Marine Corps

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Arizona – Lt Col. Robert Kelly, outgoing commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 214, relinquished his command to Lt. Col. Robert Guyette, incoming commanding officer of VMFA-214, during a change of command ceremony aboard Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, Feb. 1, 2024.

Kelly first assumed command of VMFA-214 on March 25, 2022. During his time as commanding officer (C.O.) he oversaw the squadron’s transition from an attack squadron to a fighter attack squadron. This included a complete change in personnel as well as a change in aircraft.

“I got to take the job at a unique point in history for the squadron as we transitioned from the AV-8 Harriers to the F35B Lightning IIs” said Kelly. “which was unique, because you get to start with a fresh slate. We got rid of all of the AV airplanes and pretty much all of the personnel. So, all new pilots, planes and people.”

Guyette previously served as the Chief Operational Test Director at Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 since April 2022. This will be Guyette’s first time serving as a C.O. where he will be overseeing and leading the black sheep for the foreseeable future.

“It’s a privilege. This is a very storied unit. The black sheep have accomplished a lot over the last 80 years or so in the Marine Corps.” Said Guyette. “So, to step into this position on this team, it’s humbling and it’s also exciting at the same time. We got a lot of work to do here in the next couple of years, but this is definitely the A-team.”

Something Kelly left behind for his successor is a tight-nit team of Marines, Guyette hopes to continue at the pace his successor set for him and to make sure every Marine knows the importance of what they are doing along with how much they are appreciated.

“Lt. Col. Kelly set a pretty high bar and one of the things that I noticed immediately is how close the team is, which is really important as well as a reflection of his leadership.” Said Guyette. “My objective and my goal for the first couple of months is just to keep up the pace that he set along side making sure the team knows how important what they’re doing is and how much everybody appreciates all their hard work”

With that, VMFA-214 opens a new chapter in their book, more missions, training, and flights are sure to come. Now with Guyette taking over as C.O., Kelly left his Marines with these words:

“Marines just keep doing what you’re doing. You’ve worked hard, you’ve built an amazing culture and an amazing squadron. It’s not me that built it, it’s you, your reputation, your personality.” Said Kelly “Continue to challenge each other to be better, and little by little you will be unstoppable”

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Toby Fordham, a Georgia native and automotive maintenance technician with Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is recognized as II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the Year for 2023.

Fordham’s recognition as II MEF NCO of the Year is largely due to his consistent drive for personal and professional development throughout his Marine Corps career. In 2023, he extended past his primary military occupational specialty (MOS) to take courses such as the Force Fitness Instructor (FFI) course and Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) Instructor courses, aiming to enhance both his career and assist his Marines in advancing theirs.

“When I found out I won, I was excited, anxious, and relieved at the same time.” Fordham noted. “As Marines, we never do things purely out of the chance of being recognized for it. We do them because we’re supposed to, but it was still a relieving feeling knowing someone else noticed all the work I had invested towards myself and the Marines around me.”

Only open to II MEF NCO of the Quarter winners from 2023, nominees submit packages that are briefed by their respective Sergeant Major, who write them a letter of recognition prior to advancing to the next board. Fordham won five boards in 2023, starting with CLB 24 NCO of the Quarter, and concluding with II MEF NCO of the Year.

“I’ve never been someone that says that my plate is too full,” said Fordham. “I’ll work until the job is done, and then I’ll find something else to do.”

Fordham holds the additional billets of Battalion Color Sergeant and Battalion Quality Control Chief, while working in his primary MOS as an automotive maintenance technician.

Fordham encourages his Marines to excel in their own endeavors, in and out of the workplace. As an FFI and MCMAP instructor, he mentors Marines on the importance of physical fitness and mental fortitude. Fordham prioritizes teaching Marines about personal character growth and development. He firmly believes that with a strong moral compass and good character, MOS proficiency can be developed through time and mentorship.

“I invest all my time making sure my Marines have every tool they need to become more successful than me,” said Fordham. “This award is a reminder to me that I need to keep striving, and that I have more to give. I have achieved something I never thought possible, and I don’t plan on slowing down.”

(U.S. Marine Corps story by Cpl. Victoria Hutt)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – (February 7, 2024) Five Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing have been confirmed deceased following a CH-53E helicopter crash on Feb. 6, 2024.

Maj. Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte, commanding general of 3rd MAW issued the following statement, “It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness that I share the loss of five outstanding Marines from 3d Marine Aircraft Wing and the “Flying Tigers” while conducting a training flight last night. These pilots and crewmembers were serving a calling greater than self and were proud to do so. We will forever be grateful for their call to duty and selfless service. To the families of our fallen Marines, we send our deepest condolences and commit to ensuring your support and care during this incredibly difficult time.”

As a matter of policy, identities of deceased service members are not released until 24-hours after all next-of-kin notifications have been completed.

Efforts to recover the remains of the Marines and equipment have begun and an investigation is underway.

Though we understand the inherent risks of military service, any loss of life is always difficult. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing stands unwavering in its commitment to supporting the families, friends, and fellow service members of the fallen Marines.

For questions regarding this release, please contact the 3rd MAW Communication Strategy and Operations Office at [email protected].

-USMC-

Throughout the course of two weeks, nearly 260 personnel from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing left the snow, sleet, and freezing temperatures of a New England winter and made their way to the sunshine and more moderate climes of northern Georgia.

These Airmen were not, however, on vacation—they were meeting with other Airmen and civilians from across the country to participate in the ACE exercise, “Maple Thunder” which ran from January 22-February 3, 2024.

“ACE is short for ‘agile combat employment’ and it’s a phrase we’ve been talking about in the Air Force for a couple of years now,” said Dr. Sandeep Mulgund, senior advisor to the deputy chief of staff for operations at Headquarters, Air Force, at the Pentagon.

According to Air Force doctrine, ACE requires a revolutionary change in how the Air Force thinks about and conducts operations within the modern operational environment. It is a model that the 158th Fighter Wing has been implementing for close to a year.

“Building on their last major exercise in March 2023 (when the 158th Fighter Wing trained at Fort Drum, New York), the Green Mountain Boys and their mission partners across the Air National Guard, and in the joint force, increased the complexity in this event to tackle, head-on, the challenges that come with pivoting from ACE into execution of the air tasking order,” said Mulgund. “Maple Thunder has raised the bar on how we sharpen our skills at ACE.”


Skills employed during last year’s exercise, such as simultaneously flying combat sorties from multiple locations and recovering and restoring an air base, were some of the exercise objectives. To sharpen these skills, Airmen are “deployed” to austere environments outside of their normal operating areas.

“We’re practicing the forward deployment of forces in theater from a Main Operating Base (MOB), in this case, the Burlington International Airport, to a Forward-Operating Site (FOS),” said National Guard Bureau exercise director Lt. Col. Robert Peel, an F-35 Lightning II pilot assigned to the 134th Fighter Squadron, 158th Fighter Wing. “We have taken over the CRTC (Combat Readiness Training Center) here in Savannah, as our FOS.”

According to Peel, there are more than a half dozen sites, known as clusters or Contingency Locations (CLs), that fall under the FOS and any one can be used to position Airmen to quickly aid in a combat situation. One of those locations that the 158th utilized during Maple Thunder was in South Carolina at the North Auxiliary Airfield at Joint Base Charleston. 

Nearly a three-hour drive away from Savannah, the North Auxiliary site is a desolate location meant to mirror an austere environment in which to operate. To mimic actual hardships of deployed situation, seven other units and/or civilian entities joined the Green Mountain Boys in the exercise.

One of the hardship scenarios created for Maple Thunder was the need to refuel the F-35s in harsh or unfamiliar locations. To do this, a FARP needed to occur.

FARP, or Forward Area Refueling Point, establishes a way for Airmen to effectively refuel aircraft in remote locations when air-to-air refueling is not possible or when fueling stations are not accessible.

Service members and C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Rhode Island Air National Guard’s 143rd Airlift Wing, in North Kingstown, and the Connecticut Air National Guard’s 103rd Airlift Wing in Windsor Locks, as well as a KC-130J assigned to the Marine Aeiral Refueler Transport Squadron 234, Marine Aircraft Group 41, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas, provided FARP capabilities.

The importance of FARP capabilities is that they allow for aircraft refueling at a distance closer to their Area of Operations than their main operating base. Although not a new concept, this is a milestone for the Vermont Air National Guard.

“This is the first time we’ve performed a FARP with our F-35s,” said 158th Operations Group commander, Col. Michael Blair. “You’re quickly getting airborne and getting to the job sooner without having to waste time going to a base that’s farther away.”

From providing FARP capabilities, to combat communications set-up, other participants that took part in Maple Thunder were the 232nd Combat Communications Squadron, Abston Air National Guard Station, Montgomery, Alabama; 282nd Combat Communications Squadron, 104th Fighter Wing, Westfield, Massachusetts; a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130; and ALIA, an electric aircraft provided by Beta Technologies (via AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force), South Burlington.

With multiple units participating, there were many moving parts throughout Maple Thunder. According to Mulgund, “Lessons learned from this exercise will support the evolution of ACE capabilities, doctrine, and training to meet the demands of an air fight against a peer adversary.”

WHEELING, ILLINOIS – More than 20 Recruit Training Command (RTC) staff members volunteered at the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) Chicagoland Drill Meet on February 3rd at Wheeling High School.

The NJROTC program is conducted at accredited secondary schools nationwide and taught by instructors who are prior Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel. The program emphasizes citizenship, leadership development, maritime heritage, and the significance of sea power and other naval topics.

RTC staff volunteers served as judges for the events in the drill meet. These events included personnel and uniform inspection, marching inspection, color guard inspection, and exhibition drill inspections.

Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Joslin Downey, a Recruit Division Commander (RDC) at RTC, was among the 26 RTC staff volunteers at the event. She judged the unarmed exhibition event, where Cadets use their skills to develop, practice, and showcase a drill routine.

“This is the 7th drill meet I have done since being at RTC. Each competition is slightly different, and it’s always great to see the time and effort these high school kids put into these competitions,” said Downey. “We get to have a Q&A with some of these kids and even if they do not end up joining the military, a majority of them have big aspirations and a plan. So that is always awesome to hear.”

RDCs are held to a higher standard of uniform appearance and military bearing being that they train the future of the U.S. Navy. A standard that only helps build these young cadets. These RDCs bring that higher standard to help coach these cadets toward improvement on several levels.

“Being an RDC helped be the subject matter expert when it came to judging how a cadet conducted themselves for a personnel inspection or how they performed their marching movements,” said Downey. “The kids love seeing us out there with all our ribbons and different warfare devices and always have a plethora of questions.”

Retired United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Beyer, a Senior Naval Science Instructor for the NJROTC program at Wheeling High School, said the volunteer Sailors were paramount to the events success.

“It is important that active-duty military personnel volunteer their time for these events because they model the Navy Core Values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment to the civilian community and some potential future military personnel as well,” said Beyer. “Our program teaches and emphasizes how to become responsible citizens through community service and civic responsibility. What better way to lead by example than having active-duty military personnel volunteer their time to give back to the community, utilizing their unique expertise to serve their community. They model the importance of expertise, professionalism, and community service when they volunteer to be judges at these events.”

The importance of these events is not lost on the instructors or the volunteers. Both NJROTC cadets and military volunteers alike benefit in different ways from these types of events.

“They [drill events] bring together civilians, cadets, and military, both active duty and retired, which is always good for the military community,” said Beyer. “The cadets performing Drill competitions become the bridge between civilians and the military, by showcasing the military’s honored traditions of drill. Anything that can help bridge the military-civilian gap is always a positive development. .”

Boot camp is approximately 10 weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes five warfighting competencies of firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding, and small arms handling and marksmanship along with physical fitness and lessons in Navy heritage and core values, Warrior Toughness, Life Skills, teamwork and discipline. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc

WASHINGTON – U.S. Marine Corps Col. Daniel S. Sullivan, the last actively serving Marine in the U.S. Senate, retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., Feb. 1, 2024.

Sullivan, with a notable service record spanning from 1993 to 2024, served as an infantry and reconnaissance officer, with a secondary military occupational specialty as an intelligence officer. He served across the globe with the Marine Corps, deploying to the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. In July 2013, Sullivan returned to active duty to serve with a Joint Task Force in Afghanistan that focused on dismantling terrorist networks and criminalizing the Taliban insurgency.

“I’m Alaska’s junior U.S. Senator, but with the exception of husband and father, the title ‘Marine’ is my proudest achievement. Always has been. Always will be,” said Sullivan. “This great honor was only possible because of the unwavering support of my wife, Julie, and my three daughters: Meghan, Isabella and Laurel.

“I have often said that, for those serving, the whole family wears the uniform. I also want to thank the Marines with whom I served for three decades. I learned from every one of those brave men and women who are a part of the most lethal fighting force in the world and who represent the best of America,” Sullivan said. “I now join the ranks of another highly esteemed group in our country—America’s veterans. Like so many Marines before me, I will always carry with me the values that are at the core of the Marines: honor, courage, and commitment. Semper Fidelis.”

Lt. Gen. David G. Bellon, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces South, served as the retiring official for the ceremony.

“We are grateful to Col. Sullivan for his extraordinary legacy of serving with distinction in both the Marine Corps and the United States Senate,” Bellon said. “He serves as an example for other Reserve Marines and their families. Excellence and success in multiple careers are absolutely possible.

“Surround yourself with self-motivated people who strive to answer their ‘irrational call to service’ and life unfolds with great options,” Bellon continued. “Understanding dual careers can be extremely complicated for families, the Corps and our country are better for our Marines’ loyal dedication to both.”

Four current U.S. Senators have earned the title of U.S. Marine – Sen. Sullivan is joined by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Todd Young of Indiana, and J.D. Vance of Ohio. Senators Young and Vance honored Senator Sullivan by attending his retirement ceremony. Only 34 Marines have ever served in the U.S. Senate.

The Marine Corps Reserve has more than 90,000 Marines with a vast range of skills and expertise gained from both military and civilian careers. Deploying worldwide and throughout the year as needed, Marine Forces Reserve provides trained units and individual Marines to augment and reinforce active forces for use across the full spectrum of crisis and global engagement.

Imagery of the retirement ceremony can be found here:

Photos: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8223388/us-marine-col-and-senator-daniel-sullivan-retires-after-30-years

FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. –Walking around post lately if you notice an aviator’s patch that looks out of this world, you aren’t imagining things. Those blue circle patches are, in fact, the real deal. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found learning opportunities for its future programs in southern Alabama. Several groups of astronauts and astronaut candidates have visited the Home of Army Aviation recently, specifically the aircraft and simulators, to learn rotary wing systems that can only be found inside the gates of Fort Novosel.

NASA Astronaut and US Marine Corps Col. Nicole Mann and NASA Astronaut Candidate and retired US Marine Corps Maj. Luke Delaney recently visited the AH-64E simulator on Jan. 26 during two weeks of training on different aircraft systems at Fort Novosel.

“We are looking at our future exploration, specifically to the moon, under the Artemis program. As part of that effort there is an HLS (Human Landing System) that will be our space craft to take us to the lunar surface,” Mann explained. “We are looking at a couple of things here. One is the different ways that people or companies solve the challenge of integrating instruments and display that information to the pilots. Also, how we interpret that information and work together with crew coordination to land on the moon in this case. Helicopters are a great analogy to that.”

Delaney added, “With all the different platforms that you have here at Fort Novosel, it allows us to get good exposure to the many types of systems on board. So far, the simulators we have been in were a UH-72 Lakota, UH-60M Blackhawk, and now the AH-64E Apache. The platforms that you guys are flying have a lot of similarities with what we are doing. When we look at aircraft integrations from a systems integration standpoint and just incorporating the latest technology as you all do here, it helps us build not only good input as operators for a developmental side, but a concept of operations in how we want to employ these things in a space environment.”

The Army aviators and instructors educating the astronauts on each specific aircraft were left inspired and encouraged. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stevenson Trumbull, 110th Aviation Brigade Tactics Section, gained a lot from the experience.

“It’s incredibly humbling to be able to show astronauts, of all people, the capabilities of the AH-64 Apache,” said Trumbull. “The things that it is capable of, from helping influence the flight control and symbology development for the Artemis moon lander, to being the best attack helicopter in the world is amazing. We take for granted the ‘cool factor’ of being Apache pilots but at the end of the day hearing astronauts tell us that we have a pretty exciting job is a neat feeling.”

Besides the obvious training opportunity, being amongst the future of Army Aviation leaves many that crossed their path inspired. For those interested in the NASA program both Mann and Delaney share their stories and wisdom for future astronauts.

Mann said she grew up in Northern California. She was interested in college but playing soccer as a kid drove a lot of her early decisions. “I wanted to serve in the military, so I looked at service academies and ended up in Annapolis, Maryland at the Naval Academy,” said Mann, “I really had no idea what I wanted to do in the Navy or Marine Corps as an 18-year-old, but quickly realized that I wanted to be a Marine.”

The summer before her senior year Mann got to ride in the backseat of an F-18 and she said that kind of sealed the deal. “I went through flight school as a Hornet pilot. Then did a couple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and started looking to my next opportunity and being a test pilot was something that interested me so that was the next step.”

Then she got married and had a son. Around that time NASA was opening applications to become an astronaut. Mann said, “I thought no way, I’m a mom now it’s time to move on. My husband said ‘Are you kidding me? You can’t pass that opportunity up.’ So, I applied and was selected and that was my route to NASA 10 years ago.”

“Then I went to space on Crew 5, got back last March, and that’s how it all worked for me,” said Mann, “Taking each next step.”

Delaney’s story to working with NASA looked much different, and just like Mann’s, is still being written.

“I grew up in central Florida, so I was kind of just watching shuttle launches as a kid. I had interest from the get-go,” said Delaney. “I ended up enlisting in the Marine Corps as a navigator on C-130 for a few years. I deployed to Afghanistan and was selected for the commissioning program then came back after commissioning and finally flew C-130s after all the training. From there I was selected for test pilot school and began developmental testing after that, then over to instruct at the test pilot school. From that point I saw an opportunity to join Nasa as a research pilot, so I retired and went over to Langley (Air Force Base) to do that. They called me up after I retired thinking I was active duty because I had submitted my packet on active duty. It was a perfect transition and I guess, it all worked out in the end.”

Mann said, “A common misconception is that all astronauts must first be pilots. Only about 25% of active astronauts have an aviation background. The percentage has been shifting quite a bit since we don’t fly shuttle anymore. Candidates are often engineers and scientists and doctors as well.”

If their unique stories aren’t inspiration enough, they both leave wisdom for current flight students interested in a similar path.

“First step would be finishing flight school. Get those wings! Become a master and proficient in whatever your platform is. Excel in getting qualifications and leadership experience. Then once you do that and are successful you will see that you have other opportunities in your career path to look at. Typically, as a military aviator, test pilot is one of the more common routes to becoming an astronaut, but we do currently have our first pilot that was not a test pilot coming through. The dynamics are changing. A requirement we do have is a master’s degree in a STEM field,” Mann said.

Delaney added, “There is no definitive track, especially today, so just enjoy what you are doing and look for opportunities. They are really looking for a diverse skillset of folks.”

For more information on the current NASA Astronauts and Astronaut Candidates visit their website at Astronauts – NASA