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Friday, March 14, 2014 Vol. 49, No. 10 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
Marine Corps Battle Color Ceremony
See Page 3
“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
NHB pharmacy changes Page 4
Mortgage changes benefit service members Page 7
Feeding Fightertown; best mess in the Corps? Page 12
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 completed five weeks of combined carrier strike group operations with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle while in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Flights included joint air defense exercises, maritime defense exercises, combat search and rescue, and launching and landing aboard each other’s carriers. While conducting these joint flying exercises with the French, the Checkerboards simultaneously flew missions supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, the last Marine F/A-18 squadron to support OEF.
Checkerboards conduct combined operations with French Sgt. Chung Nguyen and Cpl. Maranda Hutley VMFA-312
MANAMA, BAHRAIN - The “Checkerboards” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 completed five weeks of combined carrier strike group operations with the
French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle while in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Attached to Carrier Air Wing Three aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, VMFA312 flew alongside the F-1 Rafale, a French multi-role fighter aircraft, and the Super Étendard, the French carrier-born strike
fighter. Flights included joint air defense exercises, maritime defense exercises, combat search and rescue, and launching and landing aboard both carriers. The joint operations improved cooperation and interoperability between the two forces, reassuring our regional alliance to promote
security throughout the 5th Fleet area of operations. The joint operations with the French were a great experience for both countries’ pilots. According to Capt. Kyle see
312, page 6
Werewolves deploy for UDP Sgt. Marcy Sanchez
Comm/Media Relations
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, deployed in support of the Unit Deployment Program, March 5. The Unit Deployment Program aims at increasing forward presence in the Western Pacific while improving the Marine Corps’ ability to respond to contingencies throughout the region by participating in theater security cooperation activities
and partnering with regional allies. During the deployment, VMFA-122, also known as the Werewolves, anticipate to participate in multiple exercises with Japanese forces, Republic of Korea forces and other nations in the Western Pacific. “When we deploy, our primary goal is to be ready to deploy anywhere over the pacific and around the world within 48 hours, so we spend a lot of time moving the squadron around the pacific,” said Maj. Dail see
Remembering Iwo Jima Cpl. Sarah Cherry Staff Writer
From Feb. 19 to March 26, 1945, United States Marines battled for the island of Iwo Jima, off the coast of Japan, in the midst of World War II. The Japanese used the island as a
base from which to intercept allied fighters and its position gave early warnings of allied bomb strikes. Japanese leadership believed the attack on Iwo Jima would be followed by an attack on mainland Japan. For the United States, the island was seen as a potential landing place for
damaged B-29 bomber planes, as well as a base for fighter planes escorting the bombers. James Chavers Jr. of Savannah, Ga., remembers the battle that left 6,800 Americans dead and left less than six see Iwo JIma, page
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122, page 6