All posts tagged: Marines

Shortage of Merchant Marines means big money for new grads : NPR

Shortage of Merchant Marines means big money for new grads : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Students on the aft deck of the Empire State VII preparing for this year’s summer cruise. They’ll sail to Charleston, S.C., Málaga, Spain and Belfast, Northern Ireland before returning to New York. SUNY Maritime College hide caption toggle caption SUNY Maritime College The gangway up to the Empire State VII slopes from the dock at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx, where the East River meets the Long Island Sound. The ship is massive — 530 feet, nine decks – and it’s being prepped for its annual summer teaching cruise. Tom Murphy, SUNY Maritime College’s Chief of Staff and a 1993 alumnus, has spent a lot of time on vessels at sea. But this one is different. “This is the first ship purposely built for training cadets,” he said. “This isn’t just a working ship, this is a school on water.” SUNY Maritime is one of six state-run maritime academies in the country. Most are run like quasi-military academies. Students wear uniforms, follow regimented schedules, and learn through a curriculum that blends traditional engineering and seamanship …

Some Marines graduate without their parents’ presence amid ICE fears

Some Marines graduate without their parents’ presence amid ICE fears

Published by Sam Flores

PARRIS ISLAND, South Carolina — Pvt. Ramirez Garcia considered giving up a lot of times during her recruit training at Marine Corps Depot Parris Island. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. “I’m glad I pushed through,” said the newly graduated Marine, who withheld her first name out of caution as a member of the military. “I’m glad I was able to make it to today,” she said on Friday. But two important people weren’t there on this milestone day: mom and dad. According to Ramirez Garcia’s sister Emily, their parents are in the U.S. on a work visa and were too scared to attend the graduation when they heard ICE could be doing security checks. “They were going to come. It was going to be a big thing. We were going to go to the beach right after. All those plans had to go out the window because they said ICE would be here,” said Emily Ramirez, who added she was “so incredibly proud” of her sister. …

US sending additional Marines, ships to Mideast: Reports

US sending additional Marines, ships to Mideast: Reports

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: The United States is sending more Marines and ships to the Middle East two weeks into the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, US media reported on Friday (Mar 13). The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying the Japan-based USS Tripoli and its attached Marines are en route to the region, while The New York Times reported that some 2,500 Marines aboard as many as three ships were headed for the Middle East. CNN said it was a Marine Expeditionary Unit – which typically includes some 2,500 Marines and sailors – that was being deployed. The Journal said the request for the additional Marines was made by US Central Command, which is responsible for US troops in the Middle East, and approved by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. There are already Marines in the region supporting operations against Iran, the newspaper added. The United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran on Feb 28, and Tehran has responded with waves of drones and missiles as well as attacks on ships in the …

Royal Marines line street to pay tribute to Second World War veteran

Royal Marines line street to pay tribute to Second World War veteran

Published by Sam Flores

Hundreds of people have paid their respects to one of the last remaining Royal Marine veterans of the Second World War. A street in Salisbury was lined by mourners at the funeral of Jim Wren, who died earlier this year aged 105. The ceremony was attended by family, friends and well-wishers and his coffin was draped in a Royal Marine Corps Flag as it was carried into St Thomas’s Church by servicemen to complete silence. During the service, he was described by his family as a “passive man who would never get angry” and who rarely spoke about his service, “only opening up in recent years”. Mr Wren, who was held by the Japanese during the war in the Far East, was rejected by both the RAF and the British Army at the age of 19. But, encouraged by his uncle, he later joined the Royal Marines. After completing his training, he was assigned to a First World War-era battle-cruiser, HMS Repulse, which was involved in the hunt for the Bismarck. Deployed to the Far …

Marines on training exercise rescue stranded climber in freezing conditions on Ben Nevis | UK News

Marines on training exercise rescue stranded climber in freezing conditions on Ben Nevis | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Marines on a training exercise saved the life of a stranded climber who had begun to succumb to exposure on Ben Nevis in freezing conditions. The team found the man curled up in the snow near the summit of the Scottish mountain on 24 January, as temperatures plunged during a blizzard. The rescue squad consisted of Scottish Royal Marine Reserves (RMR) and the Dutch Korps Mariniers. RMR Colour Sergeant McKenzie said: “Solid blocks of ice clung to his eyebrows, hat, and gloves – evidence of long exposure to freezing conditions. “One walking pole was bent, the other appeared broken or fully collapsed. “When spoken to, he revealed that he had become separated from his two friends and had no idea where they were. “The wind was biting and relentless, and based on conditions we had experienced earlier in the week during Royal Marines mountain training, we estimated gusts to be around 40mph. “Combined with the summit temperature, this put the wind chill somewhere in the region of -15C to -20C, making any exposed skin sting …