BAH to increase for 2017

Good day folks! So this just in--->>> Basic Allowance Housing (BAH) rate will increase to an average of $41 per month January 1. The calculation used to determine it shrinks the amount of housing costs it is designed to cover.

BAH is re-calculated yearly using a snap-shot of housing cost in each region. For 2017, the rate is designed to cover 97 percent of troops' housing costs, which is a one percent drop from last year also the third step in a congressional plan to reduce rates by five percent over the next five years. The rate also no longer covers the cost of rental insurance.

The Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) rate for 2017 will remain un-changed from 2016 at $253.63 for officers and $368.29 for enlisted personnel. BAS is calculated based on the average price of food. BAH and BAS changes will be reflected in troops January 15th pay-check.

Troops in areas or pay-grades set to receive a BAH rate increase will receive the new, higher rate beginning in January. Those who live in an area with a rate reduction for 2017 will be grandfathered into the old, higher rate until they leave the area or change rank. If they are promoted and their new rank receives a lower rate, they will continue to receive their old, higher rate.

There are almost 2,000 troops stationed in Atlanta, Georgia, and they will see the largest increase in BAH for 2017 at 19 percent. An increase from $1,374 for an E-4 with dependents to $1,641.

Troops in Seattle will also see a major increase as well for their second year in a row. The average rate there will rise 13 percent for 2017. An increase from $2,073 for an E-4 with dependents to $2,373.

There are also areas facing larger rate drops for instance, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where the rate will decrease by nine percent. Going from $858 for an E-4 with dependents currently living there to $789 for those new to the region.

Minot, North Dakota, also will face a major drop this year, with a rate decrease of 11 percent. Which goes from $1,308 for an E-4 with dependents currently living there to $1,170 for new residents.

Minot was the recipient of a 41 percent BAH increase in 2012 when flooding combined with an oil boom causing a major housing shortage.

I urge you all to please keep up with current events, you very well could be affected by certain things happening around us.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

New Year, New Rules, PFT-CFT

Good day all, so the United States Marine Corps has updated the physical and combat fitness tests.

Beginning January 1, Marines will be able to take the Physical Fitness Test and Combat Fitness Test more than once to improve their scores, if not happy with previous scores. 

Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller is also allowing older Marines in their upper 40’s to row five kilometers on a rowing machine. Rather than running for the Physical Fitness Test.

The Marine Corps has made great effort to revamp both the PFT and CFT. Starting on Jan. 1, the tests will have updates and implementations. 

One of the biggest and most noticeable changes coming to the PFT in 2017 is the elimination of pull-ups. Male and female Marines as well as poolees and officer candidates can opt to do pushups rather than pull-ups.

Marines will now have to declare if they will do pushups or pull-ups before taking the test. They wont be allowed to switch from one exercise to the other while taking the test.

Here is the catch… Marines can only score a maximum score of 70 out of 100 possible points if they only do pushups for the upper-body portion of PFT. In order to score a full 100 points, Marines will have to do pull-ups.

The Corps is also re-hashing its weight charts for women in order to reflect that women put on muscle as they train. Female Marines will be allowed to be 5 to 7 pounds heavier, while women in other heights will be able to be 9 pounds heavier.

In 2017, Marines will need to get 235 points on both the PFT and CFT in order to get a first-class score on both tests. Prior to the changes the max score was varied by age.

  
Marines who score a 285 on both the PFT and CFT will be exempt from weight limits. If Marines score 250 points or higher on both tests, they will be afforded an additional 1 percent of body fat.

All Marines will have to increase the number crunches  in order to get a perfect score on

their PFT. Male Marines in the ages of 26 and 35 years old will have to do 115 crunches which is an increase of 15. Females Marines between the ages of 26 and 30 years will have to do 110 crunches, which is an increase of 10.

Men and women will also have to lift the 30-pound ammunition can more times as part of the CFT. Men 25 years old and younger will have to do 67 ammo-can lifts to pass and between 106 and 120 lifts for a max score, up from 45 times and 91 times.

Women who currently need to do at least 20 ammo-can lifts to pass will have to do at least 30 lifts next year. Getting a perfect score will require between 66 and 75 lifts depending on age.

Well cheers to revamping, lets see if those scores increase or not around the corps.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill 

New Firearms For MARSOC

Good day folks!! hope everyone is enjoying their Monday morning as we have one day before our Presidential Election. :)

So yeah, Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC) decided to scrap its custom .45 pistols and lend its elite fighters with the Glock 19.

MARSOC hasn't responded to questions from anyone as of yet pertaining to the switch of firearms. A source who shall remain anonymous said the command made the decision a few weeks ago.

The switch of firearms, was first reported by the Marine Corps in February of this year. Stating that MARSOC operators will carry Glock pistols, since many of the elite Raiders prefer the popular Glock 19 9mm handgun over the .45 pistols.

The 9mm pistol has a polymer frame as well as a 15 round magazine, and its very easy to maintain and reliable.

The Marine Corps recently completed an extensive search for a new MARSOC pistol in 2012. Colt Defense was awarded a contract $22.5 million in order to produce upwards of 10,000 Close Quarter Pistols.

The custom 1911 took the place of the fleet of worn out MARSOC M45 pistols. Which has a rail for mounting lights, as well as custom triggers, manual safety, and improved ergonomics. There is also the Tritium sights which glow in low-light conditions. The new .45s are extremely nice, however, many MARSOC operators prefer the Glock 19.

9mm ammunition and Glock parts are available in most parts of the world. A big reason for the decision to switch the usage of firearms.

Isaac J. Hall ii

#SemperKill

Gratitude From A Marine

So yeah I just wanted to say thank you...

Thank you for allowing me to travel the world, I had the pleasure of meeting incredible people from all over the globe.

You see prior to the marines I never flew a plane, I never even left my home state for that matter. I was also very under-developed as I had no confidence in myself, being very timid. I mean I played sports my whole life, yet I had never learned how to be a leader.

Once I entered this beloved fraternity I was forced to grow the fuck I up rather quickly. As you'll make decisions that could very well affect the lives of those around you.

I never imagined firing my rifle in combat, nor have I ever envisioned a brother of mine bleeding out profusely as he was hit by enemy fire.

I was pushed as far as my limits go, we're talking mental and physical here. I've cried in anger privately as fellow marines were harmed.

I've panicked internally with fear as enemy fire is unpredictable...

And yes, I've cheered with great joy as I witnessed Hell-Fire destroy enemy fighters.--> :)Poverty is also something I look at completely different now. As I seen children in fields with no shoes and ragged clothes. Families with no money or food to live all while being centuries behind America. There are areas with no electricity or running water for that matter.For a quick glance you make eye contact and instantaneously you see the looks of utter defeat and hopelessness.

I'm now more thankful to be an American, I/we could have been born anywhere on earth, however, we're here. I'm also extremely happy to have seen and experienced what I did.I can honestly and sincerely say this was one of the best decisions I've ever made.United States Marine Corps, I appreciate your patience, your tough love and most of all your commitment to be the very best.

 Semper

Isaac J. Hall II

Fire-Fight S.T.A. Platoon

After being in their positions for a few hours, one of the groups was compromised by a man wandering in the field. He then ran away after seeing two Marine snipers in the grass. Ironically a bit later he came upon a second team… this time, however, he fell to the ground clutching his chest in a fearful oh my God type of way. He then ran to tell others of what he had seen.

Being that the S.T.A (Surveillance Target Acquisition)-(Scout Snipers) marines were compromised they went to an abandoned compound. The purpose of the move was to wait till night fall in order to return safely, during the wait the Marines were engaged by a small team of insurgents.

There was a Marine watching the north wall and said there were two men running towards the wall with something in their hands. Those same men threw grenades, over the wall before the Marines could react.

One Marine was hit in the back with a grenade, but it didn’t go off … He picked it up immediately and threw it back, the grenade went off mid-air as he launched it back at enemy fighters. The other grenade luckily didn’t go off.

The S.T.A. Marines began to return fire immediately. Three Marines were injured as one was hit in the abdomen, another was hit with a fragmentation grenade; and then one was hit with a piece of shrapnel in the ankle, thus causing it to break.

The Marines called for support and then began to aid the wounded. All while returning fire with M-4 rifles, 203’s, and squad automatic weapons until insurgents began to egress.

The injured Marine that took shrapnel to the ankle, was full of adrenaline and able to assist his fellow injured Marines. He aided in helping to get out of the kill zone into a safer area and also carried one of the Marines to the helicopter that was evacuating the casualties.

The platoon commander proudly recounted the incident. “If Marines hadn’t applied their combat life saving skills, two of the three Marines wouldn’t have made it.”

The squad was compromised, however, they were able to repel an enemy attack and eliminate the immediate threat. All while being the smallest sniper platoon the commander has ever served with.

“We’ve performed six named operations,” said platoon commander. “Those missions have all gone successfully and made dramatic changes that a regular squad may even have trouble with. My Marines did it and did it well.”

The Marines in 2/8’s Sniper Platoon are now setting their sights on future missions. Training continues in order to remain ready and deadly. 

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

Conversing With A P.I.G.

Today we’ll be speaking with Nathaniel Hall. This gentleman was a part of Surveillance and Target Acquisition platoon.

**What made you want to make this move as you were already an Infantry Marine?

Honestly, I joined the Marines because I knew nothing about the military but always loved the Special Forces mentality and training.  After realizing I couldn’t lateral move out of my battalion, Scout Snipers was the next best move to make.  

**What was indoctrination like and how challenging was it for you both mentally and physically?

The indoc was extremely sleep deprived, mentally and physically draining.  We started off running a PFT which was a 3-mile timed run which had to be done under 19 minutes.  Then we ran 10+ miles after while conducting a gear inspection in between all of this.  Then we had to head out to the field where the rest of the training began.  We conducted a lot of land navigation, mission planning, classes, physical training and stalking movements.

** What are Marines like in S.T.A. Platoon??

For the most part they are A-Type personalities which to me is a combination of mentally and physically tough individuals, peak conditioning, motivated, leaders and team players.  

** Explain the difference between P.I.G.’s –&– H.O.G.’s

 P.I.G.S: Professionally Instructed Gunmen

 H.O.G.S: Hunter of Gunmen.

HOGS are school trained snipers where PIGS are taught by the HOGS throughout their time in the STA Platoon.

** In S.T.A. you work in smaller teams when patrolling, explain the rationale behind this?We work in smaller teams because we conduct most of our missions over night.  You need to be able to be agile and tactical which calls for smaller teams.

** Please tell us the story behind your Purple Heart…

Honestly, this link (2/8 Scout Snipers) does a better job explaining this than I can.  Due to a concussion and severe hearing loss led to the Purple Heart.

** Do you feel you’ve been taken care of as far as education and medical benefits since your EAS from Marines?

Education, VA and benefits has always been a hot topic.  One of the things I learned the quickest when I was getting out of the Marines was that no one is going to do their job so you need to get what is yours.  This simply means whatever you are entitled to then follow through with those claims.  I have pursued my bachelors thanks to my benefits and currently in school for my masters as well thanks to my benefits.

** What are your true thoughts on the services aimed to help veterans transition to civilian life??

There is still a lack for these services, however there are plenty of motivated individuals who have paved the way for other veterans.  It is up to the veteran to seek these services and do not stop until you get what is yours.

** 22 Veterans commit suicide per day. Hence the hashtag #22 what are your thoughts and how can we prevent more suicide attempts??

There are groups out there trying to fight this but this is a battle that is hard to fight due to mental illnesses.  However, as a band of brothers we can call each other monthly, text, email and facebook one another in order to maintain communication.  SITREPS are always essential to weekend libo, training operations and team unity.

** Advice to Marines who want to go S.T.A. platoon???

Be able to carry more than 70+ lbs, have a good PFT score, understand the fundamentals behind land navigation, be a team player, be proficient in field craft and marksmanship.  

** Last question, what was your PFT score and can you still put those same numbers up??

My PFT score was always around 290 but unfortunately I could never get that one-two last pull ups.  Beats me as I have always trained for the pull-ups and lifted weights as well.  

 I appreciate your time in this interview. As well as your sacrifice for this country, thank you.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

Hacker sentenced to 20 years...

Good day everyone, I sincerely hope you all are enjoying your day as we wrap up the week. So how bout we have ourselves a “computer hacker” who decided it was smart to help the Islamic State. The schmuck fuck provided over 1000 names of U.S. government and military workers as targets. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison… ;-)

Defense lawyers argued the fact that Ardit Ferizi, is just a kid and he met no harm whatsoever. They also stated he’s not a true supporter of the Islamic State.

Elizabeth Mullin, stated, "He was a nonsensical, misguided teenager who didn’t know what he was doing," “He’s never embraced ISIS ideology”

(Yeah, sure he didn’t Elizabeth…)

Let’s talk about this kid for a second here, first off he’s 20 years young. Also a native of Kosovo, and was arrested in Malaysia last year. He was also the first person to be convicted in the U.S. of both hacking and terrorism charges. The kid admitted to hacking the private company and from there pulling out names, emails, and phone numbers of over 1300 people.

Later the Islamic State published the names and revealed a threat attack…

Ferizi, had a bit of a hard time explaining himself as far as why he did what he did. He only replied by stating it happened very quickly and that he felt bad for scaring innocent people.

Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence of 25 years. 

Before Ferizi, turned over names to the "Islamic State Hacking Division", he operated a website which was devoted to propaganda of the Islamic State.

Ferizi, had conversations defending the Islamic State, when he decided to give the 1,300 identities to the Islamic State. He very well knew he was placing innocent people in the crosshairs of terrorist. Prosecutor Van Grack, continued to argue that the list was indeed a hit-list. The point was to find and strike the individuals.

Grack, quoted a letter from a victim who said she has an easily identifiable name and is now nervous when around Muslims. Something she also feels bad about... This is what really made the court room so quiet that you could hear the kid, sniffling as he was crying to himself.

Prosecutor Van Grack, read another letter and terror case in northern Virginia. Harris Qamar, staked out at two of the addresses of people on the list who lived near him in the town of Burke. With intentions to do bodily harm…

So far however, no-one on the list has been harmed, also most of the information Ferizi, helped disseminate was already publicly available. 

From here they wanted to evoke emotion by stating he had a difficult life raised as a muslim. As he was 4 years old when NATO, dropped airstrikes and forced Serbian forces to withdraw.

We’re also told by specific source who shall remain nameless that Ferizi, previously had issues from hacking into a Kosovar government database but he avoided jail time. He then went to Malaysia, in order to study cyber security, however, he continued with hacking activities.

Word is, he was trying to expose online pedophiles, when he met an Islamic State recruiter. Always remember there are repercussions for your actions when you decide to commit a crime but especially of this magnitude.

Have fun in prison kid, this is what happens when you fuck with Americans, Ohhhh and word of advice…

DON’T DROP THE SOAP!!

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

BattleSight Zero your rifles

Well good day everyone, today we’ll discuss how to battle-sight zero your M16 or M4 carbine rifles. In order for the rifleman to develop skills that enable them to become combat effective. It is essential for the shooter to know how to zero their service rifle. Zeroing is the adjusting of the elevation and windage on the service rifle to cause the shots to impact where the shooter aims.

Zeroing compensates for the effects of weather and other external influences upon where the bullet impacts.

Point of Aim Point of Impact

To accurately engage targets, the strike of the bullet must coincide with the aiming point (Point of aim/point of impact) on the target. This must be done while compensating for the effects of weather and the range to the target. This is accomplished by adjusting the sights on your rifle to achieve point of aim/point of impact.

This process is called zeroing and it is the basic and most critical element of accurate target engagement. Along with a solid understanding of marksmanship fundamentals. One can’t work with out the other to place a shot or shot group in the center of the target at any given distance.

Elements of Zeroing

In order for shooters to understand the zeroing process there are particular elements that must be accounted for.

Line of Sight: Line of sight is a straight-line beginning at the center of the eye. It passes through the center of the rear sight aperture. It continues across the tip of the front sight post to the exact point of aim on the target.

Aiming Point: The aiming point is the precise point where the tip of the front sight post is placed in relation to the target.

Centerline of the Bore: Centerline of the bore is an imaginary straight-line beginning at the chamber end of the barrel. It proceeds out of the muzzle and continues indefinitely.

Trajectory: A bullet does not follow a straight line to the target. Instead, a bullet travels in a curved path, or arc, which is called the bullet trajectory.

Earths Gravity: This trajectory occurs because of the earth’s gravity, which pulls the bullet down toward the ground as soon as the bullet leaves the rifle’s barrel. The rate of this curvature increases as the bullet’s speed decreases.

Compensating for Gravity: To compensate for this affect (so that the bullet will impact the target), the muzzle of the rifle must be elevated. This is accomplished by applying elevation to the rifle sights. The greater the distance to the target, the higher the bullet’s trajectory must be to impact with the target. Therefore, the greater the distance to the target, the greater the elevation that must be applied to the sights to engage the target from that distance.

Types of Zeroes:

Battlesight Zero (BZO): A BZO is the elevation and windage settings required to place a single shot, or the center of a shot group, in the center of a target at 300 yards under ideal weather conditions.

A BZO is the sight settings placed on your rifle for combat, in combat, your rifle’s BZO setting will enable engagement of point targets from 0 – 300 yards in no wind condition. 8/3 is the rear sight elevation setting for the M-16 BZO. 6/3 is the rear sight elevation knob setting for the M-16 & M-4 Carbine.

Zero: A zero is the elevation and windage settings required to place a single shot, or the center of a shot group, in center of the target at a specific range, from a specific firing position, under specific weather conditions.

True Zero: A true zero is the elevation and windage settings required to place a single shot, or the center of a shot group, in the center of a target at a specific range other than 300 yards. This is also from a specific firing position, under ideal weather conditions.

Sighting System:

The sighting system of the service carbine consists of a front sight post, a rear sight aperture with windage knob, and a rear sight elevation knob. Moving each of these sights one graduation or notch is referred to as moving one “click” on the sight system.

Front Sight: The front sight consists of a square, rotating sight post with a four-position, spring-loaded detent. The front sight post is moved up or down when zeroing the rifle for elevation. Depress the detent and rotate the post to adjust for elevation up or down.

Moving Front Sight Post: To raise the strike of the bullet, rotate the post clockwise (in the direction of the arrow marked UP) or to the right. When rotated clockwise, the front sight post moves down into the front sight housing. It causes the shooter to raise the weapon’s muzzle weapon to realign the tip of the front sight post in the center of the rear sight aperture. To lower the strike of the bullet, rotate the post counterclockwise or to the left. When rotated counterclockwise, the front sight post moves up and out of the front sight housing. It causes the shooter to lower the weapon’s muzzle to realign the front sight post tip in the rear sight aperture’s center.

Rear Sight: The rear sight consists of two sights. Rear sight elevation knob, and a rear sight windage knob.

Rear Sight Elevation: The rear sight elevation knob is used to move the strike of the round up or down, and to adjust for elevation or range to the target. The knob has an index on the left side which indicates the settings for a specific range to target. To adjust for elevation or range rotate the knob so the desired setting is aligned with the index on the left side of the receiver. Each number on the knob represents a distance from the target in 100 yard increments.

Rear Sight Windage: The rear sight windage knob is used to move the strike of the round left or right. To move the strike of the round right, rotate the knob clockwise (in the direction of the arrow). To move the strike of the round left, rotate the knob counterclockwise.

Rear Sight Aperture: The rear sight aperture consists of two separate sights. One aperture is for normal range and the other aperture is for short range limited visibility engagement.

The normal range aperture is unmarked and is used for zeroing and in most firing situations. The limited visibility aperture is the larger aperture. It may be used for engagement of targets closer than 200 yards, and target engagement during limited visibility, or when a greater field of view is desired.

Zeroing carbine rifle:

Zeroing at 300 yards: Zeroing is conducted at a range of 300 yards. The rifle’s sights must be adjusted so the bullet’s trajectory and line of sight intersect at a range of 300 yards. Zeroing at 300 yards accomplishes this.

Establishing Initial Sight Settings: To begin the zeroing process the rifle sights are placed on a known BZO previously established or on initial sight settings.

Front Sight Post: To set the front sight post to initial sight setting, depress the front sight detent and rotate the front sight post until the base of the front sight post is flush with the front sight housing.

Rear Sight Elevation Knob:

M-16: Rotate the rear sight elevation knob counterclockwise until the rear sight assembly is bottomed out. Rotate the rear sight elevation knob clockwise until the number 8/3 aligns with the index mark located on the left side of the upper receiver.

M-16 & M4 Carbine: Rotate the rear sight elevation knob counterclockwise until the rear sight assembly is bottomed out. Rotate the rear sight elevation knob clockwise until the number 6/3 aligns with the index mark located on the left side of the upper receiver.

Windage Knob: To set the windage knob to initial sight setting, rotate the windage knob until the index line located on the top of the large rear sight aperture aligns with the centerline on the windage index scale located on the moveable base of the rear sight assembly.

Proper steps to Zeroing Rifle:

Fire 3 Round Shot Group: When the target appears shooters will fire a well aimed 3 round shot group in a time limit of one minute.

Mark the Target: The target will be lowered to the pits and marked indicating shooters 3-shot group.

Plot the Group: When the target is raised from the pits, ensure shooters plot the 3-shot group.

Triangulate the Shot Group: Triangulate shooters shot group by drawing a line to form a triangle connecting all 3 shots. Locate the center of the triangle and make elevation and windage adjustment recommendations to shooters.

Fire 2nd 3 Shot Group: When the target appears shooters will fire a 3-shot group in a time limit of one minute.

Mark the Target: The target will be lowered to the pits and marked indicating shooters 3-shot group.

Plot the Group: When the target is raised from the pits, ensure shooters plot the 3-shot group.

Triangulate the Shot Group: Triangulate your shooters shot group by drawing a line to form a triangle connecting all 3 shots. Locate the center of the triangle and make elevation and windage adjustment recommendations to shooters.

Fire 4 Shot Group: When the target appears shooters will fire a well aimed 4-shot group in a time limit of one minute. This last group is to confirm the sight adjustments that were made.

Final Steps: Once shooters have confirmed their adjustments and have their sight settings, there needs to be an adjustment determined for wind (if present) and taken off the sight settings. This setting becomes the zero setting for the rifle, and must be recorded in your shooters data books.

These are the proper steps in order to BZO your rifle. Any questions please feel free to contact me.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill