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San Francisco, California. (December 3, 2022): Discipline, stamina, and the will to finish are but a few of the values emphasized in the annual “Spartans” Race, a tough test of endurance even for U.S. Marines.
In the above photo by Sergeant Alina Thackray, Marine Captain Shae Crombie, the executive officer for Recruiting Station San Francisco, took part in the race to build understanding and positive relationships with the local community. This Marine soon realized the rigors and strenuousness of the Spartan Race whose main events include a series of grueling obstacle courses up to 13 miles long containing up to 30 various obstacles.
These races are meant to be physically and mentally challenging and include a brutal mix of cardio and strength training that would test the mettle of most elite athletes. With the rise in popularity of CrossFit training, a combination of weight training and cardio exercises, the attractiveness of obstacle courses has exploded in recent years. Today’s courses include man-made walls, barbed wire, concrete tunnels, and other hurdles that requires participants to be in the best shape of their lives.
Read more: TOUGH AS A SPARTAN; MARINE BUILDING UNDERSTANDING, RELATIONSHIPS
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Marine Corps Base Pendleton, California. (December 8, 2022) In the above photo by Lance Corporal Gadiel Zaragoza, Sergeant Avery Luengo, left, a martial arts instructor with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division spars with Corporal Alexis Flippo, an imagery analysist specialist with 1st Intelligence Battalion, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group during a martial arts instructor course and physical training session. These courses certify Marines to instruct and monitor marital arts programs on hand-to-hand combat specifically designed for the Marine Corps mission.
Officially dubbed the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, or MCMAP, the course teaches a unique fighting discipline developed specifically for the Marines that blends a variety of martial arts disciplines into close quarter battle techniques using a variety of weapons, including items one may find laying around a battlefield.
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SOUTH CHINA SEA (Jan. 13, 2023) In this photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Calabrese, an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Kestrels of Strike Fighter Squadron 137 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during flight operations in the South China Sea. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is the newest highly capable, affordable, and available tactical aircraft and is the backbone in U.S. Navy inventory.
Manufactured by McDonnel Douglas and Boeing Defense, the F/A-18 is one of America’s most powerful weapons to achieve air superiority over an enemy. The combat-proven Super Hornet employs next-generation technology to launch day and night strikes with precision-guided weapons against maritime targets and to suppress enemy air defenses. The Super Hornet also provides close air support to troops on the ground and also acts as fighter escort to larger air groups. Able to reach speeds up to 1,190 miles per hour, the Super Hornet sports twin engines that cruise at 777 mph and this bird has a range of over 2,000 miles. Currently, there are 19 Pacific fleet squadrons flying the F/A-18.
The armament on these aircraft is impressive.
Read more: Screaming Off The Deck… F/A18 SUPER HORNET REALLY STINGS
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U.S., January 17, 2023 - America has quite a few service members stationed in Jordan efforting matters in that general geographic area, including Syria. Good morale bolsters a good mission, and SupportOurTroops.org runs a substantial MWR (morale, well being, and recreation) program to help assure that. An interesting project has been underway for some time, and on the 17th it left port on a freighter headed their way. Keep your eyes out for a series we're producing that will be covering this really interesting project demonstrating Americans’ goodwill toward their military service members.
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Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (January 8, 2023): In this photo by MC1 Scott Barnes, the crew of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Chicago poses with the Battle Efficiency, or Battle "E" pennant that recognizes crews for their high levels of sustained proficiency and readiness. The Battle "E" Pennant is awarded after a yearlong evaluation of a submarine crew in an operational environment, and they must measure up to exacting standards.
The Los Angeles-class submarine is the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s submarine force with 41 ships now on active duty, accounting for more than half of the U.S. Navy's fast attack submarines. Equipped with 12 vertical launch tubes for firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Los Angeles-Class is an awesome war machine silently patrolling the world’s oceans.
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WORKING TOGETHER TO DEFEND OPEN SEAS
SINGAPORE (January 9, 2023): In this photo by MC2 Nadia Lund, Senior Chief Quartermaster Luis Torres gives a tour of the bridge of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island to senior enlisted leaders of the Republic of Singapore Navy.
The Sailors are participating in the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Marine Exercises, a bilateral maneuver between Singapore and the United States designed to promote regional security cooperation and to maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships.
In its 28th year, the CARAT series is comprised of multinational exercises designed to enhance U.S. and partner forces’ abilities to operate together in response to maritime security challenges. The Makin Island Task Force is made up of the amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage and USS John P. Murtha operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. The muscle of the task force is the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.