Generation Kill

From: Acting Director, Division of Public Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps

The recent airing of the first episode of HBO's "Generation Kill" has generated numerous inquiries regarding Marine Corps support of the series. The Marine Corps did not provide any official support to the filmmakers. The series is based on the book by the same title by Evan Wright, a former Rolling Stone magazine reporter who was embedded with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While there are certainly aspects of the film that are accurate, it is at its heart a commercial production. It's raw and has elements that are very much out of synch with the core values our nation rightly expects of its Marines. Viewed as a whole, in my estimation, it does not accurately portray the honor and professionalism of our Corps of Marines.

Semper Fidelis,
Major David Romley
Director, Community Relations
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
3000 Pentagon Rm 4A532
Washington, DC 20350-3000

A Memorable Memorial Day

Forty wounded service members were treated to a free trip to Las Vegas by billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Click here to see the article.

Adopt a Base

On top of all the other stresses of military life, over 50% of our service members report that they also have financial stress. Click here to see how you can help!

I have personally gone through Financial Peace University and it has helped our family get rid of the stress that we used to have around finances. We were able to get an emergency fund established, which has been needed a few times. We also paid off a large chunk of our debt and are on the road to becoming debt free!

Save Money and Earn Free Travel

If you live in Texas or New York or now Illinois you can save money on your energy bill. New customers will receive a free 3-day/2-night hotel stay in your choice of one of 25 cities. Earn additional travel rewards by using energy and earn them even faster by referring other customers. Five customer referrals can earn you a cruise!

http://energy.diakonos.com

The Three Trillion Dollar War

A new book, "The Three Trillion Dollar War", by Nobel prize-winning economist, Joseph E. Stiglitz, says that the war in Iraq will cost the U.S. about $12 BILLION per month and estimates that the total cost will reach about $2.7 TRILLION by the year 2017.

Marines Go On the Hunt

The Marine Corps hired some professional hunters to design a training course. The leadership recognized that two of the main skills in hunting are observation and deduction—being able to position yourself properly so that you are able to pick out your prey before it spots you. These skills are also very important to a Marine that is trying to fight against an irregular who tries to blend into a crowd.

Commandant Halts Purchases of Vests

On February 29th it was announced that, General James Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps, had halted purchasing of the new Modular Tactical Vest (MTV) after numerous complaints from Marines in the field. The problem is with weight and practicality, not the safety of the vest.