Times changing for the US Marines

Our church is located within half an hour of one of the largest Marine bases in the world, so naturally, we try to stay informed of what's going on in the military world. What affects them affects us, and likewise, our church needs to know how to minister to the many demands facing families in our US Marines.

Here are twelve areas the Marines anticipate change in the new year:

1. A new commandant
2. Pay and bonuses
3. New combat swim qualifications
4. New training for PFT, CFT
5. Expanded safety push
6. Unit training plans
7. New personal gear
8. Vehicle upgrades
9. Aviation upgrades
10. The Japan-Guam shift
11. Don't ask don't tell
12. Marines in pop culture
    

You can read the whole article here.

A positive report from Afghanistan

Here's a refreshing article from one of our Navy Physicians that shows how average people in Afghanistan are being helped by the presence of American troops. The mainstream media really needs to pick up some of these positive reports and give a more balanced perspective on this war.

Yesterday was an altogether wholesome and satisfying day. It always feels good to give or provide services to those with so little. At the end of a day it is a very good feeling when I can say that Afghanistan is better off because of what we did today...

...With the help of the prison mentor staff, we started immunizing the women incarcerated there. After a short orientation time of observation and teaching, our Afghan medic friend gave immunizations with us.We also immunized their children, since they stay with the mother during her time in prison. Based on previous experiences we decided this was the best population to start with so that they did not get "forgotten".

The women were all pleasant and for the most part very cooperative. Their area was new and clean, although it did lack heat. The children were cute and captivating. Thankfully I remembered to bring some Shiryni (sweets or candy) to give them for after they braved their vaccines. We left the medic enough supplies of all types to immunize the rest of the population and staff. I think this was a good call, since rather than doing the whole thing ourselves, we taught, coached and provided the means for the staff to complete the task themselves.

HT: OPFOR

Care packages for soldiers

Freedom comes at a price, and we need to remind our service members often how thankful we are for the job they're doing.

One small way to honor them is by sending a care package. And with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, there's no better time to share a little taste of home and let them know how much they're loved.

Maybe you'd like to send a care package, but aren't sure what to send. One Marine's View shares a list of items that will most benefit our troops on the ground.

These are a few items that will give us the biggest bang for the buck vs. sending this and that. I can tell you from receiving all kinds of things, it's better you know WHAT we really need instead of sending things that may seem good to have vs. need to have.

See the whole list here.

Photo credit: DVIDSHUB

Scenes from Afghanistan

I found this photo journal of the war in Afghanistan very interesting. Our troops and allies are facing some unique challenges there. Michael Yon seems to be doing a good job of reporting on a war the mainstream media has largely ignored.

Here's an excerpt:

RPGs are small, cheap and can defeat most vehicles other than our most heavily armored. In the race between armor and bomb, the bomb eventually always wins. This has been true for centuries and shows no signs of changing. In the Sangin area, we are better on foot wearing only body armor. British citizens today are concerned about the same things that Americans were concerned about during the early phases of the Iraq war: armor. Fact is, we can drive down these roads in the best tanks in the world, and be blown upside-down on and set ablaze. The enemy is increasingly good at blowing vehicles into ditches or rivers to drown the occupants. They did this to the Soviets, too. In many places, such as Sangin, the roads can be a death sentence no matter what you drive, and the enemy can seed IEDs far faster than we can clear the routes.

Dear Lord, let justice prevail and may our soldiers come home safely.