Ground Warrior articles from June 2005

Ground Warrior archives from June 2005

From the director, Headquarters Marine Corps Safety Division.(Brief article)
June 22, 2005... Marines, Our operational tempo remains high, which means we all need to be 100 percent combat ready. All mishaps, whether big or small, on-duty or off, threaten our combat readiness. Whether a Marine was injured due to an IED explosion or...

From the editor.(Editorial)
June 22, 2005... Marines, It has been two years since I was in sunny and hot Iraq, where the mornings began with a trip to the head to beat the flies to my business before they were at full strength. A day never passed without hearing some gunfire. As...

NDs, train like we fight.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2005... Great issue of GW addressing poor weapons handling and negligent discharges. The root cause is poor training on the range. We are reaping what we sow. We run cold ranges, specifying to each Marine how many rounds to load in a magazine, firing...

Flammable tents.(Letter to the editor)
June 22, 2005... In "Just How Flammable Are Tents," it was stated. "A flammable substance is used to waterproof the canvas." The tents are not treated with anything. It is strictly the porous nature of the cloth that makes it so flammable. The properties of the...

Keep your head above water.
June 22, 2005... Recreational drowning incidents are the No.1 killer of status-of-forces-agreement personnel on Okinawa--this statistic makes the island the most dangerous duty assignment in the Marine Corps. That's the word from Shawn Curtis, an occupational...

Scattered along the road.
June 22, 2005... Even after all the messages, briefs and warnings, the meaning didn't hit home until it happened to me. I had to be at work Tuesday, so I left Sunday, with a long 16-hour drive ahead of me. At midnight, I stopped to sleep, then headed out again...

Rampaging bikers.
June 22, 2005... Like lots of Marines who love whizzing past, around and between four-wheel crawlers on their two-wheel speedsters. LCpl Zach M. Stacy isn't about to let a scrape with the asphalt deter him from riding his motorcycle. While riding down...

High on adrenaline.(Brief article)
June 22, 2005... As if losing our troops to the enemy in Iraq isn't enough, a disturbing number return to American soil only to be killed in speeding and drunk-driving mishaps. One example is a 19-year-old lance corporal, who was killed while riding as the...

A few fatal errors.
June 22, 2005... With Marines performing missions forward-deployed in areas without power, the use of generators, both civilian and military, is rather common. The risks surrounding the use of generators must be considered in ORM so hazards are mitigated....

Mini-van is no match for 5-ton truck.
June 22, 2005... An otherwise clean military-driving record was marred when a Marine Corps lance corporal crashed an M813A1 5-ton truck and M353 trailer into a 1996 Dodge Caravan, killing the civilian driver. The military vehicles were part of a battalion's...

Road guards, post!
June 22, 2005... With a deployment to Iraq coming soon, it was decided that the unit would practice night-convoy operations. The date, time and route all had been arranged. The vehicles were ready to go. The commander's intent for the night was to have the...

Negligent discharges: two examples from the range.
June 22, 2005... Safe Until You Intend To Fire A Marine involved in a maneuver element during a live fire slipped on the way down range and shot himself in the ankle. Marines in a maneuver element are instructed not to have their weapons on fire when...

Goggles: a good piece of gear.
June 22, 2005... It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye. A Marine from Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 was not playing any games, and he was not taking any unnecessary risks with his personal safety. As a flight-equipment...

Sleeping bag negligence.(Tales From the Fighting Hole)(Brief article)
June 22, 2005... An NCO in Iraq had good intentions when he decided to keep his weapon in his sleeping bag at night. As a young Marine, he had been instructed to sleep with his rifle. He had heard stories of Marines in Korea being killed with their own rifles,...

A turn for the worse.(Tales From the Fighting Hole)
June 22, 2005... Sometimes we even can learn lessons from our brothers in arms. The following is about a U.S army incident. The Mishap Sequence The HMMWV driver up on the winding desert road, trying to catch up to the convoy he was escorting. His...

Marine corps safety awards.
June 22, 2005... The Marine Corps Superior Achievement in Safety Award is presented annually to one officer, one enlisted, and one civilian member who have made the most significant contributions to the Marine Corps safety program. Nominations must be in...

Combat hearing readiness.
June 22, 2005... Personal protective equipment (PPE) normally is considered only for Marines in the shop. Marines in the field, training and patrolling operationally, also are encountering damaging noise that can result in temporary and even permanent hearing...