Colonel Herman S. “Stacy” Clardy III, who headed DivPA’s community relations branch from 1997-99, has been selected for promotion to brigadier general, the Pentagon announced. The career infantry officer commanded the 2d Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom and is currently posted as Director of the Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico. Read more…
Note: Last year a young man called CCHQ from Berkeley, CA wanting to interview me about the CCs as he was waiting to go to recruit training and then become a CC. We didn’t hear anything until very recently when former President Keith Oliver informed us that the young Marine had completed the basic MOS training at DINFOS to become a CC and had been assigned to II MEF at Camp Lejeune. We decided it might be interesting to follow LCpl. James Clark as he begins his career as a new combat correspondent. We will run letters from him occasionally to follow his progress. Here is his first.)
LCpl. James Clark at DINFOS.
By LCpl. James Clark
There are some experiences every Marine has shared. Some words everyone has heard. Words that will never leave you.
“You are no longer an I or a me. You are a recruit. You will speak when spoken to. You will do exactly what you are told when you are told. When asked a question you will answer with yes sir, or no sir. When given an order you will follow it and will respond with aye aye sir. Is this understood?”
“YES SIR!” “Now get off my bus!” “Aye aye sir!”
Shuffling off the bus and onto those foot prints you step into your new shoes. Over the next three months you learn wear them. You march, run, climb, jump and swim in them. You fight sweat and bleed in them.
When you step on the yellow foot prints, you become a recruit, and months later when you walk off the parade deck you leave them behind because you have become a Marine.
Combat photographer Hank Ehlbeck did NOT attend the Military Photography Workshop, but this is a very cool picture.
The 17th Annual DoD Worldwide Military Photography Workshop will be
hosted by the Defense Information School, June 8-13, 2009.
The workshop is held to improve professional knowledge,
proficiency and qualifications of DoD photographers and photojournalists.
Workshop faculty members will provide technical instruction to increase the
effectiveness, ability, and visual communication skills of attendees to
provide the highest quality imagery to the Department of Defense.
Selection for attendance will be competitive and limited to 25
photographers / photojournalists. To ensure maximum benefit, those attending
the workshop are required to have a strong background and working knowledge in still photography.
Eligibility: Personnel from all services, holding a photographer /
photojournalist specialty code, and DoD employed civilian photographers may
apply. Attendees will be selected based on their portfolio and command
recommendation, which must be received no later than Friday 27 April 2009.
Portfolios and a letter of recommendation from commanding officers shall be
forwarded to the Defense Information School, ATTN: TSgt Larry Simmons
(Photography Workshop), 6500 Mapes Rd., Ft. Meade, MD 20755-5620.
Click inside the video to load. May take a minute or two … be patient. Select low to speed things up. This comes from the Pentagon Channel.
Marine Corps Combat Correspondent, Staff Sgt. Angela Mink, performs the National Anthem prior to President Barack Obamas address to Camp Lejeune troops, Feb. 28, 2009. Photo by Ena Sellers, The Globe
President Barack Obama in a speech to the Marines at Camp Lejeune.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, please be seated.
To General Hejlik, for the outstanding work that he is doing, thank you so much. Good morning, Marines.
AUDIENCE: Ooh-rah!
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, Camp Lejeune.
AUDIENCE: Ooh-rah!
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning Jacksonville. (Applause.) Thank you so much for the extraordinarily welcome. Just a few additional people I want to note are here: Governor Bev Perdue of North Carolina — where is Governor Perdue? Stand up, please (Applause.) We have the new United States Senator from North Carolina, Kay Hagan. (Applause.) Members of the North Carolina congressional delegation who are here today — please stand and wave. (Applause.) And thank you, Staff Sergeant Mink, for the outstanding rendition of our National Anthem. (Applause.)
(more…)
Marine GySgt. Jason Fischer, formerly President of the DINFOS Chapter, USMCCCA, will switch services February 1 when he reports to Newport, RI for Navy Officer Candidate School.
Although it sounds a bit unusual, Jason reports that he attended and graduated from DINFOS Public Affairs Qualification Course (officer’s course) and, because the Navy does its officer accessions by MOS, he decided to compete for their program. Of 64 applicants in his MOS, he was one of four selected. This is how he explains it:
“It’s no longer possible to take an LDO route from the Corps to the Navy. What I’m basically doing is totally exiting the Corps and entering the Navy like a college kid off the street would.
(more…)
USMC Photo by Cpl. Pete Thibodeau U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Warren Burton, a combat correspondent, fires the 60mm mortar system during live-fire training outside of Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2008. Burton is with the command element of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan deployed in support Read more…
Interview with LCpl Evan Eagan, combat correspondent, II MEF Public Affairs. Video By Cpl Mike Browning, AFN News
A unique multimedia essay from Reuters See it at www.reuters.com/iraq Through five years of war, a team of 100 Reuters correspondents, photographers, cameramen and support staff have strived to deliver news to the world from Iraq – the most dangerous country for the press. These are their personal stories, bearing witness Read more…