Globe 21, 2013

Page 1

WWW.CAMPLEJEUNEGLOBE.COM

VOLUME 75, EDITION 12

The

GL BE SERVING CAMP LEJEUNE AND SURROUNDING AREAS SINCE 1944

Live-fire exercise

Marines pa participate a in top gun competition | 4A

before disbandment | 3A THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2013

WWW.LEJEUNE.MARINES.MIL

Tuition Assistance halted by sequestration LANCE CPL. JOSHUA W. GRANT Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Due to budget cuts, Tuition Assistance for Marines and the Marine Corps Community Services education assistance is on hold

until funding is available. Tuition Assistance provides a maximum of $4,500 per fiscal year, tuition assistance has helped thousands of Marines to further their education. The hold on tuition assistance applies for future enrollment in college

courses. All service members currently enrolled in a course will continue to receive tuition assistance until the course ends. In fiscal year, 2013 the Marine Corps’ budget was cut by $1.4 billion and tuition assistance felt the impact.

More than 29,000 Marines enrolled in tuition assistance in 2012 and 271 earned a degree, certificate or licensure. To date in 2013, 14,280 Marines have enrolled in tuition assistance. With tuition assistance put on hold, Marines can

still pursue a higher education with many options. Education centers aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River offer many possibilities for Marines. “The centers have counselors to help Marines un-

derstand all the possibilities at their disposal,” said Gery Boucher, personal and professional development program, education assistance branch manager, MCCS. “We offer workshops to prepare and assist SEE TUITION 7A

Marines take aim

Rifle, pistol competition breeds excellence CPL. CHARLIE CLARK Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Photo by CPL. Charlie Clark

1st Lt. Joesph P. Strumolo, a competitor with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, looks through his scope at targets during the Intramural Rifle and Pistol Competition at Stone Bay’s rifle and pistol ranges aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune March 13.

It rained like the end of the world. The wind blew from every direction. It was cold. Despite the clime, 150 Marines took aim during the Intramural Rifle and Pistol Competition at Stone Bay’s rifle and pistol ranges aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune March 11 through 14. Weapons Training Battalion hosted Marines from 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment; 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion; 2nd Assault Amphibious Battalion; 2nd Radio Battalion; 2nd Tank Battalion and Combat Logistics Regiment 25 during the competition. Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Gorry, Marine Corps Installations-East Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune commanding general, presented the competition’s individual and team winners with awards during a ceremony at the Stone Bay Gym March 15. The intramural competition was only an appetizer for the Eastern Division Pistol and Rifle Championships, which started March 18, and the Marine Corps Pistol and Rifle Championships, scheduled to begin March 25. The competitions are designed to enhance the combat marksmanship proficiency of the Marines stationed around the Camp Lejeune area, build camaraderie and allow the Marines to see which unit is the best of the best. “The Marines really pushed

Avenger weapons training at Onslow Beach

each other out on the ranges,” said 1st Lt. Jared N. Hendee, Stone Bay alpha rifle range officer in charge. “It was great to see the different units compete, especially since they endured some tough weather while firing.” The competition not only pushed the Marines who competed, but allowed those same Marines to take their knowledge of improved marksmanship skills back to their commands to pass on to their fellow Marines. “It’s a great experience to compete,” said Hendee. “This adds a competitive edge to what Marines annually do to keep up their shooting skills. Now, they aren’t just trying to get a better rifle or pistol score, they’re trying to be the best of the most elite riflemen in the world.” The Marines fired from the 200-yard line, 300-yard line and 500-yard line. Each distance had a slow and fast firing rate for the different shooting rounds. “It was a tough week, but it brought my Marines and I together as a tight knit family,” Capt. Lawrence Greene, the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines adjutant who was the 200-yard rapid fire and overall individual rifle winner. “The other Marines who competed were serious about competing and that pushed me to do my best.” The Marines used M16 and M4 rifles for the rifle ranges and the M9 pistol for the small arms range. Personal equipment could be used providing competition officials approved it.

News Briefs

South Carolina National Guard soldiers prepare for upcoming deployment CPL. AUSTIN LONG 2nd Marine Division

Soldiers with the South Carolina National Guard trained at Onslow Beach for their annual two-week training. The annual training had an added motive. In the upcoming months the 2nd Battalion, 263rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment will be deployed to Washington, D.C., in support of North American Aerospace Defense Command. Similar to other mobile armored units the crews must qualify on a series of tables that score each crew’s ability to effectively and accurately engage targets 1/5th the scale of an aircraft with the Avengers. An Avenger is a Humvee with mounted stinger missile system on the back along with an M3P, .50 caliber machine gun. “The crews go through ten tables of fire,” said Sgt. 1st Class Davin Powell, a master gunner. “To

St. Paddy’s Day Engineer Challenge 1B

Photo by Cpl. Austin Long

A stinger missile is fired from the Avenger weapon system at an aerial target of the coast on Onslow Beach March 15. start the crews usually engage ground targets with the M3P, but since we trained on the beach, we engaged aerial targets with the M3P and then transitioned to using stinger missiles to engage aerial targets.” Coming to Camp Lejeune the command focused

on gaining more realistic training by offering a range with more area to fire, maneuver and set up like the battalion would for a deployment. “At our previous training site, we’ve had smaller zones to fire in,” said Powell. “At Camp Lejeune, we’ve been able

to tactically and realistically stage our crews and operating centers. Also the fields of fire have opened up. So for us that means the drones can fly more realistically and our Avenger crews are able to practice identifying, tracking, and firing on targets that

have more options for maneuverability.” Crews were able to notice high percentages of accuracy once all firing was done for the training. Contractors hired by the Army to fly the drones as targets for the battalion SEE BEACH 7A

Teens take over MOUT Town 1C


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Globe 21, 2013 by Military News - Issuu