Marine Corps

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February 22, 2012 | 11:44 AM | By

California Marine Vet Refuses to Leave Foreclosed Home (Video)

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment / KWCH-TV

Art de los Santos

Former Marine Art de los Santos is refusing to leave his family home – even though Freddie Mac and JP Morgan Chase foreclosed on the house and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department sent de los Santos an eviction notice Tuesday.

Los Angeles television station KNBC-TV reports de los Santos decided to reoccupy his home after learning through news reports that Freddie Mac had actually made money betting against homeowners like the ex-Marine.

NPR reported recently that Freddie Mac made $5 billion by blocking efforts by struggling homeowners to refinance their homes. De los Santos told KTLA-TV he got mixed messages from Freddie Mac when he tried to refinance:

“They denied the loan modification and they told me not to make anymore payments… They refused to accept any more payments and told me to reapply for the loan modification… [Then] one of the same bank’s departments foreclosed, saying I was being delinquent.”

Members of the Occupy movement have joined de los Santos in protest. KNBC-TV has more:

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

FILED UNDER: Life in the Military, Veterans, Art de los Santos, eviction, foreclosure, Freddie Mac, Inland Empire, JP Morgan Chase, Marine Corps, NPR, Occupy movement, refinance, Riverside California, Riverside County Sheriff's Department
February 21, 2012 | 11:04 AM | By

Outrage Over Sgt. Loggins Shooting Continues (Video)

SanClemente365.com

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. and Desiree Lomack

Friends and colleagues of Marine Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. have planned a memorial service for their fallen comrade on February 24th, according to a Facebook page set up in Loggins’ memory. Aaron Banks, who administers the “We Miss You Sgt. Manny Loggins” page, writes that civilians will not be let on base for the service being held at the Marine Memorial Chapel on Camp Pendleton. Banks is a former Marine who served with Loggins in Hawaii.

Loggins’ shooting death by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy February 7th still mystifies and outrages those who knew the Sergeant – who describe him as a calm, gentle, deeply religious family man. And even those who didn’t know Loggins are full of questions about the shooting of the unarmed Marine in front of his two young daughters.

Randprint commented on Home Post:

Last I checked police officers don’t have the authority to trial and
execute people they don’t like the behavior of …[I]f the deputy was that mentally insufficient as to shoot someone dead because they were scared, he should be shoveling sh*t
or a less dangerous job.

Anonymouse wrote:

The audacity of the people covering for the blatant use of lethal force by what is looking like a corrupt police force and a homicidal group of police officers is completely ridiculous. If there isn’t an official investigation by an outside agency I am sure there will be hell to pay.

San Diego television station NBC 7/39 put together this video package on the questions surrounding Loggins’ death:

View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com.

FILED UNDER: Camp Pendleton, Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, Camp Pendleton Commanding Officer, Camp Pendleton Marine shooting, Col. Nicholas Marano, Hawaii, Jim Armomino, Manny Loggins, Marine Corps, officer involved shooting, OIS, Orange County Sheriff's Department, San Clemente, San Clemente High School, Sgt. Manuel Levi Loggins Jr.
February 17, 2012 | 12:12 PM | By

Active-Duty Marine Invents Zombie Video Game (Video)

I Shall Remain / Marine Corps Times

I Shall Remain video game

Marine Sgt. Jacob Way spent more than a year of his life creating a new video game called “I Shall Remain,” according to the Marine Corps Times. The game pays homage to the Marine Corps in many different ways – which might sound surprising, considering the game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world filled with Zombies. But according to the game’s trailer, the main character is a Marine:

Memory impairing head trauma requires him to slowly relearn who he was. As he learns and regains his profession at arms, his peers are more convinced that people like him, are man’s greatest weapon against certain extinction.

It turns out that this main character, Capt. C.J. Hodges, is named in honor Cpl. Craig Hodges Jr. – a real Marine and friend of Sgt. Way – who died in 2010.

Way also modeled a lot of the main character’s heroic traits after his former superior, Capt. Tyson Ackermann. Ackermann told the Marine Corps Times:

“It’s a little humbling to know you made an impact on his life — that he remembers you months or years down the road.”

Way is a Tagalog linguist stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay. He spent more than $40,000 to create “I Shall Remain.” You can watch a trailer for the game on YouTube:

FILED UNDER: Life in the Military, Capt. C.J. Hodges, Capt. Tyson Ackermann, Cpl. Craig Hodges Jr., Kaneohe Bay, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, military linguists, Sgt. Jacob Way, Tagalog, video games, zombies
February 16, 2012 | 2:12 PM | By

How Does an Aircraft Carrier Restock Food While at Sea? (Video)

USSVinson70 / YouTube

Helicopter restocking USS Vinson

The USS Carl Vinson departed San Diego for deployment all the way back in November 2011. According to Vinson’s YouTube page:

One of the reasons we can stay out for extended periods of time is the Navy’s replenishment-at-sea capability. A supply vessel can pull alongside and deliver food, parts, equipment. In order to make that work onboard Vinson, our Sailors are assigned to “working parties” to help offload the the material we bring aboard.

Recently, the enormous aircraft carrier needed to be restocked with all sorts of supplies, from produce to chocolate-chip cookies. And during the restocking, their was also a delivery of mail. In fact, on February 14, the Vinson received roughly 45,000 pounds of mail. That’s a lot of Valentines!

For the latest installment in the webisode series “Vinson 101” HM3 [FMF] Jonathan Martin shows us exactly how the USS Vinson gets restocked. Class in session!

FILED UNDER: Life in the Military, San Diego, USS Carl Vinson, HM3 [FMF] Jonathan Martin, Marine Corps, Social Media, St. Valentine's Day, U.S. Navy, Valentine's Day mail, Vinson 101, webisode
February 16, 2012 | 12:14 PM | By

Pendleton Commanding Officer Critical of OC Shooting Probe

Darlene Patino-Rousch / SanClemente365.com

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. and Darlene Patino-Rousch

Col. Nicholas Marano, Commanding Officer of Camp Pendleton, has released a statement regarding the shooting death of Pendleton Marine Sgt. Manuel Levi Loggins Jr. by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy.

Earlier this week, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (the union representing the deputy), claimed it was Loggins’ own threatening behavior that caused the deputy to shot Loggins in front of his two daughters, ages 9 and 14.

But Marano is critical of this account. According to the statement:

“Sgt. Manny Loggins was a loved and respected Marine. We have received an unprecedented amount of emails and phone calls this past week from current and former Marines who knew and loved Sgt. Loggins. A family has lost their father, husband, brother and son. An unborn child will never know her father. While I am confident they will do the right thing in the end, I am less than satisfied with the official response from the City of San Clemente and Orange County. Many of the statements made concerning Manny Loggins’ character over the past few days are incorrect and deeply hurtful to an already grieving family.”

Do you agree?

FILED UNDER: Camp Pendleton, Life in the Military, Spouses & Families, Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, Camp Pendleton Commanding Officer, Camp Pendleton Marine shooting, Col. Nicholas Marano, Hawaii, Jim Armomino, Manny Loggins, Marine Corps, officer involved shooting, OIS, Orange County Sheriff's Department, San Clemente, San Clemente High School, Sgt. Manuel Levi Loggins Jr.
February 16, 2012 | 10:38 AM | By

Camp Pendleton Marines Killed in Car Crash Identified

Facebook

Cpl. Jason Chleborad

Military officials have released the identities of the three Camp Pendleton Marines killed early Tuesday morning when their Dodge Stratus crashed into a tree in Dana Point. They are Sgt. Jeremiah Callahan, 23; Cpl. Jason Chleborad, 22; and Cpl. Christopher Arzola, 21.

The driver of the Dodge survived the crash and is in extremely critical condition at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. His name has not been released. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department says alcohol and speed were the main factors in the fatal crash.

Sgt. Chleborad was from Rapid City, South Dakota. His parents, Brian and Amy Chleborad, spoke with the Rapid City Journal about their son. Jason, who was a strapping 6’8″ tall, surprised his family with a visit this past Christmas. Brian Chleborad said of losing his son:

“Jason is in a better place than the rest of us. I know that he is with God, because he was baptized and he believed. Now, he’s watching us all.”

Facebook

Sgt. Jeremiah Callahan

Sgt. Jeremiah Callahan, known as J.C., was a 2007 graduate of Chadron Senior High School in Chadron, Nebraska. On his Facebook page, Sgt. Callahan wrote the following quote:

“Life is too short but it’s the longest thing anybody will ever do!”

Cpl. Christopher Arzola was from Westfield, Massachusetts, according to television station WGGB-TV. Arzola was a data specialist with Camp Pendleton’s 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
The accident is still under investigation.
FILED UNDER: Camp Pendleton, Life in the Military, San Diego, Spouses & Families, 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, Chadron Nebraska, Cpl. Christopher Arzola, Cpl. Jason Chleborad, Dana Point, Dodge Stratus, Marine Corps, Orange County Sheriff's Department, Rapid City South Dakota, Sgt. Jeremiah Callahan, Westfield Massachusetts
February 15, 2012 | 1:18 PM | By

Alcohol, Speed Main Factors in Car Crash That Killed 3 Pendleton Marines

OnSceneTV.com / Los Angeles Times

Fatal Camp Pendleton Marine car crash

Law enforcement officials said today the Camp Pendleton Marine who was behind the wheel Tuesday in a fatal car crash in Dana Point had been drinking before the accident. That crash killed the car’s three passengers – also Camp Pendleton Marines. The driver survived, but is hospitalized in extreme critical condition at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, according to the Contra Costa Times.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino told the Orange County Register that the car’s high rate of speed also played a big part in the crash.

Defense officials are expected to release the names of the four Marines involved in the accident later today.

FILED UNDER: Camp Pendleton, Dana Point, Dana Point crash, Dodge Stratus, driving under the influence, fatal car accident, Golden Lantern Street, Jim Amormino, Marine Corps, Mission Hospital, Orange County, Orange County Sheriff's Department
February 15, 2012 | 9:17 AM | By

Deputy’s Union Blames Deadly Shooting on Pendeton Marine’s Behavior

Loggins family photo

Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr.

The union that represents the Orange County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Camp Pendleton Marine Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. last week has come out with its own version of the deadly incident.

Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs president Tom Dominguez tells the Orange County Register that Loggins was behaving in a manner the deputy thought was threatening to Loggins’ two daughters, ages 9 and 14, who were in the car with him at San Clemente High School in the early morning hours of February 7.

The union’s statement to the media reports that after Loggins stopped his car in the school’s parking lot, he got out of his vehicle:

“The deputy began to follow Loggins on foot when he heard children’s screams coming from the car. Loggins, now in a darkened part of the adjacent field, could be heard yelling irrational statements. The deputy radioed for immediate assistance, informing dispatchers of a hit-and-run accident and child endangerment situation.”

The North County Times reports the additional Sheriff’s deputies who later arrived spoke with the Loggins girls, who told them their father was behaving “oddly.”

Then, according to the union statement, Loggins returned to the car:

“[Loggins] did not stop, ignoring the deputies who had their weapons drawn and got into the driver’s side of the car despite multiple warnings.”

One of the deputies then shot Loggins through the driver’s side window as he began to drive away. Loggins two daughters were still in the backseat of the car.

A final irony – the deputy who killed Sgt. Loggins was a former Marine.

FILED UNDER: Camp Pendleton, Life in the Military, San Diego, Spouses & Families, Veterans, Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, Camp Pendleton Marine shooting, Hawaii, Jim Armomino, Manny Loggins, Marine Corps, officer involved shooting, OIS, Orange County Sheriff's Department, San Clemente, San Clemente High School, Sgt. Manuel Levi Loggins Jr.
February 14, 2012 | 2:29 PM | By

Romantic Proposal by Twentynine Palms Marine (Video)

Just because it’s Valentine’s Day, I simply have to post this incredibly romantic video about a Twentynine Palms Marine Corporal and his fiancee. Their story is so much more than a cute “how they met” story. And it’s so more than the heart-melting way the Corporal proposed to his girlfriend. For me, the story is about how the couple managed not just to maintain their relationship while the Corporal was deployed in Afghanistan – but how they managed to make it flourish. Take a look at the story of Jessica and Aric:

FILED UNDER: Afghanistan, Life in the Military, War, 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Regimen, Gymnopédie No.1 by Erik Satie, Jessica and Aric, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, military proposals, romantic proposals, Twentynine Palms, valentine's day
February 14, 2012 | 8:53 AM | By

Three Camp Pendleton Marines Killed in Car Crash (Video)

Focal Point Video / Camp Pendleton Patch

Three Camp Pendleton Marines were killed early this morning when their speeding Dodge Stratus struck a tree in the Orange County city of Dana Point. A fourth Camp Pendleton Marine who was driving the car was critically injured. None of the Marines’ identities have been released, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino told the Los Angeles Times that two of the Marines died upon impact. A third passenger in the car survived the initial crash, but later died at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. The driver of the car is still alive but hospitalized in intensive care.

According to Amormino:

“Speed appears to be a factor and we’re looking into whether or not alcohol is a factor.”

Camp Pendleton Patch posted video of the crash scene, courtesy of Laura Nott:

FILED UNDER: Camp Pendleton, Life in the Military, Camp Pendleton Marines, Dana Point, Dana Point crash, Dodge Stratus, fatal car accident, Golden Lantern Street, Jim Amormino, Marine Corps, Mission Hospital, Orange County, Orange County Sheriff's Department