Jarhead Online

A lot has happened in the past 6 weeks since my last post.  We were busy as hell at work during the first two weeks on december then my son came to town followed shortly by my parents, sister, and grandmother.   My in-laws came over Christmas Day.  I fried a turkey, cooked a ham and between me and the wife we made enough food to feed almost 20 people that day.  Things are finally starting to settle down now, almost everyone has gone home (got the son til Monday morn)and the  house is mostly put back together.  I go back to work tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to get back to some type a schedule for my postings.  Hope all of you had a great Holiday and Happy New Year.

It is getting close to the end of the month and all you young LCpls and Cpl know what that means.  It means the Corps has checked the list twice and as long as you were nice you may be getting promoted.  The Marine Corps has released the cutting scores for Corporals and Sergeants.  For those of you that didn’t make the cut this month continue orking and your composite score and you will make the grade.

A few weeks ago I was approached by Jeremiah from Devil’s Matchmaker Clothing about a new T-shirt line that is targeted at Marines.  I looked at their website and was impressed by their style.  Jeremiah was gracious enough to send me on of the T-shirts and Imust say that they are definately a good product.  Currently Devil’s Matchmaker offers three different shirts and they are all Marine.  I really like the fact that while they are directed towards Marines they are not the typical “Uncle Sam’s Miguided Children” and other motard shirts you see all the boots wearing around. These shirts have their own style and top-notch.

Josh is one of the owners of Devil’s Matchmaker Clothing and joined the Marine Corps in 2007 and was the inspiration for these brothers starting their company.  Along with designing a good product they also donate $1 to Marines helping Marines for every T-shirt that they sell.  So whether you are a Marine looking for a cool shirt or a family member that wants to get your Marine I ask that you please check these guys out .

Veteran’s day is just around the corner, Nov 11th to be exact, and there are many discounts and deals to be had not only by active duty members of the armed services but also retirees.  Here is a list of some of the things that I have come across either online or in my email from the SgtMaj and 1stSgt.

-Free Applebee’s meals on Veterans Day
 

-McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants, Sunday, November 8

-Golden Corral Military Appreciation,  Monday, November 16,

-Knotts Berry Farm, November 1 through November 26

-Lowes – 10% off on Veterans Day

-Home Depot - 10% discounts

-Disney’s Armed Forces Salute at Disney Parks

-Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks - free park admission
Veterans and Armed Forces personnel can receive one free general
admission ticket or a Buy-One-Get-One-Free offer on reserved seats (up to 4
total tickets) to the UCLA vs Washington football game on Saturday, November
7th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.  Present valid identification or be in
uniform at the UCLA Central Ticket Office M-F 10am to 4pm or at the Rose
Bowl on Game Day 11/7/09; or call (310) UCLA-WIN during business hours to
purchase tickets over the phone, pick up tickets at Rose Bowl on game day
with valid ID or be in uniform; or purchase tickets online at UCLABruins.com
<http://UCLABruins.com>  using  Pomo Code:  GOBRUINS.  Don’t miss the
pre-game Veterans and armed Forces Exhibit Fair in Lot H of the Rose Bowl.

*****Clippers will host a Military Appreciation Night on Friday, November
13th at 7:30 pm.  Service Men and Women and their families will be honored
and all military personnel in attendance will receive a commemorative
T-shirt.

If any of you have any other deals that can be passed on please leave them in the comments and I will make sure that they make it into the main article.

Just when it seemed that I had goten bck into the groove of things the Big Blue Diamond (1st Mar Div) decided to go play in the desert for a couple of weeks.  I must admit that this was one of the most boring field ops that I have been on in recent memory as it seemed like we did a whole hell of a lot of sitting on our asses.  We did get some good training in but not all that was needed.  I guess that I am partly to blame for this as I am a SSgt and I wasn’t really able to coordinate any outside training but hey we did what we could.  Now it is back to the grind here in the rear and make sure everything that got broke now gets fixed.  That and gotta make sure we get all the training that we need as looks like I will be headin to asscrackistan some time in the spring.  I should get back to a semi-normal posting schedule now that I am back.

A few months go I posted about the Marine Corps’ Selective Re-enlisment Bonus (SRB) for fiscal year 2010.  I mentioned that Marines would be eligible for up $90,000 to re-enlist.  Well it seems that the money is starting to run out.  In fact MarAdmin 471-09 listed several MOS’s that would not have a bonus available after 1 Oct.  Now MarAdmin 590-09 states that even more MOS’s will loose eligibility for a re-enlistment bonus in the next 30 day.  The MOS’s that will soon be loosing eligibility are:

Zone A:
————–
5942
6223
6253
6322

Zone B:
————–
0411
0619
0629
0659
1316
1371
2141
2171
3537
6283
6672

Zone C:
————–
0491

If you are in one of the above MOS’s and you want to re-enlist I suggest that you hurry up and get it done so that you do not loose out on some good money

 As my regular readers know I recently purchased a new home for me and my family.  I used a VA Loan for the financing and it was wonderful.  My new mortgage payment is actually less than I was paying for a 3 bedroom apartment.  I would not have been able to buy this wonderful help without the benefit of a VA loan.  Below you will find a guest article about the benefits of a VA loan.

 
VA loans represent one of the last remaining avenues for qualified borrowers to purchase a home without a down payment. And these low-cost lending options are becoming increasingly popular as government loans continue to grab a greater share of the overall lending market.

The Veterans Administration provides qualified veterans and their families with one of the most flexible and high-impact loan programs on the market. VA home loans come with an array of financial benefits and can help veterans without sterling credit or huge incomes achieve the goal of homeownership.

The VA guarantees home loans issued by commercial lenders. That protection basically replaces the need for a down payment and often allows borrowers to obtain excellent financing rates. Government-backed loans offer lenders a degree of protection that conventional loans often lack.

VA loan recipients can also forgo monthly private mortgage insurance, which is a requirement on conventional loans for borrowers who fail to put down at least 20 percent. With a VA loan, that’s another monthly cost savings that can go toward paying down your principal.

Some other benefits of VA loans include:

# Negotiable interest rate.
# Ability to finance the VA funding fee
# Closing costs are comparable with other financing types (and may be lower).
# An assumable mortgage.
# Right to prepay without penalty.
# For homes inspected by VA during construction, a warranty from builder and assistance from VA to obtain cooperation of builder.
# VA assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.

VA loans do have some restrictions regarding the condition of homes that can be purchased. That can be a problem in some parts of the country depending on the condition and market saturation of foreclosed properties. But VA loans can provide a lifeline for veterans and their families who have less than perfect credit.

Veterans and their families must live in the homes they plan to purchase, which means VA loans are not suitable for rental or investment purposes. The VA uses geographic lending limits that change depending on the location of your home. Currently, the VA lending limit tops out around $729,000 in most parts of the country.

To find out about more VA Loan requirements be sure to visit the VA homepage.

“Do You Trust Me?”

These were the last words that Cpl Matthew Nelson asked LCpl Patrick Malone right before he blew his head off.  Yes you read that right while deployed a Marine was killed by another Marine.  You see these Marines were playing a game.  A game with a loaded pistol that they called Trust.

How to Play

Playing Trust was simple enough albeit stupid.  A senior Marine takes his pistol removes the magazine aims it at a subordinte and asks “do you trust me?”  The subordinate answers (usually) in the affirmitive, and then the superior pulls the triggers and everyone laughs.

What went Wrong?

Unfortunately in this case everything went wrong.  Cpl Nelson didn’t have a safe weapon and when he pulled the trigger the hammer went home on a round.  The 9mm round went through LCpl Malone’s forehead and less than 20 minutes later the junior Marine was dead.

This “GAME” if you can call it that is the stupidest thing that a Marine can do.  It is against every weapons rule that is beat into our heads by our Drill Instructors for 13 weeks of Boot Camp.  Then reitterated by the NCO’s at MCT and SOI and every day that we ever handle a weapon.  Those weapos safety rules are repeated every day that you are on a rifle range.  Those rules are as follows:

1.  TREAT EVERY WEAPON AS IF IT WERE LOADED.

2.  NEVER POINT A WEAPON AT ANYTHING YOU DO NOT INTEND TO SHOOT.

3.  KEEP YOUR FINGER STRAIGHT AND OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT.

4.  kEEP YOUR WEAPON ON SAFE UNTIL YOU INTEND TO FIRE.

So as you can see the Marines that are out there playing this so-called game are in violation of every rule that we are taught.

How to Stop this Game?

How can we stop this game.  This is something that must be nipped in the bud NOW.  This is a game that cannot keep on going.  One Marine has lost his life and at least three others have lost careers, rank, money etc. with more to be charged.  It is the responsibility of the NCO to protect the Marines under their charge.  Not point weapons at their heads and pull the trigger on a loaded chamber. 

ANY MARINE THAT IS PLAYING THIS GAME NEEDS TO STOP.  ANY MARINE THAT SEES THIS GAME GOING ON NEEDS TO SAY SOMETHING AND MAKE IT STOP.  IF THE GAME CONTINUES YOU MUST REPORT IT.  WE DO NOT NEED TO LOOSE ANOTHER MARINE TO A STUPID GAME LIKE THIS.

TIme has come again for that Marine Corps to promote those well deserving LCpl’s and Cpl’s to the next rank.  On Oct 1st 2009 the Marine Corps will welcome a multitude of new Corporals and Sergeants to the NCO ranks.  Please help me recognize and congratulate these Marines.

The Marine Corps has released the approved selections for Warrant Officer in MarAdmin 576/09.   Please help me in congratulating these Marines in becoming the subject matter experts in their respective MOS’s.