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A Manassas woman suspected she lived above a fault line and a Cardinal Station woman thought her husband dropped something heavy (perhaps a TV, her husband said). All of those speculations, however, led to one source -- Quantico Marine Corps base. Marines on Quantico base were conducting test drops with 500-pound bombs from F-18's and carrier jets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, 2nd Lt. Brian Donnelly said, during a call-for-fire exercise. The tactical exercises are done routinely about once a month, he said, to train new lieutenants. "We need to strike that balance between accommodating the community and...

No matter where Marines are serving, from the Pentagon and Marine Barracks in Washington, to the loneliest outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines will stop, shake hands, say happy birthday, sing the Marines' Hymn and, if it is available, have a piece of cake. It doesn't matter to us if its an elaborate cake from some big hotel, a smaller cake from the great cooks aboard ship, or a cookie from an MRE, we're going to celebrate!

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia, Oct. 21, 2005 - Brenda Harris Tustian, a strong supporter of the Corps and Marine affiliated-organizations, donated two framed limited-edition prints of her patriotic Santa Clause paintings to the Base commander Col. James Lowe Oct. 3 in the foyer of Lejuene Hall. The paintings were Tustian’s “God Bless America” Santa and “Let Freedom Ring” Santa. “’Let Freedom Ring’ is a beautiful painting that celebrates the spirit of America, our freedoms and the blessing of our great country,” said Mike Kindrick at the unveiling of the paintings. “’God Bless America’ inspires pride and honor in all...

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va(Aug. 22, 2005) -- Throughout the annals of Marine Corps history, inspired quotations have framed the heroics of great Marines, transforming passing moments into epic legends to be forever retold and celebrated by the generations of warriors who follow. Never to be forgotten is the rallying cry of Gunnery Sgt. Dan Daly at the Battle of Belleau Wood, France, on June 4, 1918: “Come on you son’s of bitches! Do you want to live forever?” [snip] So too will a contemporary Marine be remembered, not only for his extraordinary act of courage and composure under...

McLEAN, Va. (AP) - A federal commission voted Thursday to move tens of thousands of military and civilian defense jobs from the close-in suburbs of northern Virginia to military bases outside the Capital Beltway despite concerns that such a massive jobs shift could create traffic nightmares. In May, the Pentagon recommended to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that 23,000 military and civilian defense employees working in leased office space in the suburbs of Alexandria and Arlington County be relocated to military bases outside the Capital Beltway, including Fort Belvoir, Va., Fort Meade, Md., and Quantico Marine Corps Base, Va....

N.Y. Governor's Son Commissioned in the Marine Corps Submitted by: 1st Marine Corps District Story Identification #: 200571103231 Story by Staff Sgt. Amanda Hay RECRUITING STATION NEW YORK (June 25, 2005) -- Teddy Pataki, son of N.Y. State Gov. George Pataki, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marines Corps, Saturday June 25. More than 50 family members, elected officials, former Marines and N.Y. State Police Officers gathered at Pataki's residence in Garrison, N.Y., for the formal ceremony of the Yale University graduate. Pataki, a 22-year-old native of Peekskill, N.Y., began seeking out information from the Marine...

Generations by W. Thomas Smith Jr. Their faces were an odd mix of happiness, sadness, and envy. Happy for me, but sad and envious all the same. They were losing a squad leader who had taken care of them as an older brother watches over his kid siblings. But these really were not kids. They and I were U.S. Marine infantrymen – "grunts," as we often were called by our non-infantry counterparts in those days ("Grunt" being an affectionate term for Marine infantryman – a holdover term from the Vietnam War – ultimately hijacked by the ever-envious Army and applied...

President George W Bush delivered a speech on the war on terrorism at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia Later both President Bush and the Vice President Cheney met U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad in the Oval Office First Lady Laura Bush and her daughters are on a visit to Africa. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on a four nation visit to the far east so far she has visited the Peoples Republic of China and Thailand and arrived late tonight in Japan. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Corps bids farewell to last enlisted ‘Nam vet Submitted by: MCB Quantico Story Identification #: 2005630135311 Story by Cpl. Jonathan Agg MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (June 30, 2005) -- Another chapter of Marine Corps history will draw to a close as the Corps bids farewell to the last remaining enlisted Vietnam veteran on active duty. Master Sgt. Randall Arnold, Quantico Security Battalion operations chief, will retire in a ceremony to be held at Harry Lee Hall here Friday at 9 a.m. Arnold, a Charlottesville, Va., native raised in Washington, enlisted in the Marine Corps Jan. 21, 1969, at the...

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2005 – The Marine Corps flatly rejects charges that the protective vests issued to thousands of deployed Marines don't offer the ballistic protection they were designed to provide, but is recalling 5,277 of them to remove doubts about their effectiveness. A statement released by Marine Corps Systems Command at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., May 9 challenges facts presented in a news article about the ability of the outer tactical vest to stop a 9 mm round fired from a standard pistol such as the M-9 Beretta. The article charges that some of the vests -- part...

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/042005/04282005/1114676037 http://fredericksburg.com/ FBI helicopter crashes FBI helicopter crashes during training exercise; three injured. The Associated Press WFLS News Date published: 4/28/2005 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The FBI says that two pilots and one member of a hostage rescue team were injured last night when a helicopter crashed during training exercises. The crash happened at about 6 p.m. at the FBI Academy at Quantico Marine Corps Base. The FBI says the helicopter was hovering between 25 feet and 30 feet when it crashed. The three were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) - A 400-ton crawler crane stretching more than 20 stories high hoisted a 210-foot-tall spire Wednesday, putting into place the premier architectural feature of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Symbolic of the historic flag-raising at Iwo Jima on Feb. 23, 1945, the spire now stands at a 60-degree angle and points toward Interstate 95. Officials with the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, the group raising the $50 million to build the museum just outside Quantico Marine Corps Base's main gate, see the spire becoming a significant feature in the region's landscape. It towers so high -...

QUANTICO, Va. — Arthur Gavlock looked on in horror as the amphibious assault craft in front of him moved out of its berth inside the tossing Navy warship and sunk straight to the bottom of the Pacific. Iwo Jima battle veteran John Moon of Macomb, Ill., meets a young Marine before Friday's ceremony at Quantico. (Joe Gromelski / S&S) Staff Sgt. Jason Steadman and his son, Jason Jr., look at a Marine Corps historical display in the lobby of Little Hall. (Joe Gromelski / S&S ) Iwo Jima veteran Arthur Gavlock of Renova, Pa., at Friday's 60th anniversary ceremony. (Joe...

WASHINGTON — Cancel the cozy days at Camp David, Md. Put away the underused running shoes. When it comes to weekend enjoyment, all President Bush seems to need is some winding trails and a helmet. And his mountain bike. Bush recently has been logging scores of miles on a secluded spread in Beltsville, Md., and the rolling hills of Quantico, Va., far from the White House. "He's become a biking maniac," said Mark McKinnon, his media adviser and frequent cycling companion. What began as a way for the president to stay fit, after three decades of running ruined his knees,...

ARLINGTON, Va. — A major U.S. Islamic group has called for “appropriate disciplinary action” for the Marine general who said, “It’s fun to shoot some people.” “We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event,” Nihad Awad, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. “These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life.” The Washington-based CAIR’s stated mission is “to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.” Lt. Gen...

I remember watching a news clip of a Marine Infantry unit preparing to deploy from Camp Lejuene during the First Gulf War. I watched a young, squared away sergeant move competently among his men checking their gear and speaking quietly to them despite the rude, intrusive glare from the TV camera lights. Damn… I was proud of him and there was a muted urge to be there and be part of it again welling up deep from inside me. A few years later, I stopped at Quantico when I had a chance to go back there for a visit in...

The sponsorship of two Boys Scout troops and a Cub Scout pack by the Quantico Marine Corps base ended recently following a partial settlement reached between the American Civil Liberties Union and the Pentagon. "Marine Corps Base Quantico will no longer be a charter signatory with the local Boy Scout troops," said Marine Lt. Col. Rick Long, director of the Quantico Public Affairs Office. "However, all other support and access to [the base] will remain the same for the Boy Scouts as with any other authorized non-profit organization," Boy Scout Troop 121, Troop 176 and Cub Scout Pack 176 have...

STAFFORD, Va. — A U.S. Navy captain with 34 years of service was found guilty late Friday night of wearing service ribbons and medals for which he did not rate, including the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross, officials said. Capt. Roger D. Edwards was found guilty during a court-martial held at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., and sentenced to 115 days in the brig, forfeiture of $2,500 pay a month for three months, and a letter of reprimand to be put in his personnel file, said base spokesman Capt. Jeffrey Landis. The presiding judge, Navy Capt. Henry Lazzaro, did...

QUANTICO, Va. - Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, the Marine who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while on duty in Iraq, insisted on Monday that he was captured "I did not desert my post," he told reporters outside Quantico Marine Corps Base. "I was captured and held against my will by anti-coalition forces for 19 days. This was a very difficult and challenging time for me." He did not answer any questions during his brief appearance. He was joined by his brother, who had recently arrived at Quantico from Utah. Hassoun is in the midst of what the Marines call a "repatriation...

QUANTICO, Va., July 15 - An American marine who turned up in Beirut last week after vanishing in Iraq was returned to the United States on Thursday for questioning and a "repatriation process" to assess his physical and mental condition, Marine Corps officials said. The marine, Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, arrived at Quantico Marine Corps base in Virginia from Germany, where he had undergone six days of evaluation in a military hospital, "in good condition and in good spirits," said Lt. Col. David Lapan, a spokesman for the Second Marine Expeditionary Force. Colonel Lapan said that Quantico, 35 miles south...