Marine Corps Veterans News Letter January 2017 To observe a Marine is inspirational. To be a Marine is exceptional." - GySgt Charles F.

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1 The American Marines have it [pride], and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight and they know it. General Mark Clark, U.S. Army Marine walks 5400 miles from coast to coast, honoring the fallen Jonathan Hancock a Maryland Marine completed his trek 5400 miles across the US when he reached Camp Pendleton s 5th Marine Memorial. He left September 11, Walking was for him a way to create healing not only for himself, but for others across the country. Johnathon served as a Marine for eight and a half years, and had deployed 7 times. In 2009, he left the Corps and hit a low-point and almost took his own life. I m one of the guys that didn t do so hot, so instead of wallowing in self-despair, I decided to pick myself up and try this new thing. And I decided that I would walk across the country and I visit with everybody from 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. He walked 30 miles a day while carrying a 70-pound rucksack. Three Parris Island Marines face court-martials connected to hazing incidents-three Marine NCOs from South Carolina s Parris Island training depot have been charged and referred to a special court-martial, with a fourth Marine receiving an Article 32 hearing in reference to allegations of abuse. According to Marine Corps Times, the Marine Corps Training and Education Command announced the following Parris Island Marines have been charged with UCMJ violations: Staff Sgt. Matthew T. Bacchus has been charged with maltreatment, violation of a lawful order and making a false official statement. Staff Sgt. Jose Lucena-Martinez has been charged with failure to obey a lawful general order and making a false official statement. MCV Newsletter Page 1

2 Sgt. Riley R. Gress has been charged with maltreatment, failure to obey a lawful order and making a false official statement. The Marines face punishment up to one year in the brig if convicted, and will face a special courts-martial.a third Marine -identified only as a Staff Sergeant- is facing an Article 32 hearing, which will review the evidence and determine if a court-martial is necessary. None of the allegations are connected to the March 18th suicide of Muslim Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui, who jumped to his death after he was bullied by a drill instructor. Siddiqui s death launched a rash of investigations into hazing issues at Parris Island, and up to 20 Marines could be charged for allegations of abuse against Siddiqui and other Marines. TECOM commander Major General James Lukeman has taken the allegations seriously. As proceedings move forward, we will continue to maintain the integrity of the legal process while remaining transparent, Lukeman said in a statement Tuesday. The Marine Corps Recruit Depots Parris Island and San Diego transform the best of our nation s young men and women into U.S. Marines. The safety of our recruits and the integrity of the Marine Corps recruit training program remain our priority. Siddiqui isn t the only Muslim recruit who was hazed-another was forced to exercise in the shower and get into a dryer that was later turned on. One drill instructor asked if the recruit took part in the 9/11 attacks. Marine Commandant Robert Neller said in September that the majority of drill instructors are by-the-book leaders who shape Marines according to their training. Recruit training is designed to be tough and demanding, Neller said. That s why young men and women join the Marine Corps, because they want to be challenged and tested. I have every confidence that the drill instructors that are out there both at Parris Island and San Diego understand that. They are working extremely hard and they ve very proud of the effort they ve put forward to take young men and women who are civilians and turning them into basically trained Marines. Eulogy by General Kelly, just 4 days after his son was killed in action - Selected by President-elect Donald J. Trump as the new nominee for head of the Department of Homeland Security, retired General John Kelly is now one of three retired generals -joining retired Marine General James Mattis and retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn- who are in line to be top-tier advisors to the future President of the United States. Respected by those who he led into combat and a grizzled veteran of the Persian Gulf and Iraq Wars, Kelly also knows the personal losses of war all too well- his own son -1st Lieutenant Robert Kelly- was killed in Afghanistan in MCV Newsletter Page 2

3 Only four days after his son was killed, Kelly gave the eulogy -which was later chronicled in Business Insiderfor two extraordinarily brave Marines who gave their lives to protect their brothers-in-arms. In the packed room, he spoke of the two Marines, who were from entirely different walks of life and -in the face of the very example of fight or flight - had held their ground, leaving this world on their own two feet, with their fingers on their triggers and hot brass flying through the ears. Here are the words General Kelly had for his two sons, who gave their lives embodying the very ethos of the US Marine Corps: Two years ago when I was the Commander of all U.S. and Iraqi forces, in fact, the 22nd of April 2008, two Marine infantry battalions, 1/9 The Walking Dead, and 2/8 were switching out in Ramadi. One battalion in the closing days of their deployment going home very soon, the other just starting its seven-month combat tour. Two Marines, Corporal Jonathan Yale and Lance Corporal Jordan Haerter, 22 and 20 years old respectively, one from each battalion, were assuming the watch together at the entrance gate of an outpost that contained a makeshift barracks housing 50 Marines. The same broken down ramshackle building was also home to 100 Iraqi police, also my men and our allies in the fight against the terrorists in Ramadi, a city until recently the most dangerous city on earth and owned by Al Qaeda. Yale was a dirt poor mixed-race kid from Virginia with a wife and daughter, and a mother and sister who lived with him and he supported as well. He did this on a yearly salary of less than $23,000. Haerter, on the other hand, was a middle-class white kid from Long Island. They were from two completely different worlds. Had they not joined the Marines they would never have met each other, or understood that multiple Americas exist simultaneously depending on one s race, education level, economic status, and where you might have been born. But they were Marines, combat Marines, forged in the same crucible of Marine training, and because of this bond they were brothers as close, or closer, than if they were born of the same woman. The mission orders they received from the sergeant squad leader I am sure went something like: Okay you two clowns, stand this post and let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles pass. You clear? I am also sure Yale and Haerter then rolled their eyes and said in unison something like: Yes Sergeant, with just enough attitude that made the point without saying the words, No kidding sweetheart, we know what we re doing. They then relieved two other Marines on watch and took up their post at the entry control point of Joint Security Station Nasser, in the Sophia section of Ramadi, al Anbar, Iraq. A few minutes later a large blue truck turned down the alley way perhaps yards in length and sped its way through the serpentine of concrete jersey walls. The truck stopped just short of where the two were posted and detonated, killing them both catastrophically. Twenty-four brick masonry houses were damaged or destroyed. A mosque 100 yards away collapsed. The truck s engine came to rest two hundred yards away knocking most of a house down before it stopped. Our explosive experts reckoned the blast was made of 2,000 pounds of explosives. MCV Newsletter Page 3

4 Two died, and because these two young infantrymen didn t have it in their DNA to run from danger, they saved 150 of their Iraqi and American brothers-in-arms. When I read the situation report about the incident a few hours after it happened I called the regimental commander for details as something about this struck me as different. Marines dying or being seriously wounded is commonplace in combat. We expect Marines regardless of rank or MOS to stand their ground and do their duty, and even die in the process, if that is what the mission takes. But this just seemed different. The regimental commander had just returned from the site and he agreed, but reported that there were no American witnesses to the event just Iraqi police. I figured if there was any chance of finding out what actually happened and then to decorate the two Marines to acknowledge their bravery, I d have to do it as a combat award that requires two eye-witnesses and we figured the bureaucrats back in Washington would never buy Iraqi statements. If it had any chance at all, it had to come under the signature of a general officer. I traveled to Ramadi the next day and spoke individually to a half-dozen Iraqi police all of whom told the same story. The blue truck turned down into the alley and immediately sped up as it made its way through the serpentine. They all said, We knew immediately what was going on as soon as the two Marines began firing. The Iraqi police then related that some of them also fired, and then to a man, ran for safety just prior to the explosion. All survived. Many were injured some seriously. One of the Iraqis elaborated and with tears welling up said, They d run like any normal man would to save his life. What he didn t know until then, he said, and what he learned that very instant, was that Marines are not normal. Choking past the emotion he said, Sir, in the name of God no sane man would have stood there and done what they did. No sane man. They saved us all. What we didn t know at the time, and only learned a couple of days later after I wrote a summary and submitted both Yale and Haerter for posthumous Navy Crosses, was that one of our security cameras, damaged initially in the blast, recorded some of the suicide attack. It happened exactly as the Iraqis had described it. It took exactly six seconds from when the truck entered the alley until it detonated. You can watch the last six seconds of their young lives. Putting myself in their heads I supposed it took about a second for the two Marines to separately come to the same conclusion about what was going on once the truck came into their view at the far end of the alley. Exactly no time to talk it over, or call the sergeant to ask what they should do. Only enough time to take half an instant and think about what the sergeant told them to do only a few minutes before: let no unauthorized personnel or vehicles pass. The two Marines had about five seconds left to live. It took maybe another two seconds for them to present their weapons, take aim, and open up. By this time the truck was half-way through the barriers and gaining speed the whole time. Here, the recording shows a number of Iraqi police, some of whom had fired their AKs, now scattering like the normal and rational men they were- some running right past the Marines. They had three seconds left to live. MCV Newsletter Page 4

5 For about two seconds more, the recording shows the Marines weapons firing non-stop the truck s windshield exploding into shards of glass as their rounds take it apart and tore in to the body of the son-of-abitch who is trying to get past them to kill their brothers American and Iraqi bedded down in the barracks totally unaware of the fact that their lives at that moment depended entirely on two Marines standing their ground. If they had been aware, they would have known they were safe because two Marines stood between them and a crazed suicide bomber. The recording shows the truck careening to a stop immediately in front of the two Marines. In all of the instantaneous violence Yale and Haerter never hesitated. By all reports and by the recording, they never stepped back. They never even started to step aside. They never even shifted their weight. With their feet spread shoulder-width apart, they leaned into the danger, firing as fast as they could work their weapons. They had only one second left to live. The truck explodes. The camera goes blank. Two young men go to their God. Six seconds. Not enough time to think about their families, their country, their flag, or about their lives or their deaths, but more than enough time for two very brave young men to do their duty into eternity. That is the kind of people who are on watch all over the world tonight for you. While it is currently unknown just how good General Kelly will be at directing the Department of Homeland Security, one thing is for certain: the man sure does know how to give a speech. Corporal Jonathan Yale Lance Corporal Jordan Hearter MCV Newsletter Page 5

6 Chuck Mawhinney - Marine Sniper Until very recently, the term sniper was veiled in mystery, secrecy and misunderstanding. The current conflict has thrust snipers and sniping into the forefront of military terminology and the public lime light. What was once considered almost a dark art has now become more popular than the elite fighter pilot, and only seconded by special operations in notoriety. Unfortunately, past generations of these truly elite warriors have become almost lost in the discussions and stories coming from their brethren of today. The reality is that the modern sniper owes everything to those who went before him and did the same job with less training and lower quality equipment. Chuck Mawhinney is one such warrior. Chuck Mawhinney joined the USMC in Oct right out of high school. He attended Scout Sniper School at Camp Pendleton and graduated in April From there he received orders to Vietnam where upon arrival he was assigned as a rifleman to 1st Marine Division, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Battalion Lima Company. He remained in this unit for 3 months until he was re-assigned to 5th Marine Regiment HQ Scout Sniper Platoon. There he worked as a scout sniper for different companies with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions. He also worked with the South Koreans (Rock Marines), Force Recon, Army CAG Unit, but the majority of his time was with Delta Company. He served a 13 month tour with two back to back extensions. During this tour he is credited with 103 confirmed NVA-VC kills and 216 probables. Like many fellow service members, following his service in Vietnam, Chuck returned home (Oregon) to resume his life and he resides there today. During his service in Vietnam, Chuck used the tools that were provided to him in order to accomplish an extremely difficult job. Despite what Hollywood and various novelists have depicted, the job in Vietnam was a dirty and dangerous endeavor done with the most minimal of equipment. The stories of 1000 meter head shots and one shot one kill adventures make for good ticket/book sales, however the reality was much more mundane and much more terrifying than anyone could actually imagine unless they were there. Of particular note is the equipment these heroes actually used and made work in difficult circumstances. Chuck s primary weapon was the new for the Marine Corp M40 sniper rifle outfitted with a variable power 3-9x Redfield day scope. MCV Newsletter Page 6

7 By today s standards, this rifle was essentially a very accurate hunting rifle reconfigured and modified for combat duty. The rifle was based on a commercial Remington Model 700 fitted with a with a 1:12 RH twist and non-gloss black finish barrel placed into a walnut stock. Upon receipt, the USMC bedded the rifle and performed some modifications they felt were necessary in order to sustain combat operations. Chuck s record (as well as his fellow Scout Snipers) is proof positive that this rifle worked and worked well, so much so that it has gained almost legendary status. Despite returning to civilian life after his service in Vietnam, Chuck remained an avid shooter, hunter and instructor. It has been this continual contact with the shooting community that has kept Chuck coming back to the rifle that served him so well in the harshness of combat. His fond memories of this rifle and the stories that depicted his success with it captivated every professional shooter and hobbyist he came into contact with. One such person was Andrew Evans Hendrick, a trained sniper and accomplished shooter in his own right, who owns Riflecraft LTD in the UK. A company specializing in training professional shooters, sourcing relevant military equipment and modifying/manufacturing what operators need. For many years Vietnam era snipers like Chuck, as well as hobbyists and collectors have attempted to build and/or procure an M40 rifle so they could relive that time and revel in the weapon that served them so admirably. In 2004 the USMC Scout Sniper Association (SSA) approached Remington in the hopes that this rifle could be manufactured once again as a special commemorative product for this niche market. As a result of many individual s efforts, this rifle was released to the public via the SSA and approximately 1500 were sold. The one issue that plagued this initial effort was the lack of synchronicity between the various individuals and companies, thus when the rifle was released it was done so without a comparable optic and as such was an incomplete piece. In 2006 Chuck and Andrew joined forces to reinitiate this project with the concept that they would procure this base rifle and turn it into a historically accurate copy of what the Scout Snipers were issued in Vietnam. Subsequently they approached Michael Haugen who at the time was the Manager of Military Projects for Remington and explained their concept. Michael, who is himself a Special Forces sniper and sniper instructor, immediately recognized the historical importance of this project and agreed to promote it within the company. Changes within Remington and life s verities in general resulted in almost a two year delay; however in 2009 this program was approved and began to move forward. A key component to the manufacturing effort was the procurement of an appropriate optic and mounts to ensure that the finished product was a true representation of the actual M40 used by the USMC. To accomplish this Chuck and Andrew turned to Leupold who had purchased Redfield a number of years previously. Working with Kevin Trepa a former USMC officer and the current Vice President of Leopold s Military/Law Enforcement division they were able to arrive at a period correct Redfield marked optic. In addition to this, Marty Bordson owner of Badger Ordnance, sniper rifle collector and amateur sniper rifle historian, was contacted to manufacture a period correct mount for the optics. Marty was exceptionally helpful as he had in his possession an original USMC M40 mount and was subsequently able to meticulously reproduce the mount. As all of these pieces fell together so did the final concept of what these rifles would become and how they would be built. The rifle was produced by Remington as an exact replica of what was built originally with the addition of Chuck s initials CBM and the designation 8541 (the Marine Corps designation for the MOS for a Scout Sniper) on the receiver on the bolt side of the rifle. Once received the rifle was sent to G.A. Precision, located in Kansas City, MO, and owned and operated by George Gardner. There they pillar bedded with 7075 T-6 pillars and skimmed in Marine-Tex. MCV Newsletter Page 7

8 They also free floated the barrel and added the correct length TG screws and had the floor plates engraved. Each rifle has the floor plate engraved with a replica of Chuck s signature and a designation number depicting one of number of kills 001/103. There will only be 103 of these rifles authorized by Chuck. A record will be kept for authenticity purposes of those rifles authorized by Chuck. The butt plate is the original alloy plate as on that era of rifles and each rifle comes with a green web sling, similar to what was originally used. Chuck will personally fire each rifle putting the first rounds through the rifle to check for accuracy. Each rifle will have a personal log book filled out and signed by Chuck after firing the rifle. Break in ammunition will be Black Hills Ammunition 175 gr. Match ammo. Rifles will be shipped to their new owners in a black Plano case. Chuck s company will coordinate all sales to valid Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders. This rifle has been replicated as close as possible in this modern day. Some minor changes had to be made for safety and legal policies of Remington. Many people were necessary to make this project materialize into the most accurate rendition of the rifle possible. It has been a long time in coming, however now prospective buyers can own a functional piece of history. Chuck has always credited the high number of kills in Vietnam to the longevity of the time he was in country, a target rich environment, outstanding spotters he worked with and the dedicated Marines he served with. SEMPER FIDELIS God Speed John Glenn MCV Newsletter Page 8

9 Humor in Utilities MCV Newsletter Page 9

10 December Membership Meeting Attendance = 16 Sick Bay Remember our brother s in your thoughts and prayers. (Please let us know if you have any updates) * Erik Duchnowski has awaked from his coma. * Joe Clines is recuperating at home from severe medical problems. * Kevin Cleary is recuperating from knee surgery and is expected back shortly. * Tom Rathburn is recuperating at home. * Jim Thompson is recuperating at Stony Brook Veterans Home from a leg amputation. Happy Birthday Brother Dan Mele 1/9/1931 (86) Events Calendar Date Event Time Location 1/3/17 Membership Meeting 20:00hrs American Legion Post, Hallock Ave., Port Jefferson Station 1/11/17 NOA Service 09:45hrs Calverton Cemetery, meet behind the Administration Building. All members welcome. Firing Detail must be in uniform with white barracks cover. 1/31/17 Executive/Board Meeting 19:00hrs American Legion Post, Hallock Ave., Port Jefferson Station MCV Newsletter Page 10