14 July 2008
Greetings, All!
I am now on active duty again and have deployed to Iraq for the second time. I am assigned to 1st Marine Logistics Group as the Camp Commandant of Camp Al Taqaddum. "TQ" is just west of Baghdad on the northeast corner of Lake Habbaniya. It is a large sprawling base that is home of several thousand Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen.
We have a modest library on the camp and they are in need of more books. The library staff really wants copies of the Commandant's Reading List and other books and DVDs that would be of interest to young men and women 18-30. College prep books would also be welcomed.
Books may be sent to:
Sabine Glascoe
KBR/MWR (B6)
APO AE 09381
Sabine's
e-mail is:
sabine.glascoe@kbr.com
Your support is appreciated. Thank you.
Semper Fidelis!
John D. Folsom
Colonel, United States Marine Corps, Reserve
Al Taqaddum, Iraq
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phone: (402) 502-7557 |
14 July 2008
Roast/Toast for Jr. Vice Cmdt Tony D.
18 October 2008
28 June 2008
Running for our wounded warriors!!
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I am raising money for this very important cause and I'm asking you to help by making a contribution! Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation. I thank you in advance for your support, and really appreciate your generosity!!
27 June 2008
Marines NEED YOUR HELP. Lima 3/6
Good Morning from Oklahoma!
Just received a note from Karen Stark of The Hugs
Project here in OKC, (an excerpt is posted below), about Marines who
recently lost just about everything in a fire at their encampment
'across the pond'. You can go to the link below or above and read the
story with pictures. If you don't know about THE HUGS PROJECT, you can
also check them out at this link.
http://www.thehugsp
From:
TheHugsProject_
It never rains…it pours!!!
That’s not just
the Morton Salt motto. Right now, we’re hit with almost more requests
for HUGS than we can handle. And, to top that off, we were just
notified of a unit who lost EVERYTHING in a fire. You can read about it
here and also find an address to send a care package or card of
encouragement. http://waronterrorn
Just got off the phone with a friend who's son is in this unit. The letter is from a member of the support group for these Marines. The letter and pictures speak for themselves. Please my friends, anything you can do would be great. Please, repost this anywhere you can. Get the word out. Let's help these Jarheads out.
22 June 2008
Women Marines MGB for sale on EBAY
The CO Columbine - WM History Chapter of the Women Marines Association has been gifted a 1977 MGB to sell and benefit our chapter and it's Women of the Corps History Collection.
Please send the following link and item number on Ebay to your networks for anyone who might be interested.
Item number: 150261453805 on EBAY
Paula SarllsPresident CO-1Women Marines AssociationAll your strength is in your union
All your danger is in discord;
Therefore be at peace henceforward,
And as brothers live together.
The Song of Hiawatha. Part i.
WE ARE WOMEN OF THE CORPS!! SEMPER FIDELIS!
17 June 2008
Historic USMC December 7 Battlefield to be Bulldozed
Aloha from Hawaii,
I have attached a photo on the airfield, plus a letter sent to President Bush, and also a link to the Official Marine Corps History of December 7, 1941 at Ewa Field.
It is a Pacific War Battlefield- where Americans, both Marines and Civilians- died on Dec. 7
Sincerely,
John Bond
P.O. Box 75578
Kapolei, Hi. 96707
685-3045
LINK- Note that there is a Short and a Longer history section on Ewa Field- please review both for all info...
http://www.december7.com/1941/index.html
*************************************************************
June 6, 2008
Dear President George Bush
The White House
Washington, D.C.
Aloha from Hawaii,
Please consider, under the American Antiquities Act of 1906, which you have cited in your May 28 Memo, to add Ewa Marine Corps Air Field to the List of National Monuments administered by the National Park Service.
Ewa Field has been completely ignored, due to series of events, yet was the very first location on Oahu to be attacked, and sustained a nearly continuous two hour strafing attack by Imperial Japanese carrier planes do to the fact that it was the rotation, or gathering place for the the planes as they completed their bombing runs. A number of Marines, and civilians, were killed or wounded in this fierce, opening battle of the Pacific War.
Unlike Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hickam Field, etc., there has been virtually NO historic military battlefield study done by any branch of the U.S. government on this site. It is no doubt hard to believe that a battlefield in urban Honolulu, that is now close to being bulldozed as of July 1, 2008, was a place where U.S. Marines died on U.S. soil, yet no marker or any significant recognition of this historic battlefield exists AT ALL on this actual site. It is really astonishing, but true!
Please see our website for details. We need the help of the President to take action and direct the Department of Interior to include Ewa Marine Corps Field on a list of sites to be nominated to the list of National Historic Places and that it be surveyed to become a World War II Pacific Battlefield Monument.
Sincerely,
John Bond,
SAVE EWA FIELD
WWW.December7.ComP.O. Box 75578
Kapolei, Hawaii 96707
808-685-3045
GM@HawaiiN.Com
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Pearl.htmlTHIS PAMPHLET HISTORY, one in a series devoted to U.S. Marines in the World War II era, is published for the education and training of Marines by the History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., as a part of the U.S. Department of Defense observance of the 50th anniversary of victory in that war.
Editorial costs of preparing this pamphlet have been defrayed in part by a bequest from the estate of Emilie H. Watts, in memory of her late husband, Thomas M. Watts, who served as a Marine and was the recipient of a Purple Heart.
WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE SERIES
DIRECTOR OF MARINE CORPS HISTORY AND MUSEUMS Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret) MANAGING EDITOR, WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE SERIES Benis M. Frank
EDITING AND DESIGN SECTION, HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION Robert E. Struder, Senior Editor; W. Stephen Hill, Visual Information Specialist; Catherine A. Kerns, Composition Services Technician
Marine Corps Historical Center
Building 58, Washington Navy Yard
Washington, D.C. 20374-0580
16 June 2008
"Salute to our Veterans"
Folks,
Please see the attached flyer from Shades of Green, which is the resort
for military members located at Disney World in Florida. Eligibility
for use of this facility is open to all veterans in September and
January.
Click here for the flyer outlining this program
David E. Heiland
DMVA-VA
P-0-47 Fort Indiantown Gap
Annville, PA 17003-5002
Phone: (717) 861-2856
FAX: (717) 861-8589
15 June 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
American Legion to Supreme Court:
Terrorists Ruling endangers U.S. military
INDIANAPOLIS (June 12, 2008) – The nation’s leading veterans organization reacted to today’s Supreme Court ruling that foreign terrorists have U.S. constitutional rights. The ruling came as the result of a challenge by detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who want hearings in U.S. civilian courts.
“To suggest that foreign terrorists, who have never set foot in this country and respect no civilized laws should enjoy the same rights under our Constitution as U.S. citizens,” American Legion National Commander Marty Conatser said of today’s 5-4 ruling, “must make America’s founding fathers turn over in their graves.”
Conatser pointed out that The American Legion has sent delegations to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “Two American Legion past national commanders have visited Camp Delta. They found that the detainees were humanely treated, well-fed and provided with medical care that surpasses what many veterans receive. We currently have a distinguished Legionnaire viewing hearings down at Guantanamo. As the deputy commanding general of Guantanamo told our Washington Legislative Conference, if the situation were reversed these terrorists would define mercy as a knife blade on the back of the neck instead of the front.”
Chief Justice John Roberts dissented from the ruling. He wrote that the United States enacted “the most generous set of procedural protections ever afforded aliens detained by this country as enemy combatants.” Justice Antonin Scalia joined the dissent, writing that the majority’s decision “will make the war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.”
“The Supreme Court has made its ruling,” Conatser said. “It seems that terrorists taken on foreign battlefields will now be entitled to lawyers at taxpayers’ expense and all the other rights that American citizens enjoy. It would have been wonderful if the terrorists had treated Matt Maupin, the U.S. soldier captured and brutally murdered in Iraq, with the same respect. In fact, one of the men on trial, Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed is not only the alleged mastermind of 9/11 but is widely believed to have personally beheaded journalist Daniel Pearl.”
Conatser said that The American Legion will look at various ways to protect America within the confines of the latest Supreme Court decision.
With a current membership of 2.7-million wartime veterans, The American Legion, www.legion.org, was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and patriotic youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.
05 June 2008
This Marine would like someone other than mother to send him mail.
Forward to fellow Marines. e-mail: jose.a.espinoza@cvw9.navy.mil
Marine LCPL Jose A Espinoza VMFA 323.
05 June 2008
Veterans Military Hand Salute
The President signed the Amendment to Section 9 of Title 4 of the U.S. Code which was attached with the H.R. 4986 Bill under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008. The amendment reads:
SEC. 594. CONDUCT BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS OUT OF UNIFORM DURING HOISTING, LOWERING, OR PASSING OF UNITED STATES FLAG.
Section 9 of title 4, United States Code, is amended by striking `all persons present' and all that follows through the end of the section and inserting the following: all persons present in uniform should render the military salute. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute
.
All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, or if applicable, remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Citizens of other countries present should stand at attention. All such conduct toward the flag in a moving column should be rendered at the moment the flag passes.
02 June 2008
Medal of Honor was presented today to family of Soldier from Clarion County; the fifth MOH award for GWOT, second with connection to Pennsylvania. The first was Navy LT Michael Murphy, PSU graduate, awarded for gallantry in Afghanistan (story told in Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell).
God bless our troops.
Scott D. Wagner
Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans' Affairs
Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs
717-861-8902 Fax 717-861-8589
-----Original
Message-----
From: Office of Public Liaison [mailto:OfficeOfPublicLiaison@WhiteHouse.Gov]
Sent:
Monday, June 02, 2008
2:08 PM
To: scwagner@state.pa.us
Subject: REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN
PRESENTATION OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR POSTHUMOUSLY TO PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ROSS
ANDREW MCGINNIS
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 2, 2008
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN PRESENTATION OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR
POSTHUMOUSLY TO PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ROSS ANDREW MCGINNIS
East Room 9:50 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Welcome to the White House.
A week ago on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States flew in half-staff in tribute to those who fell in service to our country. Today we pay special homage to one of those heroes: Private First Class Ross Andrew McGinnis of the U.S. Army. Private McGinnis died in a combat zone in Iraq on December the 4th, 2006 –- and for his heroism that day, he now receives the Medal of Honor.
In a few moments, the military aide will read the citation, and the Medal will be accepted by Ross's mom and dad, Romayne and Tom. It's a privilege to have with us as well Becky and Katie, Ross's sisters.
I also want to thank the other distinguished guests who have joined us: Mr. Vice President; Secretary Jim Peake of Veterans Affairs; Secretary Pete Geren of the Army; Secretary Michael Wynne of the Air Force; General Jim "Hoss" Cartwright, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. I appreciate other members of the administration for joining us.
I want to thank members of the United States Congress who have joined us today: Steve Buyer, John Peterson, Louie Gohmert. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate the Chaplain for the prayer. We welcome friends and family members of Ross, as well as members of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, including Charlie Company, that's with us today.
We're also joined by Private McGinnis's vehicle crew
-– the very men who witnessed his incredible bravery. We welcome Sergeant First Class Cedric Thomas, Staff Sergeant Ian Newland, Sergeant Lyle Buehler, and Specialist Sean Lawson.
A special welcome to the prior recipients of the Medal of Honor, whose presence here is -- means a lot to the McGinnis family. Thank you for coming.
The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military distinction. It's given for valor beyond anything that duty could require, or a superior could command. By long tradition, it's presented by the President. For any President, doing so is a high privilege.
Before he entered our country's history, Ross McGinnis came of age in the town of Knox, Pennsylvania. Back home they remember a slender boy with a big heart and a carefree spirit. He was a regular guy. He loved playing basketball. He loved working on cars. He wasn't too wild about schoolwork. (Laughter.) He had a lot of friends and a great sense of humor. In high school and in the Army, Ross became known for his ability to do impersonations. A buddy from boot camp said that Ross was the only man there who could make the drill sergeant laugh. (Laughter.)
Most of all, those who knew Ross McGinnis recall him as a dependable friend and a really good guy. If Ross was your buddy and you needed help or you got in trouble, he'd stick with you and be the one you could count on. One of his friends told a reporter that Ross was the type "who would do anything for anybody."
That element of his character was to make all the difference when Ross McGinnis became a soldier in the Army. One afternoon 18 months ago, Private McGinnis was part of a humvee patrol in a neighborhood of Baghdad. From his position in the gun turret, he noticed a grenade thrown directly at the vehicle. In an instant, the grenade dropped through the gunner's hatch. He shouted a warning to the four men inside. Confined in that tiny space, the soldiers had no chance of escaping the explosion. Private McGinnis could have easily jumped from the humvee and saved himself. Instead he dropped inside, put himself against the grenade, and absorbed the blast with his own body.
By that split-second decision, Private McGinnis lost his own life, and he saved his comrades. One of them was Platoon Sergeant Cedric Thomas, who said this: "He had time to jump out of the truck. He chose not to. He's a hero. He was just an awesome guy." For his actions, Private McGinnis received the Silver Star, a posthumous promotion in rank, and a swift nomination for the Medal of Honor. But it wasn't acclaim or credit that motivated him. Ross's dad has said, "I know medals never crossed his mind. He was always about friendships and relationships. He just took that to the ultimate this time."
When Ross McGinnis was in kindergarten, the teacher asked him to draw a picture of what he wanted to be when he grew up. He drew a soldier. Today our nation recognizing -- recognizes him as a soldier, and more than that –- because he did far more than his duty. In the words of one of our commanding generals, "Four men are alive because this soldier embodied our Army values and gave his life."
The day will come when the mission he served has been completed and the fighting is over, and freedom and security have prevailed. America will never forget those who came forward to bear the battle. America will always honor the name of this brave soldier who gave all for his country, and was taken to rest at age 19.
No one outside this man's family can know the true weight of their loss. But in words spoken long ago, we are told how to measure the kind of devotion that Ross McGinnis showed on his last day: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Gospel also gives this assurance: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." May the deep respect of our whole nation be a comfort to the family of this fallen soldier. May God always watch over the country he served, and keep us ever grateful for the life of Ross Andrew McGinnis.
And now I'd like to invite Mr. and Mrs. McGinnis to please come forward for the presentation, and the military aide will read the citation for the Medal of Honor.
The citation is read: The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Private First Class Ross A. McGinnis distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an M2 .50-caliber Machine Gunner, 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah, Northeast Baghdad, Iraq, on 4 December 2006.
That afternoon his platoon was conducting combat control operations in an effort to reduce and control sectarian violence in the area. While Private McGinnis was manning the M2 .50-caliber Machine Gun, a fragmentation grenade thrown by an insurgent fell through the gunner's hatch into the vehicle. Reacting quickly, he yelled "grenade," allowing all four members of his crew to prepare for the grenade's blast. Then, rather than leaping from the gunner's hatch to safety, Private McGinnis made the courageous decision to protect his crew. In a selfless act of bravery, in which he was mortally wounded, Private McGinnis covered the live grenade, pinning it between his body and the vehicle and absorbing most of the explosion.
Private McGinnis' gallant action directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. Private First Class McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
(The Medal of Honor is presented.) (Applause.)
END 10:00 A.M. EDT
14 May 2008
Marines, many of us may know people who are mobilized - please pass this on
to anyone who may be in need. The attachment contains information about a $500
grant available to children (Kindergarten - 12th grade) of Army National Guard,
Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Reserve, & Coast Guard Reserve who have been
deployed overseas for at least 180 days and have at least 60 days remaining on
orders, for activities such as instruction, lessons or tutoring that the child
will start before service member returns home.
Additional information is contained at the "Our Military Kids, Inc."
website:
http://www.ourmilitarykids.org/index.html
The editable form is located here:
"Our Military Kids grant form"08 May 2008
Military Family Relief Assistance Program (MFRAP)
The below link is provided for those members who requested additional information.
http://www.milvet.state.pa.us/DMVA/541.htm
06 April 2008
The Department web site map is now posted here.
Use this for a visual reference to the entire site. This document will be updated as the site changes.
