tagged w/ Marines
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12 January 2012 Last updated at 19:49 ET Help
In a new survey, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says income received by opium farmers in Afghanistan rose by 133% and that poppy cultivation has also increased.
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I like how she says the profits fund the insurgency. No, the profits fund the UN, CIA, military and pharmaceutical industrial complex. The local poppy farmer does not ship product internationally or have the refining facilities linked with the mob in Turkey or Corsica. They don't put the morphine in with the soldiers survival kit.
Many top American families got their riches via the British East India Company, running opium as far back as the 1600s, such as the Delanos, Kerrys and Bushes. Wars were fought from then til now and a major underlying factor is heroin, which makes a lot more money off the books than oil does on. By making it illegal, its easier for these monopoly men to gain more power and wealth.
The drug laws are a joke and the wars are a disgrace. Ron Paul is the only hope we got!12 January 2012 Last updated at 19:49 ET Help
In a new survey, the UN Office on... more
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An eye-opening video clip that made it online Wednesday may cause a scandal on par with what erupted with the Abu Ghraib photographs of 2004. Now US Marines have been caught on film - urinating on dead Afghans.
A 40-second excerpt of the clip has managed to made its web to the Web and in it viewers can watch four US Marines on patrol in Afghanistan allegedly urinating on the corpses of deceased Afghan men. It is unclear of the victims' identities in this incident, but according to a note included with the uploaded file, the US servicemen were members of the Marine Scout Sniper Team 4 and the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The group was dispatched to the northern Helmand Province in Afghanistan during the summer of 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyFauuaM4qsAn eye-opening video clip that made it online Wednesday may cause a scandal on par... more
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Take a million soldiers in the US military and statistically you're bound to have a handful of dirt bags. The fact that they would willingly record this speaks volumes to their stupidity. Have they never heard of Abu Ghraib? While I completely support the troops in taking these guys out... this is just embarrassing.Take a million soldiers in the US military and statistically you're bound to have... more
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This is one of my favorite stories my grandfather tells of his military service.
Shanghaid in Shanghai
By Ron Turner
We sailed aboard the USS J C BRECKENRIDGE from San Diego somewhere around the end of Jan. first of Feb. 1947. A whole bunch of Marines, fresh out of boot camp, headed for China, stopping at a few islands in the Pacific along the way. We first sailed up the coast to San Francisco and picked up some Navy personnel and service dependents. Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time and sailing under it was impressive.
It was a couple days of rough sailing to Hawaii. It was best not to stand along the railing at the exit from the mess hall. Guys had trouble holding their food down.
We were met in Honolulu by a band and hula girls on the dock. I had the unfortunate experience of being on a painting detail down in the boiler room at the time. Didn't see any of this. We had an afternoon of liberty and walked all the way to Waikiki and back. I remember seeing the beach and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Somewhere along the way we stopped and shot pool. We left some Marines there. Seemed like a great place to pull duty but I had my mind set on going to China.
From there to Guam was smooth sailing. The ocean was flat as a table top. Saw some flying fish for the first time and some schools of porpoise. We felt a bump at one time. Someone said we hit a whale. Never saw it. Otherwise it was very boring for a few days. They were asking for volunteers to stay on Guam. I hid. Didn't seem like a very fun place to serve.
Manila was interesting. A bunch of young kids were swimming next to the ship when we docked. Not a healthy place to swim. They would dive for coins guys would throw in the water. We had liberty that evening and were impressed with the friendliness of the locals. They were still thankful remembering how we freed them from the Japanese. They would give you transportation to and from town for little or nothing, mostly in jeeps. A nickel or dime was fine with them. Didn't do much except walk around and take in the sights.
I walked a post on the upper deck of the ship in the middle of that night and never forget it. There were rats as large as house cats, very large house cats, roaming the docks. Docking ropes to the ship had large discs fastened to them to keep the varmints from coming aboard. There were men sleeping on top of stacks of bags of grain but the rats never touched them.
Shanghai was a most unforgettable experience.After we docked we were given liberty at approximately 1700 hours. We were advised not to go alone because of the threat of being rolled. We heard there was an enlisted mens club there so six of us, Bob Thatcher, Bob Vaughn, myself and three other guys whose names escape me decided to go there and shoot some pool and have a few beers. On the dock the only transportation we could see were pedicabs. China marines know what they are but for those who don't they are three wheeled vehicles much like a bicycle with a seat for passengers, usually two, in the back. There were only two cabs available, we dickered with the boys for a ride. They said they knew where the club was and could handle three passengers in each cab. And so off we went in this strange land and rode for what seemed an hour. We had no idea where we were so were at the mercy of our pedicab boys. Suddenly we turned in to a blind alley. A honey wagon (human waste transporting cart) pulled in behind us blocking our exit. It seemed like a hundred Chinese men in their long dress like robes with their hands up their sleeves surrounded us. we were ordered out of the cabs and and they asked for all our money. What could we do? We were greatly outnumbered. Then they took our watches and rings. Bob vaughn said he had a knife tucked in his sock and should he use it? We advised him not to. Like I said, we were outnumbered. We were then free to go.
So here we are, somewhere in Shanghai, and didn't know which way to go to get back to the ship. We were due back at the ship at 2200 hours. Nobody spoke English except the pedicab guys and they were long gone we tried using sign language but that didn't work. After walking several blocks, probably in the wrong direction, we came
upon a policeman and although he didn't speak English, he seemed to know we wanted to get back to our ship. He pointed in a certain direction and we headed that way. After communicating with several more policemen along the way we finally got back to our ship at about 2145 hours. six tired marines. That was our liberty in shanghai. "Shanghaid in Shanghai" I tell my friends & relatives.
A couple days later we pulled in to the port of Tsingtao. I served as a military policeman for about 18 months.This is one of my favorite stories my grandfather tells of his military service.... more
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The protesters were celebratory but tired. But mood picked up quickly when a man stood up and made an announcement that there was a special guest on board who was too humble to address the jam-packed bus.
That special guest: Sgt. Jay Gentile, the former marine whose “Brother” photograph went viral after Cpl. Scott Olsen was severely injured by a projectile when the Oct. 25 Occupy Oakland protests turned violent.
The 29-year-old from Salem, New Jersey posted a picture on Reddit.com of himself, teary-eyed, holding a photograph of Olsen injured from the impact of the projectile and a piece of paper that read, “You did this to my brother.” (http://tinyurl.com/42twq3v)
http://tinyurl.com/3bs68zlThe protesters were celebratory but tired. But mood picked up quickly when a man stood... more
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LOrion
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I know its in a segment but HERE in text for the hearing impaired who are part of our 99% Community too!
Host Keith Olbermann asked Navy vet and friend of Scott Olsen, Josh Shepherd how Olsen was doing. Shepherd answered by reading the most recent text that he got from Olsen, “So he says what kind of pie, which goes along occupy. I see the success there. Keep it up. Non-violent in the face of police brutality.”
Later, Olbermann asked Shepherd how he feels about right wing critics who doubt the legitimacy of the veterans at the Occupy protests. Shepherd said, “Well, you know, they’re free to say that. It’s insulting a little bit, but I think it’s very easy to say. You know, I hate to generalize, but I’m sure a lot of people who are disputing this stuff have not served, and you know like now our numbers are getting stronger and stronger as veterans lending our voices to the movement. It’s harder and harder to deny.”
http://tinyurl.com/3dv3pmuI know its in a segment but HERE in text for the hearing impaired who are part of our... more
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LOrion
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What does OMC think about Marines so far being two of the most highest profile protesters in the movement — Scott Olsen and Shamar Thomas? What does this say about the country/state of vets, that vets are protesting?
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America Dialed 911….and we answered, the OMC anyways.
http://occupymarines.org/occupyomc-interviews/occupyomc-abc-news-interview/~
What does OMC think about Marines so far being two of the most highest profile... more
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Now thats more like it...OORAH
Lets be a lesson to any cops out there looking to bust some ows heads.
DON'T FUCK WITH THE MARINES, YOU WILL NOT WIN!
In response to the police brutality against peaceful American protesters – here, here, here, here, here and here – military and police groups are forming to protect American citizens.
In fact, many in the military support the protests (and see this).
As of today, OccupyMarines, Occupy Police, Occupy Navy, Occupy Airforce, and Occupy Army have formed to protect the people against police brutality.
After Veterans for Peace member Scott Olsen – a Marine Corps veteran twice deployed to Iraq – was critically wounded in the Occupy Oakland protest, Occupy Marines tweeted:
WHEN YOU SHOOT ONE MARINE, YOU SHOOT AT ALL OF US. OORAH. Do It Peacefully Occupy We Stand In Solidarity
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/10/marine-navy-army-and-airforce-vets-and-police-vow-to-protect-innocent-protesters.htmlNow thats more like it...OORAH
Lets be a lesson to any cops out there looking to... more
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A former Marine and Iraq war veteran who was injured during the raucous Occupy Oakland protest on Tuesday night has been upgraded this morning to fair condition at Highland Hospital in Oakland, a nursing supervisor said.
Scott Olsen, 24, of Daly City, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, was among the hundreds of protesters who filled the streets of downtown Oakland to protest the police dismantling of the encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall.
Keith Shannon, Olsen's roommate who served in Iraq with him, said doctors told him Wednesday night that Olsen was unconscious and breathing with the help of a respirator.
The antiwar group said Olsen, a systems administrator at a San Francisco software firm, suffered a skull fracture when he was hit by a "blunt object."
Video footage shows a protester, identified by the antiwar group as Olsen, being knocked to the ground at 14th Street and Broadway after police lobbed an object - possibly a tear gas canister - at a group of protesters. The object emits a loud "bang" after landing on the ground.
While he lay dazed wounded on the street, other protesters came to his aid. The footage then appears to show an officer tossing another canister toward the group helping him. There was another blast heard, and one protester can be heard screaming "What the f- " at police while a demonstrator angrily bangs his sign on the street again and again.
The group drags Olsen away. He appeared to be conscious after the incident and pressed his hand to his head while looking at his cell phone.
Olsenhad spent most nights over the last few weeks at the Occupy SF camp, Shannon said.
"He'd leave work, head there, sleep there and go to work the next day," Shannon said. "We were really against the fact that the banks and corporations were not held accountable for what they did."
When Olsen heard that protesters at Occupy Oakland were asking for support, he took BART to Oakland and joined in the protest, Shannon said.
Olsen knew he might have been arrested but didn't seem to have any idea the demonstration would get as violent as it did, Shannon said.
http://tinyurl.com/3m9ag4vA former Marine and Iraq war veteran who was injured during the raucous Occupy Oakland... more
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LOrion
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Sgt. Shamar Thomas
United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY went toe to toe with the New York Police Department. An activist in the Occupy Wall Street movement, Thomas voiced his opinions of the NYPD police brutality that had and has been plaguing the #OWS movement.
Thomas is a 24-year-old Marine Veteran (2 tours in Iraq), he currently plays amateur football and is in college.
Thomas comes from a long line of people who sacrifice for their country: Mother, Army Veteran (Iraq), Step father, Army, active duty (Afghanistan), Grand father, Air Force veteran (Vietnam), Great Grand Father Navy veteran (World War II).
You have to watch this video, it's really moving. Click the source link.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/good-guys/1-marine-vs-30-cops-at-occupy-times-square-.html
(Brasscheckchecktv.com)Sgt. Shamar Thomas
United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt,... more
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http://www.demotix.com/news/881527/us-marine-sergeant-defends-occupy-wall-street-protestors
U.S. Marine Sergeant defends Occupy Wall Street protestors
Thousands supported Occupy Wall Street in Times Square last night. After several arrests, a U.S. marine began questioning NYPD officers patriotism as well as their courage. New York, NY. 15th October 2011
Last night at Occupy Wall Street in Times Square, Marine Sergeant Shamar Thomas boldly defended the occupiers. Sergeant Thomas calmly asked the NYPD why they aren't protecting the peaceful protestors. The NYPD ignored his questions and continued telling protestors to leave the sidewalk otherwise "they'd get hurt."
Then, in an epic scene, Thomas approached the line of NYPD officers who held their batons.
While many Occupy Wall Street demonstrators had been arrested for merely crossing the street, he exclaimed, "These are U.S. citizens peacefully protesting! These are the people you are supposed to protect!" The 10-15 NYPD officers he addressed dared not to touch him.
Sergeant Thomas continued denouncing the NYPD's actions shouting, "This isn't a war zone! I've served overseas, that's a war zone! Get rid of your batons and helmets!"
After five minutes of severely and loudly criticizing the NYPD, the Sergeant walked away leaving the scorned officers behind. The few people who were there applauded and cheered.
Whether those officers mindset will change is uncertain. What is certain, however, is that the NYPD is conflicted when confronted by Members of our Armed Services. That said, I hope more Marines will join in defending U.S. citizens from megalomaniac individuals leading corrupt financial and political institution. Thank you Sergeant Thomas for defending American's rights to protest. You really are The Few and The Proud.
(Note: Videos by others present were taken of this confrontation. They should be up soon)
See also: Financial Giants Put New York City Cops On Their Payroll » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names: http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/10/financial-giants-put-new-york-city-cops-on-their-payroll/http://www.demotix.com/news/881527/us-marine-sergeant-defends-occupy-wall-street-protes... more
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Marine / Army Vets @OccupyWallStreet Tell Sean Hannity to "F**K OFF" - HOOaaaAH!!! OWSMarine / Army Vets @OccupyWallStreet Tell Sean Hannity to "F**K OFF" -... more
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"We modeled the controller after the PlayStation because that's what these eighteen-, nineteen-year-old Marines have been playing with pretty much all of their lives.""We modeled the controller after the PlayStation because that's what these... more
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Cabal
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Here is a talented bunch in our military - talented military band cover's Adele's hit single, 'Rolling In The Deep'.
The singer is awesome. No information on who the singer is... if you know, post a comment below.
Update: the singer is SSG Angie Johnson. Originally from St. Louis, MO. Pride of Ritenour High School. You are awesome, Angie!Here is a talented bunch in our military - talented military band cover's... more
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Read the whole story here: http://www.gusmcoy.com/?page_id=1566
Read the rest at: www.gusmcoy.com
I had just gotten off of my first deployment to Iraq in the summer of 2003 and everyone in my company was feeling exceptionally blissful because we had just conquered the Iraqi Army in an epic confrontation of warfare. We were beaming with pride and we assumed that our fighting days were over. Remember, this is 2003 and we weren’t experts on nation building, so you can’t hold it against us for not predicting things to come.
We did a lot of drinking when we came back from that deployment. Not just a lot, but a destructive amount of alcohol entered our bodies at this time. It was the kind of drinking that has Marines making spontaneous decisions that will end poorly. My poor decision occurred after I had only been back in the States for two months. Some Marines got married when they were drunk. Others might get some sort of DUI, public intoxication, or assault charge. What was my drunken decision? After only being home for a short period, I volunteered for another deployment. This type of shanghaiing in the Marine Corps is known as being, “Tun Taverned.”
Tun Taverned (tun tav-ern-ed) adverb. 1. The eager enlistment, reenlistment, or willingness to volunteer for deployment while under the influence of alcohol or hung-over. 2. The idea to volunteer for any mission in the United States Marine Corps while intoxicated in a professional drinking establishment or barracks location. [Derived from the drinking establishment known as Tun Tavern, a saloon once located in Philadelphia, PA that is commonly thought to be the birthplace of the Continental Marines]
Before I knew it, I was boarding a ship and heading towards the Middle-East again. I was with a new group of guys, going to a familiar country. You’re a genius, Chewy! Only a smashed Marine would think that the name, “Iraq,” sounds like it would be a good idea. This is the eternal hypocrisy of military members. Marines are the most self-deprecating and bitchiest people on earth when they are operating in a warzone, but the second you take them out of there, they miss it.
I have no idea what that says, but it is the funniest psy-ops leaflet I’ve ever had to pass out. Iraqi: “Okay, buddy! Good Mistah! Good Bush!” When we got to Iraq, it was evident that it was vastly different from my first time there. For one, there was no significant threat of violence there at the time. This was the period in between “Mission Accomplished,” and the sectarian violence that absorbed the country for years. We happened to be there during a down period in hostility. We were also operating in a part of the country that I had never been. Al-Basrah was a large city on the Southeastern corner of Iraq. The area was controlled by the British Army, and our small contingent of Marines was linking up with them to perform joint military operations.
By joint military operations I mean that we were basically out there to make sure no one was stealing from the local oil field profiteers. I hated the notion that I was out there to be a police officer for these people—not because I had some deep held belief about my role in the military or our foreign policy…but because I knew I would make a terrible cop.
I’d never really been around British people before this stage of my life. To be honest with you, my only knowledge of the United Kingdom came from examining Benny Hill act like an idiot on PBS, and the film The Patriot. So you can understand my view of the British would be a bit skewed. The first conversation I had with one of the British soldiers was awkward at best. I did my best to try and make nice, but my sheltered American familiarity with British culture almost caused some big problems.
I yelled, “God save the Queen!” Yep, that was the first thing I said to them. I honestly thought that’s what you’re supposed to do.
I got a response from a random soldier, “Fuck the Queen!”
What? Something was not right.
I assertively asked the soldier, “What the fuck is wrong with Her Majesty?”
He responded, “We’re Scottish, save that shite for someone else.”
“You’re Scottish?! Like Braveheart and Trainspotting?! You must be rolling in H, huh?” I was a moron. I continued, “Do you know Duncan McCloud?” Alright, I wasn’t that naïve, but I was an American, so I had to be an asshole.
The young Scotsman looked furious, but he kept his cool.
So our senior officers, in their infinite wisdom, thought it would be a good idea to do a joint operation with us and the Scottish soldiers. It was basically an exchange program, where we would be going on patrol and reporting to their chain-of-command. I was chosen as one of the lucky ones that got to go out with the Scots on the next patrol.
I approached my sergeant right after I got the news, “Sergeant, can you get the LT to assign me an interpreter for the patrol?”
He responded, “The Brits already have one, you’re fine.”
“No, Sergeant, I meant for me…I can barely understand anything they say. They sound like those Pikeys from that Brad Pitt movie.” I wasn’t being a smartass, I was legitimately afraid of a language barrier compromising the patrol. I continued, “I mean…they’re not going to be playing the bagpipes when we’re going through urban Basra or anything…are they? Do they even make kilts in camouflage?”
“Get the fuck out of here, Chewy,” was his response.
We left early in the morning on a cool autumn day in Southern Iraq. The patrol started out well enough, until it got a bit uncomfortable after the Scottish officer halted the patrol and started giving out orders. I honestly didn’t know what he was telling us to do, so I turned around and asked the ginger soldier—I have friends that are gingers, so it’s ok for me to write that—behind me what was going on, “Can you ask your lieuftenant to speak English, please?”
“You’re a bloody xenophobe, boyo,” the soldier responded.
I was still in full asshole American mode, “Fuck no, I’m not a Xena-phobe…that show is awesome and Lucy Lawless is hot!” His blank ginger face was lost as he didn’t get my magnificent allusion to American telly.
See, I’ll be the first to admit that I am a grade-A nationalist. I can’t help it, I just think less of other people and where they’re from. This is not something I developed in the military either. I’ve had to struggle with this my whole life. When I was 15, I was eating dinner over at a football teammate’s house. It was a polite meal in suburban Minneapolis. His family had a good looking girl that was staying with them through an exchange program. As soon as I heard her speak, I had to chime in. Once she told me she was from Estonia, I basically went into a twenty minute tirade about how Estonians are just dumb Russians and that the only reason anybody in America knows about their insignificant country is because of awesome American screenwriters who penned them into the Encino Man script. She cried uncontrollably and I wasn’t invited back.
The patrol continued. After a while, I began to feel a bit alienated as we were supposedly doing a serious combat patrol. I didn’t see much, just a bunch of trashy locals—not all Iraqi’s are trashy, but Basrah is definitely the Detroit of Mesopotamia—and angry dogs. The Scots had on their pasty skinned war faces, but I was just looking around with confusion. I was confused for a couple of reasons. For one, I was still a young Marine, so I genuinely didn’t know what the hell was going on. Two, their Scottish accents were thick with verbal nonsense, and my simple hip-hop polluted mind couldn’t grasp their complicated dialect.
End of spaceRead the whole story here: http://www.gusmcoy.com/?page_id=1566
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