" from the dead. As in ancient times, it was believed that the hearts of the recently deceased were ajar at such times, allowing the devil to enter! Today, the homage and respect displayed at military funerals is a visible final tribute to those individuals who have served their country. The various forms of military hand and gun salutes are administered by an individual or group as a sign of respect. Originating in customs, traditions, and even superstitions from our distant past, the salute has evolved from ancient times to become an important part of military etiquette. Posted by admin on Thursday 27 March 2008 - 03:13:39 | LAN_THEME_20 | |
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| The Kevlar PASGT helmet | |
| | The Kevlar PASGT helmet was first fielded to U.S. military units in the early 1980s. The helmet, available in five sizes, provides ballistic protection for the head from fragmenting munitions. It is a one piece structure composed of multiple layers of Kevlar 29 ballistic fibre and phenolic PVB resin. The PASGT helmet came from research by the U.S. Army Natick Research Lab. Beginning in the early 1970's Natick was looking for lighter materials to reduce the weight of the Vietnam era flak jacket and the World War II M-1 Helmet a.k.a the "steel pot". They eventually decided that a Kevalr helmet and vest would provide increased protection at an equivalent, but not a reduced, weight. Kevlar vests and helmets were issued during the 1980s as the Personnel Armor System, Ground Troops (PASGT).  PASGT Kevlar Helmet: Personal Armor System Ground Troops Many of the problems with the M-1 steel helmet had to do with the fact that it only came in one size. The Kevlar helmet is made in five sizes, including an XS (intended primarily for women) and an XL (rare, suitable only for men with a very large head). The unit weighs between 3.1 pounds (size XS) to 4.2 pounds (size XL). The nylon webbing inside the Kevlar helmet is functional but not comfortable. There is a foam helmet insert, a "comfort pad" or "donut", used by most soldiers. The inner web suspension system, including a sweatband, is olive drab in color but outer components such as the chin strap or cover and cover band are issued in camouflage pattern cloth or camo-compatible colors such as olive drab or desert tan. The photo at top shows a camo cloth cover with an olive drab band and chinstrap. Unit patches and rank insignia are attached to the cover. Each helmet has its size molded into the unit and nomenclature, contract, NSN information printed near the inside rim. In 2000, Army safety engineers tested whether the weight of the Kevlar helmet increased neck injuries or caused other problems in accidents. The evidence from real-world analysis shows that Kevlar helmets appear to protect against head injury, and are not necessarily associated with neck injuries in motor vehicle accidents. The Kevlar helmet is fitted with expendable components: headband; chin strap; center webbing suspensions assembly and screws that can be individually replaced for maintenance. Each helmet is issued with an instruction booklet that includes a size chart and other data. The PASGT system has been subject to a number of modifications over its lifetime, including a newer lightweight version of the helmet shell and changes in the suspension system and straps. The photo at left is of the newer-style suspension. The PASGT style helmet has been widely imitated and is now standard issue in many countries around the world. Kevlar is a Dupont product, a manmade organic fiber that combines high strength with light weight. | |
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| What Is A Grunt? Part 1 | |
| | The term "grunt" is used in the military as a general term for someone who's MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is "Infantry". In the Marine Corps all MOS' preceeded by the number "03" are Infantry. About as "grunt" as you can get in the Corps is "0311 - Basic Rifleman".  The opposite of a "grunt" is a "pougue", which is a derogatory reference to pretty much anyone who isn't a grunt, but normally reserved for Marines who work in an office or some other rear-echelon job as part of their regular duties ("In the rear with the gear"). Call a pougue a "grunt" and they love it, but call a grunt a "pougue" and see what happens.  | |
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Marine Of The Month | |
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Lance Cpl. James M. Gluff  20, of Tunnel Hill, Ga.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died Jan. 19 in Ramadi, Iraq, while conducting combat operations. |
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