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Friday, January 17, 2014 Vol. 49, No. 2 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
Free tax preparation Page 15
“The noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
n Entertainment n News Briefs n Weather n In The Community n Around The Corps
2 3 3 4 10
How will you pay for college? Page 4
The Medal of Honor Bowl Page 5
VMFA-312 change of command Page 13
Home at
last See Page 12
Honoring The
Dream
Fighting Bengals roar into Western Pacific Lance Cpl. Brendan Roethel Staff Writer
Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to the Western Pacific in support of the Unit Deployment Program, Jan. 9. The squadron will train and support other Marine units during Lava Viper training at Hiccum Air Force Base in Hawaii, and conduct multinational exercises with Marine Aircraft Group 12 in Japan and throughout the Western Pacific for six months. The mission of the deployment is to improve relations with America’s allies and expose Marines to broader training environments. “This deployment will offer a variety of experiences for all the Marines in the squadron,” said Sgt. Harold Blye, an imagery analyst for VMFA(AW)-224. “During the deployment the Marines
will get to work alongside Marines in different units as well as service members from other countries. This will allow the Marines to get more familiar with each other and those outside of their squadron to make them work more cohesively to accomplish a common goal. Lava Viper training will be especially beneficial in getting our Marines ready for what’s to come in the following months.” Lava Viper is a combinedarms exercise designed to enhance the capabilities of ground combat and support element Marines participating. “I am pretty excited about this deployment,” said Sgt. Maj. Stacey Holcomb, the squadron sergeant major for VMFA(AW)-224. “We will get to interact with our counterparts in the Western Pacific and refine our skills. see
Bengals, page 12
Photo by Cpl. Timothy Norris
Staff Sgt. Alfred Kennard, a career retention specialist with 6th Marine Corps District, reads a poem during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative service aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Jan. 15. The service included musical selections, dramatic readings of King’s “If faith,” speech and remarks from Sgt. Maj. KeCia Jordan, the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort sergeant major, and Capt. Anne Lear, Naval Hospital Beaufort commanding officer. The speakers and performers celebrated King’s legacy by reviewing his accomplishments as a leader in non-violent protest of social inequality and paying tribute to the cultural changes he influenced.
Marines with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 depart Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort for the Western Pacific in support of the Unit Deployment Program, Jan. 9.