Americans are keenly aware of Hollywood greats who not only entertained us but served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Jimmy Stewart. Paul Newman. Charles Bronson. Humphrey Bogart. Charlton Heston.
Some became American institutions. Others portrayed tough-guy heroes for decades.
The following stars aren’t necessarily known for their on-screen bravado. Others routinely make us laugh for a living.
They served, too, and on Veterans Day it’s worth noting their contributions.
<h2>Rob Riggle</h2>
The veteran SNL funnyman has become a constant comedy presence on shows like “Modern Family,” and movies like “Step Brothers” and “The Hangover.” He’s constantly working, but before diving into that breakneck pace he served 23 years, in total, with the U.S. Marines.
Riggle’s service included nine active-duty years in Liberia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Albania. The retired <a href="https://people.com/tv/rob-riggle-military-service-hollywood-bet-on-myself/#:~:text=Riggle%20served%2023%20years%20total,to%20serve%20in%20some%20capacity.%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lieutenant Colonel told People magazine</a> how invaluable his time in the military was to his personal improvement.
&#8220;They pushed me beyond my perceived limits… so whatever I thought I was capable of, the Marines said, &#8216;Actually, you can do a whole lot more when pushed.’ And they were right.” 
<div id="attachment_651375" style="width: 849px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651375" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651375" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-839x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 04: (L to R) Word War II and Korean War veterans Pat Finn, Melvin Hurwitz, Johnny Johnson and Mel Jenner join actor and host Rob Riggle (C) at the 2023 American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes event at Omni Shoreham Hotel on November 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)" width="839" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-839x576.jpg 839w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-300x206.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859-768x527.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1775381859.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 839px) 100vw, 839px" />WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; NOVEMBER 04: (L to R) Word War II and Korean War veterans Pat Finn, Melvin Hurwitz, Johnny Johnson and Mel Jenner join actor and host Rob Riggle (C) at the 2023 American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes event at Omni Shoreham Hotel on November 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Adam Driver</h2>
Han Solo’s on-screen son is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, including his work in the upcoming Michael Mann drama “Ferrari.”
Driver’s intensity is a calling card, which helps explain why he signed up to defend his country shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 
He said during a 2015 TED Talk that his military time was “one of the things I’m most proud of having done in my life.”
He served nearly three years before a mountain bike injury forced him to accept a medical discharge. The future star tried to work through the injury, but his body wouldn’t have it. That prevented him from serving overseas in Iraq, <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2813966/adam-driver-draws-parallels-between-acting-military-careers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he told NPR’s “Fresh Air.”</a>
&#8220;I wanted to go so much. I mean, you were training to do this job for two years with these people. The idea of not going, someone else going in your place or not being there, is not really an easy thing to sit with.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_651379" style="width: 787px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651379" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651379" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-777x576.jpg" alt="TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Adam Driver of 'Tracks' poses at the Guess Portrait Studio during 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2013 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)" width="777" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-777x576.jpg 777w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884-768x569.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-180216884.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px" />TORONTO, ON &#8211; SEPTEMBER 10: Actor Adam Driver of &#8216;Tracks&#8217; poses at the Guess Portrait Studio during 2013 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2013 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Drew Carey</h2>
The “Price Is Right” wisecracker routinely supports the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. He’s deployed his wit to make soldiers smile during multiple USO outings. 
He knew exactly how they felt.
Carey signed up with the U.S. Marines in 1980 where he served his country for six years as a field radio operator with the 25th Marine Regiment in Ohio. He eventually attained the rank of sergeant, exploring his gift for gab along the way.
He began penning jokes for military stand-up performances, paving the way for his post-Marine life.
Joining the military had a <a href="https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/drew-carey-cleveland-ohio-marine-corps-history-lone-sailor-statue-great-lakes-science-center/95-941db02d-2a8a-4c78-adb6-e7930a4806df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profound effect</a> on the future funnyman.
“I went from not being able to afford to eat or clothe myself to getting three meals a day. I had an instant family. I had something to be proud of every day.”
<div id="attachment_651387" style="width: 880px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651387" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651387" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-870x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actor Drew Carey visits SiriusXM Studios on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)" width="870" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-870x576.jpg 870w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-300x199.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851-768x509.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1190047851.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px" />NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; NOVEMBER 25: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Actor Drew Carey visits SiriusXM Studios on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Ice-T</h2>
The veteran rapper was once best known for his incendiary songs targeting crooked cops. Today, he’s a long-standing member of “Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit,” the literal face of hard-working police officers.
As a young man, he <a href="https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-ice-t.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined the Army</a> to get his life in order.
Then-Tracy Marrow had a wife and daughter, so the move gave him structure along with financial security. He briefly misbehaved during his four-year stint in the 25th Infantry Division, but was able to bounce back and complete his service.
He also used that time to plot his future. Marrow picked up music equipment he’d later use in the early stages of his rap career during his military service.
<div id="attachment_651389" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651389" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651389" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 03: Ice-T attends the 38th Annual Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-1773441395.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />NEW YORK, NEW YORK &#8211; NOVEMBER 03: Ice-T attends the 38th Annual Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )</div>
<h2>Pat Sajak</h2>
The future game show host shouted, “Good Morning, Vietnam,” into a mic long before Robin Williams made the phrase famous. Sajak didn’t come up with the catchphrase – Williams’ real-life inspiration for the 1987 film of the same name came courtesy of DJ Adrian Cronauer.
Sajak kept that irreverent spirit alive during his days in the U.S. Military.
The future “Wheel of Fortune” star initially trained as a finance clerk but later found his calling as a DJ for the American Forces Vietnam Network. 
Sajak lamented that his service didn’t include life on the battlefield. He called his service “soft,” and felt some shame attached to it. He took solace in the reaction to his broadcasts from fellow soldiers who cheered him for <a href="https://www.uso.org/stories/283-wheel-of-fortune-host-pat-sajak-recounts-his-days-as-an-army-dj">making them feel closer to home</a> with every show.
<div id="attachment_651397" style="width: 801px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651397" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651397" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-791x576.jpg" alt="ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 10: 'Wheel of Fortune' host Pat Sajak attends a taping of the Wheel of Fortune's 35th Anniversary Season at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World on October 10, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)" width="791" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-791x576.jpg 791w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-768x559.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-1536x1119.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-859977418-1-2048x1492.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px" />ORLANDO, FL &#8211; OCTOBER 10: &#8216;Wheel of Fortune&#8217; host Pat Sajak attends a taping of the Wheel of Fortune&#8217;s 35th Anniversary Season at Epcot Center at Walt Disney World on October 10, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images)</div>
<h2>Mel Brooks</h2>
One of the funniest men alive <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2882521/actor-comedian-mel-brooks-served-in-army-in-world-war-ii/#:~:text=In%201944%2C%20he%20was%20drafted,training%20at%20Fort%20Sill%2C%20Oklahoma.">lived through the Battle of the Bulge</a>.
Brooks was drafted into the Army in 1944 and brushed up on combat engineering at Virginia Military Institute. By November he was in France and later Belgium as part of the 78th Infantry Division.
He helped clear the battlefield of land mines to allow Allied soldiers to push forward in the Battle of the Bulge. He even saw combat during his service.
The future legend could find something funny about anything, even the horrors of war. He would go on to savage the Third Reich in his 1967 comedy classic, “The Producers,” featuring the loopy tune “Springtime for Hitler.”
<div id="attachment_651399" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-651399" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-651399" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-866x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 07: Director Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the screening of 'High Anxiety' during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 26657_004 (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM)" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/GettyImages-666006012.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />LOS ANGELES, CA &#8211; APRIL 07: Director Mel Brooks speaks onstage at the screening of &#8216;High Anxiety&#8217; during the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 7, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. 26657_004 (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM)</div>
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

2019 American Valor: A Salute To Our Heroes Veterans Day Special

‘They Pushed Me Beyond My Perceived Limits’: Hollywood Stars Who Served

'They Pushed Me Beyond My Perceived Limits': Hollywood Stars Who Served

actors

Entertainment

Hollywood

Marines

U.S. Army

U.S. Military

Vietnam

World War II

U.S. Marine Corps Major Gen. Chris A. McPhillips announced Tuesday that the 248th Marine Corps Ball has been canceled by the U.S. Central Command, citing &#8220;unforeseen operational commitments.&#8221;
McPhillips announced the update to the annual event, scheduled on November 16 in Tampa, Florida, for former and retired maritime land forces to get dressed to the nines and celebrate the tradition and legacy of the Marine Corps.
&#8220;Due to unforeseen operational commitments and the nature of our current mission, it is with great regret that we must cancel this year&#8217;s event,&#8221; McPhillips wrote in a letter.
The Central Command&#8217;s decision to cancel the celebration resulted from the Marine Corps&#8217; &#8220;primary responsibility&#8221; to guarantee the defense and security of the United States, McPhillips said.
&#8220;It is this commitment to duty that has necessitated the cancellation of what would undoubtedly have been an exceptional evening of camaraderie and tradition,&#8221; he said, expressing gratitude for the &#8220;immense effort&#8221; to those who spent the time and energy to plan the event.
&#8220;Please know that this decision was not made lightly, and the chief consideration was the need to uphold the highest standards of readiness and the completion of our operational responsibilities,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command has just announced that their Marine Corps 248th Ball scheduled for November 16th has now been Cancelled due to “Unforeseen Operational Commitments and the Nature of our current Mission.” <a href="https://t.co/8MOmnvGvyo">pic.twitter.com/8MOmnvGvyo</a>
&mdash; OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) <a href="https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1719734648169808294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East after Hamas terrorists launched a brutal war against Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people, including at least 29 U.S. citizens.
Department of Defense authorities also reported at least 27 attacks against U.S. forces have occurred in the Middle East since October 17.
U.S. officials have since <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3571205/pentagon-press-secretary-air-force-brig-gen-pat-ryder-holds-an-on-camera-press/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deployed or are deploying</a> approximately 900 troops to the region.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3575354/300-more-us-troops-deploy-to-us-central-command/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Tuesday that 300 U.S. troops would deploy to the CENTCOM area of operations to &#8220;provide capabilities in explosive ordnance disposal, communications, and other support functions for forces already in the region.&#8221;
&#8220;These forces will not go to Israel,&#8221; Ryder said. &#8220;They are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster U.S. force protection capabilities.&#8221;
A spokesperson with the Marine Corps Central Command told The Daily Wire in an email that the decision to cancel the annual Birthday Ball stemmed from the &#8220;dynamic and uncertain security environment&#8221; in the Command Team&#8217;s area of responsibility, which <a href="https://www.marcent.marines.mil/#:~:text=Who%20we%20are,the%20CENTCOM%20area%20of%20responsibility." target="_blank" rel="noopener">covers</a> 21 nations in the Middle East, Central, and South Asia, and the strategic waterways that surround them.
&#8220;Because of the uncertain situation, the MARCENT (Marine Corps service component for U.S. Central Command) Commander wants to avoid a last-minute cancellation that would burden Marines, families, veterans, and members of the community with trying to recoup money from ticket sales, reservations, etc,&#8221; the spokesperson said. &#8220;MARCENT will perform a modified celebration of the Marine Corps&#8217; birthday that honors the history and traditions of the service.&#8221;
The announcement marks the third time the Marine Corps birthday celebrations have been canceled since 2020.
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger canceled the event in October 2021 for the second consecutive year in Washington, D.C., citing an &#8220;abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 pandemic,&#8221; <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/breaking-news/2021/10/13/marine-corps-commandants-246-birthday-ball-canceled-due-to-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Marine Times.

US-POLITICS-DEFENCE-ARMED FORCES-MILLEY-BIDEN

Marine Corps Central Command Cancels Annual Ball Due To ‘Unforeseen Operational Commitments’

Marine Corps Central Command Cancels Annual Ball Due To 'Unforeseen Operational Commitments'

Department of Defense

Hamas

Israel

Leaders of the terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, all groups funded by Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/25/news/terrorist-groups-meet-to-unite-in-war-against-israel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met on Wednesday</a> in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is located.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met with Hamas deputy chief Saleh Al-Arouri and Palestinian Islamic Jihad head Ziad al-Nakhala. A portrait of Iran’s original Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and another portrait of Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, were on the wall behind them.
Al-Arouri declared in 2014 at the fourth conference of the World Union of Islamic Sages (held in Turkey) that Hamas was responsible for the abduction and murder of three Jewish teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel, <a href="https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/20706/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, “The struggle of the masses has grown to include all the occupied lands. It reached a height in the heroic action carried out by the [Izz al-Din] al-Qassam Brigades, which captured three settlers in Hebron.&#8221;
Nasrallah <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/2008-02-24/ty-article/nasrallah-israel-to-be-destroyed-within-years/0000017f-dc6a-df62-a9ff-dcffb0490000">said</a> in 2008 that “Israel will be destroyed in a few years.&#8221; In 2020, he <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/khamenei-says-israel-will-not-survive-628946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;When Khomeini declared Al Quds Day in 1979, it was a culmination point of his personal struggle against Israel, which he began addressing in 1960. Khamenei was restating the position of Najaf and Qom regarding Palestine, a position that remains a consistent position until the present. This position is that Palestine from river to sea must be liberated. Israel has no legitimacy to exist at all and must be destroyed.&#8221;
Al-Nakhala <a href="https://jcpa.org/islamic-jihad-leader-we-will-attack-israel-from-the-north-and-south/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in 2018, “I’m sure we will defeat the Zionist project, and this entity will disappear.”
Hezbollah and Hamas were <a href="https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/references/terrorist-organizations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">placed</a> on the U.S. State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations on October 8, 1997; Palestine Islamic Jihad was <a href="https://www.dni.gov/nctc/ftos/pij_fto.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designated</a> a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
In October 1983, the U.S. military suffered the <a href="https://www.military.com/history/5-surprising-facts-about-1983-beirut-barracks-bombing.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">single deadliest day</a> since the Vietnam War when 246 American troops were murdered in a terrorist bombing at their Beirut, Lebanon, barracks.
In 2012, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2473896/anderson-v-the-islamic-republic-of-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> of the attack:
<blockquote>
In 1983, high-ranking members of Hezbollah and a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, acting at the direction of the Iranian Ambassador to Syria, met in Baalbek, Lebanon. At this meeting, the individuals “formed a plan to carry out simultaneous attacks against the American and French barracks in Lebanon.” Subsequent to these discussions, members of Hezbollah disguised a 19-ton truck to resemble a water delivery truck that regularly traveled to the Beirut International Airport, near the U.S. Marine barracks, and rigged the truck so that it could carry an explosive device. On the morning of October 23, 1983, a group of Hezbollah operatives ambushed the real water delivery truck, and the fake truck was sent to the barracks, driven by an Iranian member of Hezbollah. Upon reaching the barracks, the fake truck increased its speed and broke through the wire and sandbag barriers surrounding the facility. Once the truck reached the center of the barracks, the bomb it carried was detonated.
</blockquote>

Leader of Lebanon’s Nasrallah meets with senior leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas

Leaders Of Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad Meet In Lebanon

Beirut

Hezbollah

Islamic Jihad

Terrorists

The U.S. Marine Corps is temporarily loosening uniform standards to deal with a camouflage shortage due to supply chain issues.
Commandant General Eric Smith made the announcement in an Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxwEQO4LJiu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a>, saying service members will be able to substitute desert-colored uniforms for the usual woodland patterned ones, which are currently scarce thanks to a manufacturing shortage.
Smith said he recently returned from the Indo-Pacific region, where service members told him, &#8220;I can&#8217;t get cammies,&#8221; a nickname for the camouflage combat utility uniform.
&#8220;That problem is going to stay with us until the fall of 2024 when the manufacturer can fill the backlog that has been created after COVID. Until that time, local commanders, battalions and squadrons are authorized to use <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120916065851/http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/pmice/InfoPapers/Clothing/FROG.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FROG</a> [flame-resistant organizational gear] gear or desert cammies to mitigate,&#8221; Smith said.
&#8220;What we cannot have is a situation where a Marine is wearing unserviceable cammies, because that looks bad for the Corps, and we can’t have a situation where that Marine is being given a hard time about those unserviceable cammies. We’re going to get this fixed, Marines, but it’s going to take a little patience,&#8221; Smith added.
The relaxing of uniform standards does not mean that Marines can decide on their own to wear a different uniform, Major John Parry, a Marine spokesman, <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/09/29/marines-authorized-wear-desert-pattern-uniform-commanders-discretion-amid-cammie-shortage.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Marine Corps Times.
“This does not mean a Marine may make a decision unilaterally to wear a different uniform or civilian attire due to a serviceability issue with their designated uniform of the day,” Parry said.
“The guidance to battalion and squadron leaders and above is to make decisions that uphold the high standards of our service while maintaining mission readiness and reducing overall impact on daily operations,” the Marine spokesman said.
The &#8220;nonstandard&#8221; uniform items are a rare move for the branch, which prides itself on strict uniform standards, the Marine Corps Times <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/29/camouflage-uniform-shortage-prompts-marine-corps-to-soften-attire-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The woodland patterned &#8220;cammies&#8221; <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/09/29/marines-authorized-wear-desert-pattern-uniform-commanders-discretion-amid-cammie-shortage.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are</a> typically the primary daily uniform for Marines. Recruits <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/29/camouflage-uniform-shortage-prompts-marine-corps-to-soften-attire-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are supposed</a> to receive three utility uniforms with the woodland pattern and two with the desert pattern.
Lately though, the Marine Corps has been giving recruits just two woodland sets and one desert set, the Marine spokesman said in August. Meanwhile, some recruits have been training in FROG gear, which is typically saved for deployments. Some Marines have <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/29/camouflage-uniform-shortage-prompts-marine-corps-to-soften-attire-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> resorted to patching up holes in their &#8220;cammies&#8221; with Marine-pattern bandanas or scraps of old uniforms.
Despite the pivot to desert-colored &#8220;cammies,&#8221; however, <a href="https://www.mynavyexchange.com/marpat-woodland-blouse-with-permethrin-/12840487" target="_blank" rel="noopener">both</a> <a href="https://www.mynavyexchange.com/marpat-desert-blouse-with-permethrin-/12840553" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appear</a> to be in short supply on the My Navy Exchange website.
&#8220;Unfortunately, we are experiencing supply delays on this item,&#8221; a message on the website reads for both products. &#8220;The estimated back in stock date is Fall 2024. We greatly apologize for this inconvenience.&#8221;
The CEO of American Apparel, which makes most of the uniforms, said over the summer that inflation impacted the company&#8217;s ability to find workers to produce items.
“McDonald’s and a lot of the fast food guys are paying $2 and $3 more an hour than we could afford to pay,” CEO Chuck Lambert <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/29/camouflage-uniform-shortage-prompts-marine-corps-to-soften-attire-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Marine Corps Times in August. “Where they could go up on the price of the hamburger, we can’t go up on the price of a uniform.”
Commandant Smith was <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/21/the-marine-corps-finally-gets-an-official-top-leader/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nominated</a> by President Biden in May and confirmed as the military branch&#8217;s leader just last month.

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-US-NATO-UNREST

Marine Corps Loosens Uniform Standards Amid Camouflage Shortage

Biden Administration

Economy

Military

Supply Chain

The United States Military said on Monday that it has located the wreckage of an F-15 fighter jet that crashed over the weekend in South Carolina.
Joint Base Charleston, which is located in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/south-carolina">South Carolina</a>, said Sunday on social media that efforts were underway to locate the aircraft with the help of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort following a “mishap” in the afternoon and asked for the public&#8217;s help in finding the stealth fighter.
Personnel from Joint Base Charleston and [Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort], in close coordination with local authorities, have located a debris field in Williamsburg County,&#8221; Joint Base Charleston said in a statement. &#8220;The debris was discovered two hours northeast of JB Charleston.&#8221;
&#8220;Teams from JB Charleston, @MCASBeaufortSC, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing out of MCAS Cherry Point, Navy Region Southeast, the FAA, the Civil Air Patrol, as well as local, county, and state law enforcement across South Carolina have been working together to locate the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Members of the community should avoid the area as the recovery team secures the debris field. We are transferring incident command to the USMC this evening, as they begin the recovery process.&#8221;
Retired Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle <a href="https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2023/09/18/with-f-35-still-missing-marine-corps-holds-aviation-standdown/">said</a> in an interview that F-35s often times will have their radar cross sections modified when they are flying during public or semi-public flights so foreign adversaries like communist China are not able to watch and see how the plane appears on radar during combat. The radar cross section of an F-35 is so small that it appears on radar as an object roughly the size of a bumble bee.
However, if the jet&#8217;s radar cross section had not been enlarged before the flight that could explain why it was so difficult to the find the jet — the most advanced fighter jet in the world — which can cost up to $160 million each depending on how it is configured.

F-35 Fıghter Jets in flight at sunset

Military Officials Locate Debris From F-35 Fighter That Crashed Over South Carolina

Airplane crash

Three U.S. Marines killed during a training exercise in the Australian north coast city of Darwin on Monday were identified on Tuesday after an American MV-22B Osprey aircraft carrying the troops crashed and wounded several others.
Captain Eleanor V LeBeau, 29, Corporal Spencer R Collart, 21, and Major Tobin J Lewis, 37, were reportedly killed in the crash after the aircraft caught fire when lying in support of Exercise Predators Run.
&#8220;We are deeply saddened by the loss of three respected and beloved members of the MRF-D family,&#8221; Col Brendan Sullivan, commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force Darwin, said in a <a href="https://www.marines.mil/News/Press-Releases/Press-Release-Display/Article/3507817/update-marine-rotational-force-darwin-mv-22b-osprey-tiltrotor-aircraft-crash/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>. &#8220;Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families and with all involved.&#8221;
The tiltrotor aircraft was carrying 23 U.S. Marines when it crashed at roughly 9:30 a.m. local time on Melville Island, off the Northern Territory of mainland Australia in the Timor Sea. Twenty Marines suffered injuries in the crash, and five in serious condition were flown to a town 50 miles away for treatment.
&#8220;At present, we remain focused on required support to the ongoing recovery and investigative efforts,&#8221; Sullivan added.
U.S. Marine Corps officials said three Marines remain in Royal Darwin Hospital, one in critical condition and two in stable condition. Military officials said 17 others were taken to Royal Darwin Hospital, treated for minor injuries, and released.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles <a href="https://apnews.com/article/osprey-crash-australia-marines-89a89b2ba580249f8cd6960909ca0dcd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said she would not detail the conditions of those in the hospital out of respect for them and their families.
&#8220;It&#8217;s&#8230; a credit to everyone involved that we were able to get 20 patients from an extremely remote location on an island into our tertiary hospital within a matter of hours,&#8221; Fyles told reporters.
The deceased Marines had highly decorated careers and received numerous service medals and awards.
Corporal Collart, originally from Arlington, Virginia, enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 2020 and was promoted to Corporal in February 2023. He served in Pensacola, FL, and Jacksonville, NC, before arriving at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, HI. Cpl Collart, an MV-22B crew chief, received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to military officials.
Captain LeBeau, originally from Belleville, Illinois, piloted the aircraft when it crashed. Authorities reportedly commended her for landing the plane, allowing 20 others to survive the wreck. She was commissioned into the Marine Corps in August 2018 and was promoted to Captain in March 2023. She served in Pensacola, FL, Corpus Christi, TX, and Jacksonville, NC, before arriving at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, HI. Capt LeBeau, an MV-22B pilot, received the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to military officials.
Major Lewis, originally from Jefferson, Colorado, was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 2008, being promoted to Major in 2018. He has served in Pensacola, FL, Corpus Christi, TX, Jacksonville, NC, and Okinawa, Japan, before arriving at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, HI. Maj Lewis, an MV-22B pilot, received two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and four Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, according to military officials.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin paid tribute to the deceased Marines on social media.
&#8220;These Marines served our country with courage and pride, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families today, with the other troops who were injured in the crash, and with the entire USMC family,&#8221; Austin tweeted.
The Osprey aircraft that crashed was one of two that left the Australian town of Darwin for the Tiwi Islands – where Melville Island is located – roughly 50 miles away. The &#8220;routine training exercise&#8221; supported Exercise Predators Run, a multi-nation military exercise comprised of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor.
Roughly 2,500 people take part in the military drill, including about 500 from the United States, according to Fox News. The exercise, set to end on September 7 after 12 days, has reportedly been paused following the tragic incident.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said emergency responders were surprised the death toll from the crash was not higher.
&#8220;For a chopper that crashes and catches fire, to have 20 Marines that are surviving, I think that&#8217;s an incredible outcome,&#8221; Murphy said.
Though unclear what caused the incident, this isn&#8217;t the first time the Osprey aircraft has been involved in a fatal crash.
Since 2012, there have been five fatal crashes involving Marine Osprey aircraft, according to the AP. In June 2022, a mechanical failure related to the aircraft&#8217;s clutch caused the deaths of five Marines in California after the Osprey crashed, according to a crash investigation report.
Three months before the fatal incident, four other Marines were killed in an Osprey crash during a NATO exercise in Norway.
Ben Whitehead contributed to this report.

US Marine Corps Identifies Three Marines Killed During Australia Training Exercise

Australia

Three U.S. Marines were killed during a training exercise on a northern Australian island on Sunday after an American MV-22B Osprey aircraft carrying the troops crashed, wounding several others, according to officials. 
The tiltrotor aircraft was carrying 23 U.S. Marines when it crashed at roughly 9:30 a.m. local time on Melville Island, which is off the Northern Territory of mainland Australia in the Timor Sea. Twenty Marines were injured in the crash, and five in serious condition were flown to a town 50 miles away for treatment, according to a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-aircraft-crash-australia-e85fcd46cd3c85933d724a8cf4f253b3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Associated Press. 
“Marine Rotational Force &#8211; Darwin can confirm a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crash on Melville Island, north of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, while transporting troops during a routine training exercise,” the Marine Rotational Force in Darwin (MRF-D) said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/MRFDarwin/status/1695703721081204844/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. 
At least one of the injured Marines underwent surgery at a hospital in Darwin, according to Natasha Fyles, the chief minister of Australia’s Northern Territory. Recovery efforts were still ongoing, and the cause of the crash was under investigation, according to the MRF-D press release, which was issued early Sunday. 
There was a “significant fire in the vicinity of the crash site,” according to an audio recording of an American official’s report to Australian air traffic controllers following the incident, the AP reported. 
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The Osprey aircraft that crashed was one of two that left the Australian town of Darwin for the Tiwi Islands – where Melville Island is located – roughly 50 miles away. The “routine training exercise” was in support of Exercise Predators Run, a multi-nation military exercise comprised of the United States, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor. 
“The initial reports suggest that the incident involves just U.S. defense force personnel,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. “Our focus as a government and as the department of defense is very much on incident response and on making sure that every support and assistance is given at this difficult time.”
Roughly 2,500 people take part in Exercise Predators Run, including about 500 from the United States, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-military-aircraft-carrying-about-20-marines-crashes-over-australia-killing-3-injuring-others?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. The exercise, set to end on September 7 after 12 days, has reportedly been paused following the tragic incident. 
Though it’s unclear what caused the incident, this isn’t the first time the Osprey aircraft has been involved in a fatal crash. Since 2012, there have been five fatal crashes involving Marine Osprey aircraft, according to the AP. In June 2022, a mechanical failure related to the aircraft’s clutch caused the deaths of five Marines in California after the Osprey crashed, according to a crash investigation report. Three months before that, four Marines were <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/27/australia-crash-us-marines-killed-osprey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed</a> in an Osprey crash during a NATO exercise in Norway.

1st Marine Division holds final mission rehearsal across Southern California before deployment

3 U.S. Marines Killed, Several Injured During Training Exercise In Australia

World

On Monday, the families of 13 service members who were murdered in a terrorist attack at the Kabul airport in 2021 held a press conference. They called on the Biden administration to give them some answers and inform the public as to how their loved ones actually died in the terrorist attack.
Joe Biden committed the single most egregious act I’ve ever seen a president undertake: the cowardly, pusillanimous, and disgusting pullout from Afghanistan without any plan whatsoever. This caused the complete collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban, left millions of people behind, and abandoned hundreds to thousands of Americans left behind in enemy hands. Green card holders were not able to get out. Translators were left to be murdered. American soldiers were blown up at the airport because proper security was not actually guaranteed.
And Biden has never paid the political price for it.
The real story of Biden’s presidency is encapsulated in the arrogance, the egotism, the disgusting, selfish involvement of the president of the United States in presiding over the greatest foreign policy disaster of my lifetime, and then just blithely talking it away.
Biden is not a good person. He is the kind of person who ignores a four-year-old grandchild for four years, if he thinks it’s politically beneficial for him to do so. He is the kind of person whose entire career has been marked by lying about others. He’s the kind of person who slandered a man who was involved in a car crash in which his wife and one of his children were killed. He slandered that person as a drunk driver for years. That’s the kind of person that Joe Biden is.
It is disgusting that this person who was perceived as warm, generous, fuzzy and cuddly — the guy who nuzzled small children for no reason — was so cold and calculating that he really did not care what happened to the people who got left behind, including American soldiers. Biden is a person who cares first and foremost about himself. And that is perfectly obvious in the way he treated the Gold Star family members.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1783-i-will-never-forget-biden-s-disastrous-afghanistan-pull-out-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
That was certainly evident from the testimony of the Gold Star family members and wounded soldiers who were at the press conference. American service members were murdered in Kabul and the treatment of these Gold Star family members was egregious and disgusting.
Biden had talked to the wounded vets, and when he did, he spoke about his son Beau’s death — who had died of brain cancer. Biden tried to suggest that his son Beau’s death, which was tragic and terrible, was somehow the equivalent of people being blown up in combat.
For those who ever have to visit a house of mourning, the rule is: Shut up. You visit a house of mourning, you shut up and let them talk, because you don’t know how that person feels, even if you’ve gone through something similar.
But the media don’t care about Biden’s actions. They don’t care. The Gold Star family members are of no consequence to them. No one knows their names. No one gives them coverage. These are not people who you’re going to see on the nightly news. You’re not going to see interviews with those wounded soldiers.
This whole “caring grandpa” routine is a lie. He’s a corrupt politician. He has been for decades. He’s never held a real job outside of the federal government. And he went around telling people who just lost family members, young people who were blown up, that he knew how they felt because he had a son who died of cancer in circumstances entirely unrelated to his military service.
Gold Star father Darin Hoover said of Biden, “Do what our son did. Be a grown-ass man. Admit to your mistakes. Learn from them so that this doesn’t happen ever, ever again.”
People told Biden that the collapse in Afghanistan was going to happen. They all told him, but he didn’t care because he’s a stubborn ass, a fool, and a bad person. Across the country, thousands of people were being murdered by the Taliban, dragged out of their house, and killed. But he didn’t care about that. He said, “Don’t worry, we’re not going to leave our Afghan allies behind.”
Spoiler alert: We left tens of thousands of Afghan allies behind. He said we would do everything we could to provide safe evacuation for our Afghan allies — but he was a liar. We left all those people to be murdered. He said we would not leave Americans behind. This, too, was a lie. We left hundreds of Americans behind.
He said we made clear to the Taliban that any attack — any attack — on our forces or disruption of our operations at the airport would be met with a swift and forceful response, that we were keeping a close watch on any potential terrorist threat at or around the airport.
No, we damned well didn’t. We have dead American service people to prove it.
A couple of days later, he went on national television and claimed the whole thing had been a wonderful success for his administration, saying, “The extraordinary success of this mission was due to the incredible skill, bravery, and selfless courage of the United States military and our diplomats and intelligence professionals.”
That is who Joe Biden is. That’s what Americans should be focused on going into the election.
And that’s why these families will never see the light of day on national news. That’s why you won’t hear the names of the Gold Star family members outside of conservative media. The names of the soldiers should be household names, but they won’t be.
Never forget how this man sinned against the American people, against our Afghan allies, and against our soldiers and their families.
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Ben Shapiro 2

Gold Star Families From Kabul Terror Attack Blast Biden. Never Forget How He Abandoned Our Soldiers.

Afghanistan

Ben Shapiro

Joe Biden

Readers Pass

Three <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marines</a> stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina were found dead in a car at a Speedway gas station Sunday morning from what authorities say was carbon monoxide poisoning. 
The Pender County Sheriff’s Office received a call Sunday from the mother of one of the Marines who became worried when her son didn’t arrive home in Oklahoma on his scheduled flight Saturday night, <a href="https://www.jdnews.com/news/carbon-monoxide-poisoning-cause-of-death-for-camp-lejeune-marines-found-dead-in-pender-county/article_c584c07a-1f07-5bc5-893a-a7034f8ea031.html">according</a> to Jacksonville, North Carolina outlet, the Daily News. After beginning an investigation, authorities found the missing Marine, along with two other Marines, dead inside a vehicle at the Speedway station around <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/26/marine-deaths-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-north-carolina/70470390007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 miles</a> south of the base. Deputies were directed to the gas station by the mother, who pinged her son’s phone to find its location. 
“I am saddened by the timeless and tragic death of these three young men who served our country honorably,&#8221; said Sheriff Alan W. Cutler in a press release, according to the Daily News. &#8220;Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and colleagues during this time.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The three Marine lance corporals who were found dead in a vehicle at a North Carolina gas station died of carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities say. <a href="https://t.co/ZRbo7u2hCD">https://t.co/ZRbo7u2hCD</a>
&mdash; NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1684424676209049601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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After the Marines&#8217; families were notified of the deaths, autopsies were performed by the North Carolina Office of the Medical Examiner, which found that all three deaths were consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning. Authorities did not immediately say if the deaths were accidental, The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/26/three-us-marines-found-dead-in-car-near-camp-lejeune-died-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
The Marines were identified as Lance Corporal Merax Dockery, 23, of Pottawatomie, Oklahoma; Lance Corporal Tanner Kaltenberg, 19, of Madison, Wisconsin; and Lance Corporal Ivan Garcia, 23, of Naples, Florida. All three of the men were vehicle operators in the Combat Logistics Battalion 2, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, and 2nd Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejeune, USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/26/marine-deaths-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-north-carolina/70470390007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
Dockery joined active-duty service in 2020, according to the U.S. Marine Corps. and was previously stationed at Camp Pendleton in California and at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Dockery’s mother, Heather Glass, told the Associated Press, &#8220;I feel at peace because I know he was asleep when he passed.” One of Dockery’s sisters, Micah, wrote on Facebook, &#8220;My handsome kind baby brother is gone. I don’t feel like this is real, it can’t be.&#8221;
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Kaltenberg went to high school in Verona, Wisconsin, before joining the Marines in May 2021. He was first based in San Diego at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, and like Dockery, went to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before ending up at Camp Lejeune.
Garcia went to high school in Naples, Florida, before entering active-duty service in 2019. He, too, started in San Diego at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot before being moved to Fort Leonard Wood and then to Camp Lejeune.

Camp Lejune

Three Marines Found Dead In Car From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Authorities

Death

North Carolina

Police

U.S.

A Republican senator is showing no signs of backing down from a stand against a Pentagon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/abortion">abortion</a> policy that is delaying military promotions, even with the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marines">Marines</a> <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/marine-corps-confirmed-commandant-1st-time-1910-due/story?id=101007971">going without a confirmed leader</a> for the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2023-07-10/republicans-hold-on-nominations-leaves-marines-without-confirmed-leader-for-1st-time-in-100-years">first time in a century</a>.
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tommy-tuberville">Tommy Tuberville</a> (R-AL), who is protesting the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3301006/dod-releases-policies-to-ensure-access-to-non-covered-reproductive-health-care/">Department of Defense</a> (DoD) allowing female service members <a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/02/16/military-cover-travel-costs-and-offer-leave-troops-seeking-abortions-fertility-treatment.html">expense-paid travel and up to three weeks leave</a> for an elective abortion, appeared unfazed as Gen. David Berger steps down as commandant of the Marine Corps at the end of his <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/us-marines-without-confirmed-leader-for-first-time-in-100-years-/7175035.html">four-year term</a>.
&#8220;I&#8217;m not going to change my approach,&#8221; Tuberville told CNN in an interview that aired on Monday. The senator said Gen. Eric Smith, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/30/eric-smith-marine-corps-commandant-biden/">branch&#8217;s No. 2 official</a> who is President Joe Biden&#8217;s pick to formally take over command, has already taken on the top position in an acting capacity.
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U.S. Marine Corps without a confirmed head for first time in 160 years, and Pentagon says acting head will have to do two jobs.
Tommy Tuberville, who is holding up more than 250 military promotions over Pentagon&#39;s abortion policy, told me: &quot;I&#39;m not going to change my approach&quot; <a href="https://t.co/oPVZeEv4XY">pic.twitter.com/oPVZeEv4XY</a>
&mdash; Manu Raju (@mkraju) <a href="https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1678501960670912512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;He&#8217;s assumed the duties already. It&#8217;s not like it&#8217;s void of a position, it&#8217;s just the name,&#8221; Tuberville said.
The &#8220;hold&#8221; on general and flag officer promotions blocks the Democrat-controlled Senate from approving the nominations quickly and in batches through a &#8220;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/research-tools/glossary.htm">unanimous consent</a>&#8221; agreement. Tuberville stressed that the Senate could still hold a vote to approve individual nominations, a process he said would be &#8220;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/politics/marine-corps-tuberville-nominations-hold/index.html">very easy to do</a>.&#8221;
But a Senate aide for the Democrats told CNN that it would take months to get through all the nominations in such a way and Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued Smith &#8220;deserves Senate action without political obstruction that has nothing to do with his command.&#8221;
More than 250 nominations have been stalled amid the senator&#8217;s protest over the policy that was <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3301006/dod-releases-policies-to-ensure-access-to-non-covered-reproductive-health-care/">released earlier this year</a>, prompting some of Tuberville&#8217;s own GOP colleagues to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/28/politics/tuberville-senate-holds/index.html">express their dismay</a>.
The Pentagon has <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1678479544485834756">urged Tuberville to lift his hold</a> while <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/marine-corps-confirmed-commandant-1st-time-1910-due/story?id=101007971">raising concerns about readiness</a>. In comments <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/politics/marine-corps-tuberville-nominations-hold/index.html">reported by CNN</a>, Berger said Smith will be deprived of a second-in-command because of the situation.
“He can’t do both jobs at the same time, nor can anyone else because they don’t have the authorities because all the promotions are held up,” Berger added. “So he’s going to have to do his job in a very different way than I was able to, because I could travel, he was here, he could travel, I was here. Now only one of him, so it affects the way he does his job.”
Noting that the DoD&#8217;s &#8220;authority to fund abortions is governed by 10 U.S.C. 1093, which limits abortions to cases of rape, incest, or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother,&#8221; Tuberville has said he will not lift his hold until Defense Secretary Loyd Austin suspends the <a href="https://www.tuberville.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tuberville-op-ed-in-the-washington-times-standing-up-on-abortion-to-most-politicized-pentagon-in-american-history/">&#8220;illegal&#8221; policy</a> that came in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade or there is a law change.
<a href="https://www.tuberville.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tuberville-twice-blocks-democrats-attempts-to-break-dod-hold/">His office announced</a> that Tuberville has the support of several conservative leaders, including former Trump administration official Ben Carson, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, and March for Life Action president Jeanne Mancini.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville

GOP Senator Holds Firm In Stand Against Pentagon Abortion Policy As Marines Lose Confirmed Leader

Congress

Pentagon

Tommy Tuberville

Sheriff’s deputies in San Clemente, California, arrested nine teenagers over the brutal assault of three U.S. Marines last Saturday.
San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/orange-county-deputies-arrest-teenagers-accused-of-brutally-beating-marines-in-san-clemente/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that Orange County Sheriff&#8217;s Department had charged the teenagers, five of whom were accused of assault with a deadly weapon and the other four with misdemeanor assault and battery.
“They think they have the people they are looking for,” Duncan stated. “Not to say that there might not be a few others out there. They feel pretty confident that they have the main perpetrators. &#8230; They had some videotape that wasn&#8217;t readily available to the public that had a lot better images of the individuals involved.”
“In today’s age, you’re going to get caught — people are going to record it,” Duncan <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12142543/Nine-teens-arrested-brutal-assault-three-Marines-told-stop-lighting-fireworks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued</a>. “I hope this serves as a learning lesson for young folks in the community not to let themselves get out of control when something like this happens.”
As many as 40 young people were involved when the three U.S. Marines near a California beach Saturday night were attacked in a horrific moment caught on <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12138283/Marines-savagely-beaten-40-TEENS-confronting-unruly.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-viral video</a>.
The Marines were enjoying time off from their service at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside at approximately 10 p.m. along the beach in San Clemente. One of the Marines, Hunter Antonino, said a piece of debris hit him in the face, prompting him to ask the group to stop lighting fireworks.
“They were lighting off fireworks, they were being belligerent and obnoxious and annoying other people, so I went up to them and told them to stop,” he <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/wild-video-shows-group-of-teenagers-attacking-pair-of-marines-in-san-clemente/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled</a>. Antonio said the group then followed the Marines as they returned to the pier, whereupon Antonio and another Marine informed the group that they were Marines so the group would leave them alone.
Instead, the group savagely attacked the Marines. One individual punched a Marine in the back, prompting the Marine to turn and charge at him, sparking the melee. Video shows two of the Marines lying in the fetal position on the ground as the group kicked them and hurled racial epithets at them. The Marines were kicked in the head and upper body.
Although the Marines were injured, they refused to go to a hospital, according to Orange County Sheriff&#8217;s deputies. Antonio thought he may have suffered a concussion.
 “This is San Clemente, Marines are always welcome here, always going to be celebrated, always taken care of, and that is why this is so particularly tragic,” Duncan said.

Soldiers in formation

9 Teenagers Arrested Over Brutal Assault Of 3 U.S. Marines

Assault

California

Teenagers

A pack of as many as 40 teenagers attacked three U.S. Marines near a California beach Friday night in a horrific moment caught on <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12138283/Marines-savagely-beaten-40-TEENS-confronting-unruly.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now-viral video</a>.
The Marines were enjoying time off from their service at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside at approximately 10 p.m. along the beach in San Clemente. One of the Marines, Hunter Antonino, said a piece of debris hit him in the face, prompting him to ask the teenagers to stop lighting fireworks.
“They were lighting off fireworks, they were being belligerent and obnoxious and annoying other people, so I went up to them and told them to stop,” he <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/wild-video-shows-group-of-teenagers-attacking-pair-of-marines-in-san-clemente/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled</a>. Antonio said the teenagers then followed the Marines as they returned to the pier, whereupon Antonio and another Marine informed the group that they were Marines so the group would leave them alone.
Instead, the group savagely attacked the Marines. One teen punched a Marine in the back, prompting the Marine to turn and charge at him, sparking the melee. Video shows two of the Marines lying in the fetal position on the ground as the teenagers kicked them and hurled racial epithets at them. The Marines were kicked in the head and upper body.
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Although the Marines were injured, they refused to go to a hospital, according to Orange County Sheriff&#8217;s deputies. Antonio thought he may have suffered a concussion.
“This is considered an assault with a deadly weapon because of the amount of suspects we are investigating,” Orange County Sheriff&#8217;s Department Sgt. Frank Gonzalez <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/wild-video-shows-group-of-teenagers-attacking-pair-of-marines-in-san-clemente/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “The weapons that were used were their feet while these victims were on the ground. So, regardless if the victims choose prosecution or choose medical attention the sheriff&#8217;s department is going to investigate this to the fullest and try to determine who the suspects are.”
Two cameras on the side of a nearby restaurant may have captured more fully the series of events. According to San Clemente Mayor Chris Duncan, the city’s IT staff was working to get the images from the cameras to sheriff’s department investigators.
“This is San Clemente, Marines are always welcome here, always going to be celebrated, always taken care of, and that is why this is so particularly tragic,” Duncan said.

American flag on helmet of US Marine soldier.

WATCH: Three Marines Attacked By Dozens Of Teens In Shocking Video

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