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Friday, September 20, 2013 Vol. 48, No. 37 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
Hotel Company graduates
Page 15
“The noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
n Movie Schedules n News Briefs n Weather n In The Community n Around The Corps n Graduates
2 3 3 7 10 15
Corporals can earn 60 points toward composite score by joining reserves. Gas! Gas! Gas! Page 6
MACS-2 trains with 165th Airlift Wing Page 13
See MARADMIN 461/13.
Hawks fly back to Beaufort
Marines with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 met their awaiting families and friends upon returning to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Sept. 13. VMFA(AW)-533, also known as the Hawks, returned from a six-month deployment in part of the Unit Deployment Program in the Western Pacific. Lance Cpl. Brendan Roethel Staff Writer
Marines with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 met their awaiting families and friends upon returning to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Sept. 13. VMFA(AW)-533, also known as the Hawks, returned from a six-month deployment as part of the Unit Deployment Program in the
Western Pacific. The UDP is an opportunity to increase the nation’s presence while training with our allies in the Western Pacific. Increased presence also improves our ability to respond to contingencies throughout the region. Air Station Marines benefit from deployments like these because it’s absolutely necessary to maintain a high standard of readiness. These deployments also help develop strong work habits to make sure aircraft
are properly maintained to support the mission. “Throughout the deployment I watched the Marines reach high levels of stress but pull through as a team,” said Lt. Col. Kevin T. O’Rourke, the commanding officer of VMFA(AW)-533. “The squadron increased their ability to perform at a high level of proficiency under stress all while building unit cohesion. I am proud of my Masee
533, page 8
Deer season begins Cpl. Rubin J.Tan Staff Writer
Deer hunting has begun aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. The season began Sept. 15 and hunting is currently open to service members, Department of Defense employees, retirees and their families. The season will last until January and there are currently 13 hunting spots aboard Fightertown. Individuals and parties are only allowed to reserve one spot at a time. A hunting license is required to hunt on military installations and a limit of two doe per day is set for both bases. There are currently no limits for bucks. All hunters on the Air Station must check into the Provost Marshall’s Office to reserve their spot and receive identification tags for their hunts. Shotguns used to hunt are to be registered prior by PMO. Restricted items for hunting include rifles, crossbows, muzzle loaders and slug shots. Hunting at night is not allowed aboard military installations and all hunters are required to wear one square feet of orange on their back and chest. For more information about restricted items and how to reserve a spot for hunting on base contact the PMO service desk at 228-6710. The game warden can also be contacted at 321-6453.
Beaufort County cracks down on texting and driving
Sgt. Terika King Press Chief
Beaufort County passed legislation officially banning texting and driving in all unincorporated areas, Sept. 9. The ordinance states it is illegal to “compose, read or send an electronic message while operating a motor vehicle on the streets and roads within the county.” Drivers caught violating this ban could face a $100 fine for the first offense, $200 for the second offense and a $300 fine on the third offense. The ban does not include the use of “global positioning systems or navigational devices that are physically or electronically integrated into the” vehicle per the local ordinance. Texting and driving outside the Beaufort area will cause similar problems for motorists, as the Hilton Head Island Town Council passed similar legislation in July where the penalties are the same per offense. Exceptions to the new ordinance include summoning medical or other emergency assistance, using a citizens band radio, or using a handfree, voice-activated mode that allows the composition, transmission and review of an electronic message without the use of either hand.
Amos: America Needs a Robust Crisis Response Force
Gen. James F.Amos
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Our nation requires a Marine Corps that is ready, forward deployed and able to respond to crisis on a moment’s notice. This will not change for the foreseeable future, no matter the budgetary woes our country faces.
Three years ago, the Marine Corps initiated a Force Structure Review with the mission of re-shaping the Marine Corps for the post-Afghanistan environment. This review sought to find ways to meet our national security responsibilities in a resource-efficient manner. Our goal was to provide the most ready, capable and cost-
effective Marine Corps our nation could afford. Balancing the president’s Defense Strategic Guidance with our internal review, we designed a force of 186,800 people, which is the optimal-sized Marine Corps, fully ready to meet the everincreasing demands of the global security environment. Four months ago, Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel directed the Strategic Choices and Management Review effort to better inform the Defense Department’s preparation for the Quadrennial Defense Review. Anticipating that sequestration would be signed into law, in February the Corps stood up a working group focused solely on designing a future
force optimized to live within our likely resource constraints. This effort was informed by the realization that, if faced with a continued sequester, the Marine Corps would have to live with severe budget shortfalls that might well threaten its ability to maintain its edge as the nation’s hedge force. Ultimately, we would
build the best force America was willing to afford. As such, the force we have designed is supportable within a reduced fiscal framework, but assumes greater risk to our national security strategy. What was our methodology behind the process? Our see
Training, page 8