Marine Corps

WASHINGTON - They returned home to a politically traumatized nation that treated them with indifference and scorn. Now, veterans' advocates fear the country will again miss an opportunity to recognize the toil and torment of the 3 million service members sent to fight the Vietnam War. The Pentagon's plans to celebrate the veterans - five years in the making - are sputtering. This Memorial Day is supposed to be the curtain-raiser for a series of gatherings to mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of US involvement in the decade-plus war and to honor those who served.

Juliette Kayyem's attempt at revisionist history falls short when describing the Marine Corps as "resistant to change" (" A revolution: women fight in the Marines ," Op-ed, April 30). During its 236-year history, the Corps has pioneered close air support, amphibious operations, vertical envelopment, maneuver warfare, and small wars tactics. Kayyem implies that the Marines stonewalled President Truman's 1948 military desegregation policy, but it's important to note that the other military services didn't fully integrate immediately either (the Army did so in mid-1951, the Air Force in...

The Marine Corps has dropped charges against a tank commander in the Afghanistan battlefield death of the son of the San Antonio Spurs' team physician. Camp Pendleton spokesman 1st Lt. Eric Flanagan said Tuesday that Maj. Gen. John Toolan decided to not send Sgt. Jason R. Byrd to court-martial after reviewing evidence in the October shooting death of Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt. The 24-year-old was the son of Dr. David Schmidt, who's a team physician with the Spurs. Toolan is the senior U.S. Marine commander in southwestern Afghanistan.

GROTON - The military has awarded its third-highest combat decoration to a Marine from Massachusetts who was killed after saving colleagues in battle in Afghanistan. Sergeant William Woitowicz of Groton was killed June 7 after opening fire on Taliban fighters to enable fellow Marines and Afghan commandos move to safety in a village controlled by insurgents. Nearly 100 relatives, friends, and Marines were at the National Museum of Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., to witness the Silver Star presentation to the Woitowicz family.

Courtesy photo Richard Urie (right) was presented with his dog tag that he lost during World War II 66 years ago by Boston-based Assistant US attorney Timothy E. Moran on Sunday at Urie's retirement community, Brooksby Village. By Justin A. Rice, Town Correspondent An 86-year-old Peabody resident and Marine Corps veteran had one of his military identification tags returned to him after it was lost about 66 years ago during World War II. Richard Urie was presented with the tag by Boston-based Assistant US attorney Timothy E. Moran on Sunday at Urie's retirement...

Juliette Kayyem's attempt at revisionist history falls short when describing the Marine Corps as "resistant to change" (" A revolution: women fight in the Marines ," Op-ed, April 30). During its 236-year history, the Corps has pioneered close air support, amphibious operations, vertical envelopment, maneuver warfare, and small wars tactics. Kayyem implies that the Marines stonewalled President Truman's 1948 military desegregation policy, but it's important to note that the other military services didn't fully integrate immediately either...

A sergeant will be discharged for criticizing President Barack Obama on Facebook in a case that called into question the Pentagon's policies about social media and its limits on the speech of active duty military personnel, the Marine Corps said Wednesday. Sgt. Gary Stein will get an other-than-honorable discharge and lose most of his benefits for violating the policies, the Corps said. The San Diego-area Marine who has served nine years in the Corps said he was disappointed by the decision.

GROTON — The small town of Groton is paying respects to a Marine killed in Afghanistan. A wake for Sergeant William Woitowicz is scheduled for today at St. Catherine’s Church in Westford. A funeral Mass is scheduled tomorrow morning at the same church. The Pentagon said Sergeant Woitowicz, 23, died last week after multiple traumatic injuries inflicted by small arms fire in Badghis Province. He joined the Marine Corps shortly after his 2007 graduation from Groton-Dunstable High School, where he played basketball.

WASHINGTON - An investigation into allegations that the Marine Corps delayed sending blast-resistant trucks to Iraq also will examine whether the Marines were negligent in delivering a laser to divert drivers and people from checkpoints and convoys, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press. Marines on the front lines sought the tool, known as a compact high-power laser dazzler, but stateside acquisition officials didn't deliver it, said a civilian Marine Corps official.

Shares of Aeroflex, parent of defense and communications component maker Aeroflex Inc., fell after the company cut its fiscal fourth-quarter revenue estimate. Aeroflex said it expects revenue of $198 million to $200 million, down from a previous guidance of up to $228 million. Aeroflex cited a delay from the Marine Corps in granting a final OK to ship an automatic test system for most of the shortfall.

A sergeant will be discharged for criticizing President Barack Obama on Facebook in a case that called into question the Pentagon's policies about social media and its limits on the speech of active duty military personnel, the Marine Corps said Wednesday. Sgt. Gary Stein will get an other-than-honorable discharge and lose most of his benefits for violating the policies, the Corps said. The San Diego-area Marine who has served nine years in the Corps said he was disappointed by the decision.

WASHINGTON - The Marine Corps is taking its first steps toward integrating women into war-fighting units, starting with its infantry officer school at Quantico, Va., and ground combat battalions that had once been closed to women. The moves, announced by General James F. Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, in a message to all Marines on Monday night, are intended largely to study how women perform in formerly male-only units and reflect new Pentagon rules released in February allowing women to serve closer to the front line.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A military board has recommended dismissal for a Marine sergeant who criticized President Obama on his Facebook page, including allegedly putting the president's face on a "Jackass" movie poster. The Marine Corps administrative board said late Thursday, after a daylong hearing at Camp Pendleton, that Sergeant Gary Stein had committed misconduct and should be dismissed. The board also recommended that Stein be given an other-than-honorable discharge, which would mean Stein would lose his benefits and not be allowed on any...

Last month, the Georgetown Police Department Honor Guard participated in a three-day training program in Washington, D.C., with the Marine Corps. Training consisted of drill and rifle maneuvers and color guard and funeral honors, followed by a tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Participants who volunteered their time included Officers Derek Jones, Tim McGuire, and Dean Julien, Detective James Rodden, and Master Patrol Officer Scott Hatch. - David Cogger

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two military helicopters collided over the California desert during nighttime training exercises, killing seven Marines in the latest of several similar accidents in the region. The service members with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing were based at Camp Pendleton north of San Diego, Lt. Maureen Dooley with Miramar Air Base in California said Thursday. The crash happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday and involved an AH-1W Cobra that carries two crew members and a UH-1 Huey utility helicopter carrying the other five.

The Marine Corps has dropped charges against a tank commander in the Afghanistan battlefield death of the son of the San Antonio Spurs' team physician. Camp Pendleton spokesman 1st Lt. Eric Flanagan said Tuesday that Maj. Gen. John Toolan decided to not send Sgt. Jason R. Byrd to court-martial after reviewing evidence in the October shooting death of Lance Cpl. Benjamin Schmidt. The 24-year-old was the son of Dr. David Schmidt, who's a team physician with the Spurs. Toolan is the senior U.S. Marine commander in southwestern Afghanistan.

Last month, the Georgetown Police Department Honor Guard participated in a three-day training program in Washington, D.C., with the Marine Corps. Training consisted of drill and rifle maneuvers and color guard and funeral honors, followed by a tour of Arlington National Cemetery. Participants who volunteered their time included Officers Derek Jones, Tim McGuire, and Dean Julien, Detective James Rodden, and Master Patrol Officer Scott Hatch. - David Cogger

Most families returned to a military housing complex outside a remote U.S. Marine training base in Northern California on Sunday, two days after a propane gas explosion that killed a Marine's wife and critically burned two other people. A total of 38 families were displaced from the military neighborhood in the Mono County town of Coleville that serves the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, where Marines train for mountain operations. Twenty families had returned by late Sunday, and 18 remained displaced, Marine Corps spokesman Capt.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children pleaded guilty yesterday to negligent dereliction of duty in a deal that will end the largest and longest-running criminal case against US troops to emerge from the Iraq War. Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 31, of Meriden, Conn., led the Marine squad in 2005 that killed 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha in a series of raids on homes after a roadside bomb exploded...