Cpl. Michael Ouellette

Good day everyone, so today we here at USMC Infantry Brothers are very happy to honor one of our Marine Corps brothers whom is also a BAMF.(Bad Ass MotherFucker)

 

On March 22, 2009, Cpl. Ouellette was leading his squad on a combat patrol in the Helmand province.  Which is now referred to as Zad district, when an improvised explosive device detonated under his left foot. The blast dismembered the corporal’s left leg and his upper right thigh and groin were bombarded with shrapnel.

 

Cpl. Micahel Ouellette

 

Immediately corpsman Matthew Nolan, came to aid as much as he could as there was massive blood loss. Even with the situation taking place Ouellette was still in charge and able to dictate. Ordering his element to defend as enemy fighters were engaging.

 

There is word that Ouellette was instructing the radio operator of his element what to call in for helos as well mortars. He wanted to be sure his element was ok as the now acting team leader would have to step up since Ouellette was now severely injured.

 

Ouellette was able to guide his radio operator's communication when helicopters arrived to suppress the enemy. Lastly the squad leader would not be evacuated until all his Marines were able to move out of the area.

 

(Nauzad, once the Helmand Province now the --->> Zad District)

 

The corporal of Marines later passed on from wounds sustained. However, corpsman Nolan said he was breathing and conscious during the evacuation. The last thing he heard Ouellette say was: "I'm proud of my Marines." 

 

A new headquarters building at the Marine Corps' Advanced Infantry Training Battalion will honor a fallen noncommissioned officer who earned the Navy Cross during the battle that took his life.

Marine officials will dedicate a new facility named for  Cpl. Michael Ouellette at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, on Wednesday.(tomorrow)

 

The infantry squad leader was posthumously awarded the service's second-highest valor award for actions during a 2009 deployment to Afghanistan with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines.

 

The man was injured and still able to sum up enough strength in order to maneuver his element. He was able to remain poise in a very stressful situation, as well as being able to give commands in order to call for fire.

The family of Corporal Ouellette, we here at USMC Infantry Brothers want to say we're proud to be associated with such persons. The precious act of bravery and the ability to think and react quickly saved multiple lives March 22, 2009.

Thank you for your service Cpl. Ouellette your name shall live on forever...

 

God-Speed

 

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

 

Veteran lies equates to $750,000

Prosecutors are saying a former soldier lied about injuries during deployments which resulted in a purple heart and cheated the federal government out of more than $750,000, he was originally charged in 2014.

Prosecutors are wanting a five-year prison term. Stating that Darryl Wright falsified statements from other soldiers to obtain awards. This included a combat action ribbon, purple heart from there used other benefits which includes over $40,000 in student debt which was forgiven due to disabilities.

There were applications where Wright claimed to be so disabled that he could only focus on anything for more than 10 seconds. In actuality he was a basketball coach, and had a full time federal job in Seattle Washington.

U.S. attorneys David Reese, stated that Darryl Wright created an empire based on a myth system he built. There was also argument that he obstructed justice by accusing a co-worker of violating his privacy rights. There was a discovery that he fabricated order in order to get paid for a week of skipped work.

Cristina Jackson, is responsible for uncovering the truth in this mater. She actually had to hire an employment lawyer to fight off the discipline. 

Wright pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud early this year. Wright’s attorney, filed his sentencing recommendation under seal, stating it contained sensitive personal information. There are other defensive filings which suggest that Wright continues to suffer PTSD from his deployment.

Attorney said he is seeking a sentence of one year for Wright, and also that Wright was entitled to most of the benefits he received.

Veterans Affairs Department has rescinded its earlier determination that Wright should receive benefits for PTSD.

In 2010, Wright successfully applied for a Purple Heart. In his paperwork, he claimed he was involved in a rocket attack and was violently thrown and knocked unconscious from the percussion of the rockets’ impact.

Wright claimed social security disability benefits. Claiming he was bedridden, the V.A. then paid his sister to be his live in caregiver, however after a thorough investigation no such services were performed. 

By May 2013, the siblings were bringing in benefits upwards of $10,000 per month. The crazy thing here is even Wright’s mother was in on the fraud. She submitted paperwork as a nurse without disclosing her relationship Wright.

Prosecutors stated that Darryl Wright sullied the reputations of people, institutions, and agencies. Worst of all, he hurt the heroes who fully deserve recognition, respect, and honor.

A mental health expert hired by the defense had suggested that Wright suffers from a condition in which he concocts his own reality and believes it is acceptable to lie or falsify documents to match that reality. Also Wrights purple heart has not been rescinded as of yet.

Isaac J. Hall II

Semper Kill

Veterans v. Civilians

I'm sure if you're a civilian,  or a Vet, you've heard Veterans say something like "I can't stand civilians."  

In this post I am going to go through this "Vets vs Civilians" idea and why it exists.  When I was still Active Duty in the Marine Corps I never paid much attention to civilians. I simply didn't have the time. I was always around my Marine brothers, training or drinking in the barracks.

When I visited home I saw my closest friends and family in what little time I was able to spend with them.  Now that I've been out for over a year I can say without a doubt that I completely get it.  And I'll get into it here. But first I'll hit you with an anecdote...

Some time ago not long after I got out I was having lunch with some friends and watching a football game. We were drinking beers and eating bar food having a GREAT time. Somewhere in this time conversations turn to work related topics. And after some bitching from a friend about how much he works I proceeded to tell him how big of a baby he was, though I probably used much harsher words.  

He turned to me, dead serious, and told me "Well you don't know what it is like to work 12 hours a day!"  "Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHAT!?" I thought to myself. "Is this Mother F*cker serious?!" I mean I was HEATED.  Of course I know what it's like to work 12 hours a day.

In Afghanistan I was doing two patrols a day plus standing a 6 hour post. We all were. Many times I was up well over 24 hours being a part of QRF (Quick Reaction Force) or being woke by loud thuds and my cot shaking violently because we were being mortared.

Dave arriving back from a mounted patrol 2011

Now hopefully this will set the tone for the rest of the writing. You see, in the military from day one you are told that you don't rate anything and you are told exactly what lane you belong in. If you so much as slip outside your lane you get put in check very quickly.

So when Veterans are in Wally World or some store and other patrons or even the store associates are just down right rude, this can very easily piss you off.  Especially if there are kids running around like little terrors screaming and whatever else.  

Most civilians would say "But Dave that is so silly, how can you even get mad over that?" Well let me tell you. Even after you get out you have this mentality of "OK, this is my place in life. This is my lane, I'm doing my thing trying to live my life." But we can't do this. Why? Because f-ing civilians don't know what their lane is. Literally.

You can drive down i-95 on your way to school, trying to get an education as a 31 one year old. What happens? You excessively get cut off, people don't pay attention, they rear end someone and now it takes you an hour to get to school on what should've been a 20 minute ride all because someone had to text or couldn't wake up 20 minutes earlier to do their damn makeup.

Most Veterans will tell you they don't give a shit what you want to do with your life. It's just when your ignorance or idiocy starts creeping into my lane that I get pissed off. Everyone thinks they're more important than the person next to them and will step all over them if they can to get what they want instead of just STAYING IN THEIR LANE and waiting their turn.

That's all most of us really want; Civilians to have basic manners.  Be cognizant of others around you.  To students who have classes with Veterans: Please do not EVER try and act like you know more than they do about the military and what takes place, especially when it comes to infantry and people actually doing the fighting.

This has happened to me several times in a few Pol-Sci classes I  have taken and I do not hesitate to put you back in your lane on this issue.

I am much older now than I was when I sat in that bar with my friends watching football and something has dawned on me.  As much as civilians tend to piss me off on a regular basis, I went and fought so that they had the right to bitch about working 12 hour days.

I went and fought so that they had the freedom to drive down the highway. I fought for their freedom to be a huge douche-bag, if that's what they choose to be. I just ask for one thing, stop and look around once in a while and realize that you're not as important as you think you are.

You aren't owed anything.  You certainly weren't owed the blood shed by countless Americans that went, willingly, to fight for your right to be a self-righteous ass. I'm not asking you to buy Veterans drinks at the bar or even tell them thank you. Just appreciate what they've sacrificed for YOU and every other American.- DJ

#SemperKill

Is Force Recon a part of SOCOM???

Good day everyone, got a very interesting question today. The very question was are Force Recon Marines, a part of SOCOM??? and the answer is ————————>>>> NO they’re not.

Force Recon should not be confused with Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC).

    

MARSOC is Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM’s) newest unit. (2007) Force Recon is considered a “Special Operations Capable” unit, however, they belong exclusively to the Marine Corps.

One would have to understand how things worked prior to 2007. I’ll explain…

(Of course there will be naysayers here) The Marine Corps is considered the US’ “elite” force. Therefore the Marine Corps is a quick reaction force and are experts at conducting amphibious operations.

Quick example —>> In WWII, the Marine Corps was deployed to the Pacific and began the “island hopping campaign” this was however years before the U.S. Army was able to land forces in North Africa and Normandy.

With the growth of the Special Operations community in the 1970s and 1980s, the Marine Corps resisted in creating its own Special Operations unit.

SOCOM was inaugurated in 1987, the Marines chose not to include their own Force Recon. The reason for this was simple, every Marine is special and elite, therefore we refused to label Marines as being more special and elite than the others.

Force Recon was created in the 1950s. Its mission, then and now, was to go deep behind enemy lines in order to gather reconnaissance of the enemy.

They are similar to Navy SEALs being that they are heavily trained in airborne and combat diving techniques. This allows them to bypass traditional land defense systems.

The water, and swimming, is a heavy component of being in Force Recon. The difference between them is that the SEALs’ purpose is to kill enemy forces, while Force Recon’s main purpose is to gather intelligence.

Force Recon’s mission is considered a success if no shots are fired. Marines in Force Recon are absolutely trained in direct action missions, and are capable of performing in combat situations, but that is not their primary role.

Now we’re going to jump to the events after the 9/11 attack.

The United States sent its most elite operatives (SOCOM) into Afghanistan way before it sent in conventional forces. This is the role that Marines have historically been employed in.

However, since the Marine Corps declined to have any units in SOCOM, no Marines are sent to Afghanistan during the opening stages of the war. The top brass of the Marine Corps had to suffer the embarrassment of being the only branch of the military with no troops in Afghanistan immediately post-9/11.

Due to these events the Marines, working closely with then Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, reversed course and created MARSOC to be the Marine Corps’ unit in SOCOM.

This was started in 2007, Its current role is a lot like the Army’s Special Forces (Green Berets), working closely with foreign militaries to help in training.

Since the Marine Corps has historically had a heavy presence in Southeast Asia, MARSOC has been working closely with military forces in the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Indonesia to train their military forces.

Force Recon does not belong to SOCOM, but it is still providing commanders with a valuable resource as “special operations capable” forces.

They get the same training and equipment as SOCOM forces, but they are fully under the control of the Marine Corps. MARSOC is under the control of SOCOM, and thus Marine officers do not have final say in how they are deployed or used.
I hope this answered your question. Shout out to all the SOCOM operators out there.

Isaac Hall

Semper Kill