Marines Archives

Motivation to Join the Marines Results in 150 Pound Weight Loss

August 21, 2016/in Military, Military News

Pvt. Richard Faler is not one to take “no” for an answer. Although he weighed in at 305 pounds, his family had a long military history, and he wasn’t going to let his weight get in his way of serving his country.

So Faler began working out with his brother Christian, and the 21-year-old got his 5 feet 10 inch frame way down.

Now weighing 150 pounds, with boot camp behind him, Faler is on the road to becoming a defense message system specialist.

Despite his dramatic transformation, Faler said boot camp would’ve been a lot easier if he had been in better shape when he got there.

“Even though I, with the help of family and my recruiters, made the height-weight standards to ship to boot camp, I wish that I reached the fitness level of where I was midway through boot camp.

Growing up, Faler was active in several sports such as wrestling, baseball and soccer at West Central High School in Francesville, Indiana.

“My senior year of wrestling, I wrestled at 130 pounds,” said Faler. “After high school, I doubled my weight and then some.”

After high school, Faler got a job in a gas station.

Faler’s grandparents served in the Air Force and Navy and he had several cousins in the Army. He made up his mind that he would join what he calls the “hardest” service: the Marine Corps.

Christian got his brother on a daily running routine, starting with the block around his house. They gradually increased the distance, and in just one year, he had shed 80 pounds.

Faler was in the Delayed Entry Program, but the physical training plan he received from his recruiter nearly made Faler give up.

“I could barely do any of it,” Faler said. “At that point, I lost motivation when I realized after all that work I couldn’t do anything.”

But Christian pushed, offering to join the Marine Corps, too, if his brother could meet the standards.

Faler changed his eating habits, adding chicken and vegetables that were low in fat and high in protein.”

Faler said he never could’ve met his goals without his brother and recruiters motivating him along the way.

“A lot of people told me I couldn’t do it,” Faler said. “Just proving them wrong was the best feeling.”

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.

Purple Hearts Awarded to Marines Injured in March Attack

May 13, 2016/in Military, Military News

By Debbie Gregory.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently visited a firebase in Iraq to award Purple Hearts to four Marines injured in a March rocket attack carried out by the Islamic State group.

“In all the years, I have not awarded anybody a Purple Heart on the ground where they received the Purple Heart,” said Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford.

Dunford, who served as Marine Corps commandant before taking on the role of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wanted to show his support and get a firsthand look at what the Marines at the base are doing.

The Marines were injured in an attack that claimed the life of Marine Staff Sgt. Louis Cardin have been awarded the Purple Heart.

Cardin’s death is the second combat death since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve. The March 19^th attack by Islamic State group militants occurred when a rocket attack was fired upon a coalition on a small fire base in northern Iraq. The Marines were part of the Camp Lejeune-based 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which deployed from Norfolk Naval Station as part of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group in October.

Dunford did not take any media with him when he presented the Purple Hearts. He said afterwards that he did not want anone to get the impression that he was looking for a “photo op.”

Marines have repelled at least one attack by ISIS militants since Cardin was killed.

“Two enemy [fighters were] killed in that operation, the rest ran away in fear,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a Defense Department spokesman, said on March 21.

The ISIS rocket expert believed responsible for the March 19 attack on the base was killed in an April 3 drone strike.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.

Marines Land In Baghdad To Reinforce Embassy

May 12, 2016/in Government, Military, Military News

By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. has sent a platoon of 25 Marines to bolster security at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad following recent protests led by firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The embassy “continues to operate normally,” State Department Spokesman John Kirby said.

Protestors loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the Green Zone last weekend, breaching the fortified area that includes Iraqi government building and the U.S. Embassy. It was the first such breach of the zone since it was established shortly after U.S. forces took control of Baghdad in 2003.

The 25 Marines belong to a forward-deployed Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force designed to respond quickly to reinforce embassies worldwide should more protection be needed.

A U.S. Marine rifle company of more than 150 Marines, in addition to private security contractors, has been protecting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and will continue to do so.

Supporters of al-Sadr, whose forces fought American troops in Iraq, have been protesting the Iraqi government for several months. Davis said the United States remains committed to supporting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who America has worked closely with in its ongoing fight against Islamic State group militants.

Military Connection salutes and proudly serves veterans and service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, and their families.

Military Connection: Marines End OEF Mission: By Debbie Gregory

November 10, 2014/in Archived Blogs

On October 26, 2014, U.S. Marines turned over their last base in Afghanistan, as they handed Camp Leatherneck in the Helmand province over to the Afghan National Army.

Both Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion, a British airfield adjacent to Leatherneck, were changing control, and the transfer had been kept secret from the media The Helmand province was hard fought territory for U.S. Marines and British forces. Of the 458 Marines killed in Afghanistan, 350 were lost in the Helmand province. The British lost 407 service members in the region as well.

The cloak-and-dagger switch was deemed necessary, as the Helmand province is still rampant with Taliban insurgents, as well as drug traffickers and gangs.

Giving control of Camp Leatherneck and Camp Bastion to the Afghan military marks what could be the beginning of a rapid reduction of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Approximately 24,000 U.S. service members, including Marines who are still providing security at the now Afghan-controlled Camp Leatherneck, remain in the country. That number is expected to be closer to 10,000 by January, and reduced again by 2016. The U.S. military will be watching the Helmand province with great interest for the next several months.

While many in and around the military community are criticizing the transfer due to the importance of the bases and the high-threat from Taliban in the region, it does make some sense to try to gauge the effectiveness of our Afghan allies before the end of this year, when our forces will be cut by more than half.

Since 2009, the base has been used by U.S. Marines and other American and coalition forces. Along with the land and the fortification, the Afghan military also received an estimated $230 million worth of buildings and equipment that the Marines have left behind. The Afghan Ministry of Defense is planning to use the use the 1,600-acre base to connect with Kabul, and to support its aviation operations.

The transfer of Camp Leatherneck marks the end of the Marine Corps’ thirteen year mission in Afghanistan. During their campaign in Afghanistan, Marines have fought with the valor and dedication worthy of their name. They completed every objective they were asked to, and now hand the reigns over to their comrades in different uniforms.

“We are doing exactly what our commander in chief has asked us to do,” said Capt. James M. Geiger Jr. He continued, “We have taken great pride in this mission. We are the last Marines and we’re protecting the reputations of our brothers who paid the ultimate price.”

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Marines End OEF Mission: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: New On-Base Wi-Fi Program: By Debbie Gregory

September 29, 2014/in Military, Military Spouse, Military Veteran

Great news for Soldiers, Marines and Airmen! An improved Wi-Fi service could be heading to an installation near you.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the Marine Corps Non-Appropriated Fund Business and Support Services Division are closing in on a deal that would feature a new service plan to thirty installations through Boingo Wireless.

Under the new plan, service members living on base in barracks and in dormitories will be given free in-room access to an all wireless basic internet plan, with a data transfer speed of 128 kilobits per second, as well as internet based television with local channels.

Service members will also be given the option to pay for upgrades, including faster internet speeds and more television channels. There will be multiple options and prices offered through the new deal, including internet-only upgrades, and packages with combined television and internet upgrades. The largest package includes an expanded Internet with up to 30 Mbps, packaged with 100-plus channels for $89.95 a month. A five MB per-second service will be offered for $29.95 per month. Pricing will be standardized from base to base, wherever it is provided.

Along with being considerably lower priced for comparative services, the services will not require long-term contracts. The upgrade programs will all be offered on a month to month basis, which is ideal for service members on the go.

And one more bonus is that service plans will be transferable to any installation that offers the service. So service members going TDY, attending a training or being permanently reassigned can take their plans with them, making for a seamless transition.

The service is now available through Boingo Wireless at Camp Pendleton, CA, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA, Fort Eustis, VA, and Barksdale Air Force Base, LA.

Most Marine Corps installations will have the Boingo Wireless service implemented by 2015. The Army and Air Force expect to expand the service to eleven additional installations by October 1, 2014, and to most of the remaining installations by the end of next summer.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.