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Friday, September 27, 2013 Vol. 48, No. 38 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
“The noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
Jet Stream The KaBoom Day of Play! Page 4 Marines and sailors come together Page 12 Gen. Amos on budget cuts Page 14
n Movie Schedules n News Briefs n Weather n In The Community n Around The Corps n Graduates
2 3 3 4 10 15
Marine Corps announces changes to tuition assistance Lance Cpl. Brendan Roethel Staff Writer
The Marine Corps announced new changes for Tuition Assistance eligibility, Sept. 11. According to MARADMIN 456/13, most changes will only affect first-time TA applicants. First-time applicants must have at least 2 years of time in service, and can only enroll in one course unless the Marine has an Associate’s Degree or at least 60-college credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. They must also complete the Leading Marines Distance Education Program on MarineNet and Marine Corps Institute’s Personal Financial Management course before applying, and be eligible for promotion. Marines must also finish their courses 60 days before their end of active service date. In addition, reserve component officers on active duty must have an EAS date of two years beyond the completion of their courses to receive approval. As of Oct. 1 the Marine Corps’ overall TA budget of $47 million will be divided into fiscal quarters. Marines that meet eligibility requirements will be limited to only enrolling in courses that begin in that quarter. Once the Marine Corps’ quarterly funds are exhausted, TA approvals will be postponed until the following quarter, according to MARADMIN 456/13. “These changes don’t affect a Marine’s personal TA limit of $4,500 a year,” said David Ellard, the Tri-Command education service officer. "If the Marine Corps exhausts its TA funding within the first fiscal quarter, the Marine will have to wait until the following quarter to apply for benefits.” TA requests can only be submitted within 30 days of a class start date, but no TA requests will be approved after a course has started. For more information contact the Air Station Education Office at 228-7484, or Parris Island’s Education Office at 228-3889.
Tuition assistance applications must be submitted and command approved prior to the requested course start date. Marines are encouraged to select schools participating in: service members opportunity colleges consortium, degree network system, or the Marine Corps career college program.
Tuition assistance can’t be used for non-credit courses such as training programs and workforce development. Tuition assistance can’t be used for duplicate degrees or double majors.
The few, the proud, the embassy guards Lance Cpl. Brendan Roethel Staff Writer
Lance Cpl. Dawson Midgett, an airframe technician with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, performs maintenance on the F-18 Hornet. Constant maintenance and inspections are vital to the aging F-18 system.
Upkeep keeps ‘em up Cpl. Sarah Cherry Staff Writer
Picture a car from 1986, and hold on to that image for a second. What do you see? Is it shiny, hardly used, and well cared for? Or is it a well-loved but beat up automobile with many miles on it and ready to be retired? Keep picturing that car.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, or the Werewolves, started flying F/A-18 Hornets in January, 1986. With those Hornets, VMFA122 deployed to Europe and throughout the United States into the early 2000s. They have gone east in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and west to the Pacific with the Unit Deployment
Program. The squadron’s aircraft have flown many flight hours collectively and individually throughout the years. Like cars, aircraft have check-ups and tune-ups, regular maintenance and unscheduled maintenance. see
The 2013 Defense Authorization Act signed by President Barack Obama in January, approves the addition of 1,000 Marines to become Marine security guards. Plans to increase the size of Marine security guards were under way at the time of the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, resulting in the deaths of four Americans. Marine security guards were not assigned to the post in Benghazi when it was attacked, but is believed Marine guards could have helped protect against or prevented the attack. The Corps works directly with the State Department to determine locations Marines will guard. State Department officials recently announced 50 more embassies Marine guards will protect. Marine security guards are currently posted at embassies and consulates in 137 countries, with a total of 152 compounds being protected. Those interested in MSG duty will have to meet with their career planner to begin the screening process. After screening, if the Marine is eligible for the assignment and can receive a top-secret security clearance, they can receive orders to attend the Security Guard School at Quantico, Va. MSG school conducts five class sessions per year training more than 450 Marines. This process takes approximately six to nine months to complete. “At the school Marines learn to provide security for their post and how to see
Msg, page 13
Hornet, page 13
Hard work pays off Cpl. R.J. Driver Comm/Media Relations
The pursuit of education is often riddled with challenges for students to overcome. Tuition costs, living and book expenses are just a few factors the average student is hampered with when pursuing a degree. Service members like Staff Sgt. Timothy
Callahan have the added stress of serving their country while reaching educational milestones. Callahan recently received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and said he used every opportunity he could to become a graduate while serving see
education, page 13
Courtesy Photo