Wait, what? Jarhead 2? Yeah, that’s the exact same reaction I had when I saw this earlier today. Apparently some movie investor out there believed the “Jarhead” name still had some financial value associated with it, so now Jarhead 2 is coming (thankfully) straight to Blu-Ray & DVD on August 19th. You would think this is Gulf War, or at least Anthony Swofford related, but it’s not; Jarhead 2 actually takes place in Afghanistan, and to be completely honest the movie looks like a train wreck.
Funny Military Memes Part 1 of Probably Infinity
Memes are one of the biggest reasons I love the Internet; they’re just my type of humor, and the possibilities are endless. Since our Kim Jong Un meme collections have basically gone viral, we figured we’d continue with some other high quality meme collections to keep this party going: today’s batch – the military! While this is coming from a Marine, please note that I’ve got all branches included – I won’t discriminate, so spare me the nice emails and comments. Hit the link below for SQ’s funny military memes part 1 of … well, let’s just say infinity – there are about a million more that I found on the Interweb, so as your favorite platoon sergeant used to say, standby to standby. Continue reading “Funny Military Memes Part 1 of Probably Infinity”
Afghan Moto Video: Huge JDAM Obliterates Taliban Position
Although JDAM officially stands for joint direct attack munition, in the Marine Corps and Army it means something much simple to those of us who are on the ground: a ginormous morale boost. Or as one excellent YouTube user so eloquently put it: “2,000 lbs of DEMOCRACY.” I promised SQ Nation more airstrike videos just a few days ago, and I am a man of my word. Airstrikes don’t get much bigger than this, ladies and gents. More after the jump!
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Helmand Combat Video: Marines Clear Taliban Compound with ANA
Now this Helmand combat video is a must-see! As you likely have already read in my previous Marine Corps-tagged posts and videos here at SQ, I’m a former Marine who deployed to Afghanistan – or more specifically Helmand Province – as an embedded advisor with the Afghan National Army, or “ANA”. These videos really bring me back to 2010/2011 when I was there – not for the combat, as I didn’t see much outside of a few IEDs and small-arms fire, but for the Helmand landscape and watching the ANA operate. You have to understand that they are not Marines, or in all honesty anything remotely close to what most Americans would consider professional soldiers; they are the pride of Afghanistan, and I will tell you that these guys can flat out fight. Sure they have their shortcomings, but fighting – at least the unit that I worked with – is not one of them. That being said, the 1:07 minute mark in this video made me just about choke on my coffee from laughter – more details after the jump!
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Helmet Cam Combat Video: Taliban Ambush Recon Marines
Did you see the Taliban in this pretty intense helmet cam combat video? No? Yeah, that’s how they prefer to operate – I would wager the Recon Marines that were ambushed as they crossed that danger area didn’t see them either. Whether it’s by firing through murder holes in the iron-strength mud walls, or initiating an ambush just at the right time when the sun is setting behind them (you know, so when you turn towards the ambush it’s nothing but blinding sun and 7.62 coming at you), that’s their gameplan: quick ambush, move and attempt a quick flank/envelop, and then get the hell out of Dodge as soon as American air power gets on station. Don’t miss the video – as always more after the jump!
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Marines End Combat Operations in Sangin: A Reflection
When I got out of the Marine Corps in early 2012, only to transition from the beaches of Hawaii to the black ice covered roads of Chicago-land, I hopped on the local Metra train to take me downtown. While I have a ton of friends downtown that I wanted to meet up with, it was a Monday morning, and I had to catch another train – this time Amtrak – to make the trek down to St. Louis to pick up my Jeep which had finally arrived from Oahu. Six hours later – and only for a whopping $12 fare – I woke up in St. Louis, and hailed the first cab I could find. The cab driver was a little more talkative than usual, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out I was in the military – while he did guess correctly that I was a Marine, he failed the civilian test when he asked, “we still have troops in Afghanistan?” While I sadly have encountered a few other people that have uttered that same phrase over the last two and a half years, I have been pleasantly surprised as to how many civilians actually are familiar with Sangin. You see, today marked a pretty historic day: earlier this morning the Marine Corps Times reported that the last Marines had finally departed one of the most dangerous places in all of Afghanistan – Sangin District.
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Royal Tongan Marines Afghanistan War Dance Video
One of the neatest things about joining the military is that you have a tremendous amount of opportunities to work, train and fight alongside dozens of foreign militaries. While I touched on this topic in my recent Black Sea Rotational Force Moto Video post a few days ago, my time spent in Afghanistan working as an embedded infantry advisor in the heart of Helmand Province is something that I will never forget. Sure it was ridiculously frustrating, but it was an incredible experience, and one that has really shaped who I am today. The video above comes from the Royal Tongan Marines, who just wrapped up Operation Herrick in Afghanistan, as they have been providing security in the at Camp Bastion (huge British base) since November 2010 (which just happens to be when I started my deployment there). Pretty cool video – more info on the Tongan Marines below!
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Maxim: “Camp Dwyer One of Five Most Dangerous Places in Afghanistan” /Facepalm
Camp Dwyer? Camp DWYER? If you just channeled your inner-Jim Mora (of epic Indianapolis Colts coaching press conference meltdown Hall of Fame – see SQ’s front page content slider for the awesome screenshot) as you read Maxim Magazine’s recent (?, there’s no date) military article “The Five Most Dangerous Places in Afghanistan“, then you’re not alone. Did author Jaeson Parsons actually do any research for this article – like proper journalism calls for – or did he just assume that no one would care? It’s readily apparent that he’s never been to the country he wrote about, but good grief, Camp Dwyer? Hit the link below for even more absurdity.
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Moto USMC Video: 3/8 in Summer Shield 2014
With the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom) behind us, and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) all but over as we approach the 2014 deadline, Marines today will get more opportunities to do some really cool deployments, whether it’s more MEU’s or more chances to jump on deployments to Australia or what you’ll see in the video above – the Black Sea Rotational Force which features infantry battalions from 8th Marine Regiment. While I never got to do a MEU out of 3d Marine Regiment, I did get a chance to deploy to Afghanistan during the surge, but seriously considered sticking around to be a part of the Corps’ first rotational deployment to Australia. Heading the other direction to the Black Sea to work and train with the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian militaries would also have been cool, and with the Ukraine/Russia conflict getting hotter by the day, the training relevance there is growing exponentially. Whether you’re an active duty Marine, a part-timer, a former Marine like myself, or just a civilian who likes to watch things blow up, this video will surely get you motivated. Enjoy the video of 3/8 kicking ass in Eastern Europe, and as always hit the link below for more!
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Marine Corps vs US Army PT Video
As a former Marine, yes, I am certainly biased, but I have nothing but pure respect for all of our services – we all play different roles, and we all get our jobs done. That being said, it’s always fun to poke fun – outside of our business and military analysis posts here at SQ, this is pretty much an entertainment/parody site – at the military in general, because competition just makes us all better. The Army has always had a competition with the Marine Corps, with both sides saying their PT is harder, and/or their respective boot camps are harder. I am just going to go out on my biased limb and say it really isn’t a contest – Marines are required to do dead hang pull ups, while soldiers in the Army are just graded on push ups. But still, when it comes to unit PT, the choice of work out is honestly up to the unit commander, and in the video above, I think the answer about which PT session is tougher is pretty clear. More after the video!
PFC Merica: You Know His Drill Instructors Loved Him
Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to formally introduce to you a young United States Marine, PFC Merica. No, that is not a spelling error or typo; PFC Merica, as in ‘Merica, or America. How awesome is that last name? While I was in the Marine Corps from 2008-2012 I came across many a stellar last name when it came to the Marine Corps’ ranking system: LCpl Boot (seriously), Capt Commander (not joking), and many, many more. Obviously the best route for PFC Merica to go would be the MECEP (Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program) route to become an officer, because how could you honestly pass up being called Captain Merica for 4-8 years? Granted those would be big shoes to fill, but I can tell by this guy’s smile that he’s got in him; at the very least I hope he becomes the SgtMaj of the Marine Corps, because SgtMaj Merica sounds equally awesome as well. Full photo and more after the jump!
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Marine on a Cross in Washington DC (Get Back)
The knife hands nearly came out at my laptop screen – okay, that was a joke, but seriously what in the world is this guy doing? If you can’t tell from the disturbing picture above (all three photos below after the link), we have what appears to be a Marine/former Marine that has apparently hung himself (not around his neck – he’s just fine) by his dress blues in the heart of Washington D.C. in some form of religious and/or other protest. What you do not see in these head-shaking images is every 1stSgt and SgtMaj in the world – in or out of CONUS – bursting at least three or veins as they try not to kill the first person that walks into their field of vision; heck, how can any Marine – former or active – not feel a little irked by these pictures? I know I am, but I’ll hold the rest of my thoughts for after the jump.
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