Special needs baseball gives kids, adults chance to shine Page 1B
THE
Community commemorates 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Northside High School Page 1D
Base receives USMC Warrior Preservation Award Page 1C
GLOBE Serving Camp Lejeune and surrounding areas since 1944
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 20 2011
WWW.CAMPLEJEUNEGLOBE.COM
VOLUME 73 EDITION 37
Photo by Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright
James Sutton and Jesse Hensley sing “God Bless America” during the Patriot Day 2011 ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Beam at Lejeune Memorial Gardens, Sunday. The ceremony marked the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks carried out by members of the Islamic militant group al-Qaeda.
CPL. JONATHAN G. WRIGHT
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
S
ome of us were already serving our country in the armed forces, stationed aboard various installations around the world. Some others were already of age to join the military, but chose instead to venture out and explore other career opportunities. Another portion of us were still in our teenage years, worrying only about school and ourselves. Yet something happened which shook the very foundations of this country, affecting everyone, regardless of occupation and age, in a way that would stay with us for a lifetime. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, four commercial airliners, American Airlines Flights 11 and 77 and United Airlines Flights 175 and 93, were en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles. At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower in New York, with Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower 17 minutes later. At 9:37 a.m., Flight 77 struck the western side of the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., and three minutes after 10:00 a.m., Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pa., falling short of its Washington, D.C. target after passengers fought to regain control of the plane. These terrorist attacks against the United States were committed by the Islamist militant group alQaeda, heralding in a new, dark era of American history and the longest war this country has seen to date. Ten years later, the vivid memo-
ries and images of that infamous day have not tarnished in the minds of Americans. For the greater Onslow County area, civilians and military members from the surrounding Marine Corps installations came together on this decade anniversary to solemnly remember that day in 2001 at the Lejeune Memorial Gardens for Patriot Day 2011, observing the anniversary at the 9/11 Memorial. “It changed America very significantly and the brutality of the attack gravely jolted the people’s view of the world,” said Col. Daniel J. Lecce, commanding officer of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. “Much like the attack on Pearl Harbor, it also bolstered the sense of patriotism and the need to act, but greater due to the fact they were civilian targets.” Much akin to the response of the civilian and military personnel following the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Naval Base Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, the influx of civilians joining the armed forces to take part in the fight was mirrored in the months following the attack in 2001. For many, the choice to enlist or re-enlist was an easy one to make, and for those not yet of age, their hearts were set on the future. “I was five years old when it happened,” said Bradlee Corey, a military dependent and staff sergeant in the Marine Corps Air Station New River Young Marines. “I can’t remember a pre-9/11 world. Everyone else of my age (and I) grew up under its influence. But although we weren’t old enough to understand what was going on at the time, we
have still learned the importance and the impact of the event and are just as affected as everyone else.” Civilians and military members from across the country came together in front of the ominous “I-beam” that sits amidst the surrounding memorials, taken from the wreckage of the twin towers and transported to LMG following the attack. The event promptly started at 8:15 a.m., where three groups of three solemn individuals held photographs and names of various victims who lost their lives in the attacks. “At the age of 69, Touri (Bolourchi) found the courage to step on an airplane so she could visit with Roya (her daughter) and her grandsons in Boston,” read the narrator, speaking in conjunction as a member of the ceremony, donned in black and white, held a picture of Touri in front of her face. “On Sept. 11, she boarded United Airlines Flight 175 for the trip home. Touri waved to her daughter and said, ‘I’ll see you at Christmas time.’ Then she turned and walked away.” Eight more times this was repeated, where the photos and names of victims who were on the planes, at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, were shown as their stories were read to the audience. Whether or not those in the audience had a personal tie to the attacks, it did not matter. The pain in their eyes and expressions told volumes of what they were feeling, reflecting back to that day a decade ago. SEE 9/11 11A
MARJAH, AFGHANISTAN
INSIDE THE GLOBE
Marjah security tightens, Marines push progress CPL. JEFF DREW
2nd Marine Division (Forward)
MASS CASUALTY DRILL TESTS EMERGENCY RESPONDERS PAGE 6A LEJEUNE SPORTS 1B INSIDE LEJEUNE 1C CLASSIFIEDS 4C CAROLINA LIVING 1D
Operation Moshtarak, a Dari word meaning “together,” began in February 2010 as a way for Afghan and coalition forces to assert authority in central Helmand province and for the Afghan government to demonstrate its commitment to the people living there, according to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The city of Marjah was a hub for insurgent activity early last year. The residents were oppressed and lived in fear for their lives. Improvised explosive device factories spawned homemade bombs to line the roadways, and weapons caches equipped insurgents in the streets. The party ended, however, when the Afghan National Army and the Marines began their movement through the city. Third Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division (For-
Photos by Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright
(Top) A firefighter with the Jacksonville Fire Department holds an axe at port arms during the presentation of colors during the Patriot Day 2011 ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Beam at Lejeune Memorial Gardens, Sunday. (Middle) Members of the Half Moon Fire Department touch the 9/11 Memorial Beam out of respect for the New York Fire Department first responders that lost their lives in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers during the ceremony at Lejeune Memorial Gardens, Sunday. (Bottom) Members of Rolling Thunder Chapter NC-5 weep during the events of the Patriot Day 2011 ceremony, Sunday.
ward), was on this initial push through the city. The unit has since returned to Marjah as part of its routine deployment schedule, only to find the city is a very different place this time around. “Day one of Operation Moshtarak, we landed in helicopters and took indirect fire from 83 mm mortars, took fire from 107 mm rockets and took machine gun fire,” said Lance Cpl. Johnathan Osmer, a mortarman with 3rd Bn., 6th Marines. “We were fighting platoon-sized elements of (insurgents), but they weren’t (very skilled fighters).” The month following the initial assault was quiet for Osmer, yet the insurgents were just one enemy the Marines needed to fight. Hail, sleet and rain threatened to flood their desert fighting holes, and freezing temperatures allowed for only a few hours of sleep each night. SEE MARJAH 10A
CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN
Massachusetts senator visits CLB-6 troops in Afghanistan LANCE CPL. BRUNO J. BEGO
2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward)
Massachusetts Senator Scott P. Brown, and Brig. Gen Ross E. Ridge, the Task Force 2010 commander, visited the Marines and sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), recently. During the visit, Marines were able to demonstrate partnership across the combined joint operations area in combating corruption and preventing pilferage. Brown’s tour also allowed senior leaders an opportunity to present issues and concerns to him that may be taken to Congress. The senator also had a chance to see some of the equipment the CLB-6 troops are using to operate throughout Afghanistan in support of International Security Assistance Force operations.