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Friday, October 25, 2013 Vol. 48, No. 42 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
Seasonal uniform change to take effect at 2 a.m., Nov. 4.
“The noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
n Entertainment n News Briefs n Weather n Around The Corps n In The Community n Graduates
2 3 3 10 14 15
Navy celebrating 238 years Page 6
Golf tournament raises money for vets Page 14
Beware of an application called ‘MyPay DFAS LES’ in the Google Play store. The app is not approved for use by the DoD or U.S. Government.
The Marine Corps colors fly beneath the national ensign, over a mound of debris left after terrorists attacks against the U.S. took place at the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 23, 1983. A suicide bomber drove a truck filled with 12,000 pounds of high explosives into the barracks, resulting in one of the largest non-nuclear bombings in history. Sgt. Marcy Sanchez
Comm/Media Relations Chief
“The morning of Oct. 23, 1983, in Beirut was pleasant and sunny; there was a light breeze, and it was very quiet.” The description is of the day one of the first direct acts of terrorism against the United States 30 years ago and almost 7,000 miles away. On Oct. 23, 1983, at approximately 6:22 a.m., the 1st Bat-
talion, 8th Marines Battalion Landing Team suffered the largest single-day loss of life for Marines since the World War II, Battle of Iwo Jima. The United States had established a military presence in Beirut, Lebanon, to serve as a peacekeeping force in the conflict between warring militias. On March 24, 1983, the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, located at Camp Lejeune, N.C., received orders
to support.
To the barracks “They called us out in a battalion formation. They needed volunteers to go to Lebanon. I was a brand new corporal and I stepped out,” said Brian Kirkpatrick, then a combat engineer with 2nd combat engineer platoon, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division.
“We shipped out in May, got there in a couple of weeks. Our whole job there was to keep the peace.” Kirkpatrick was a squad leader in “C” platoon and attached to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines with the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit. His platoon, nicknamed “Kirk’s Knights,” were living in the East wing of the Beirut barracks during the explosion. “It was an old administra-
tive building for the airport; others had stayed there before us,” explained Kirkpatrick, a native of Yale, Mich. “The barracks was a fortress with two-foot-thick reinforced concrete walls,” recalls Randy Gaddo, a former Chief Warrant Officer 4 in the Marine Corps, who was a staff sergeant at the time of the bombing. “It had served as a headquarters for Israeli troops; it had withstood artil-
lery and heavy naval gunfire with barely a scratch.” Gaddo had been stationed in Beirut to document the deployment of the troops that were conducting peacekeeping operations. After arriving, Kirkpatrick and his platoon noticed blemishes in the security of the barracks addressing them without any outcome. see
Beirut, page 4
PMO conducts active shooter training Lance Cpl. Brendan Roethel Staff Writer
Military Police Officers and civilian base police officers with the Provost Marshal’s Office aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort conducted active shooter training aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Oct. 15. The threat of an active shooter has been brought to the forefront in the news and security in the past several years. The most recent of these incidents, the Navy Yard shooting in Washington, D.C., left 14 dead and 12 wounded. The shooting is one of many violent acts impacting law enforcement agencies. As a result of these incidents, law enforcement officials are
conducting training to respond to an active shooter in order to neutralize a threat as quickly as possible and save lives. “Training for active shooter scenarios began after the Columbine shooting incident,” said Fred Calawor, the training chief for PMO aboard the Air Station. “After that incident, law enforcement began to incorporate more active shooter training in their curriculum, learning from past incidents to constantly better our training.” To make the training as realistic as possible, they used airsoft pistols, handcuffs, simulated OC spray and see
shooter, page 13
MACS-2 welcomes new commander Cpl. Brady Wood Staff Writer
Marines with Marine Air Control Squadron 2, Detachment A, gathered aboard Marine Corps Station Beaufort for a change of command ceremony, Oct. 18. During the ceremony, Capt. Jack Larimore, relinquished command of MCAS-2, Det A. to 1st Lt. Joshua Langham. “I would like to thank my family for staying behind me, no matter what, as I served,” said Larimore. “I
would also like to thank the Marines for all of your hard work and dedication to the unit. You have made this tour a great success.” Larimore has been directed to proceed and report to Combined Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa. Following Larimore’s farewell remarks, Langham gave his thanks to his supporters. “I would like to thank Lt. Col. Hanson for this opportunity and having faith in me,” said Langham, a native of Silsbee, Texas. “I realize that by being
given this position I have now entered the door of a new challenge, but I believe that with the help of the unit, the challenge will be met.” The mission of MACS2 is to detect, identify and control the intercept of hostile aircraft and missiles, and provide navigational assistance to friendly aircraft and provide continuous allweather, radar, non-radar approach, departure, en route and tower air traffic control services to friendly aircraft.