News
Marine declared lost at sea after falling overboard from the USS Iwo Jima
A Marine who fell overboard from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima on Feb. 7 has been declared dead after exhaustive search-and-rescue efforts were unsuccessful, the service announced. Rescue efforts for Lance Cpl. Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, 21, were suspended on Feb. 10, three days after the Marine went overboard in the Caribbean Sea, II Marine Expeditionary Force officials announced. Oforah, ...[Read More]
Marine directed strike on Houthis in first-ever F-35C combat mission
When Zachary Sessa joined the Marine Corps, he signed a ground contract, paving the way for a career in the infantry. But as fate would have it, an opportunity came to switch to the high-demand fighter aviation field — giving him the chance to be a pilot like his father and grandfather. And that was where he’d end up making history. Sessa, 33, from Butler, Pennsylvania, was named Military Times’ M...[Read More]
Marine earns service’s highest non-combat award for vehicle rescue
A U.S. Marine was awarded the service’s highest non-combat award on Feb. 6 for heroic actions in 2024, when he saved another Marine’s life following a motor vehicle accident. Staff Sgt. Billy Scafidel, an armory chief with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion in the 1st Marine Logistics Group, received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal during a ceremony at Camp Pendleton, California, according to a re...[Read More]
Marine lance corporal develops $10 solution to $5,600 antenna problem
A junior Marine’s 3D-printed fix for a fragile communications antenna is saving the Marine Corps hundreds of thousands of dollars and slashing months-long supply delays across the fleet. Lance Cpl. Eirick Schule developed a low-cost replacement for a commonly broken antenna mast on a Mobile User Objective System, a fix now being used across multiple units to restore the critical communications gea...[Read More]
Marine Raider’s remains identified 80 years after being killed in action
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced on March 4 that Marine Raider Pfc. Norton Retzsch, 25, had been accounted for on April 1, 2025 — thanks, in part, to 20-year-old DNA submitted to the military in 2006. Kim Opitz, Retzsch’s great-niece, a freelance writer who lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, told Kare 11 News that her “mother never, never let us forget about him.” Retzsch, a member...[Read More]
Marines approve red dot optics for pistol qualification — under one condition
Marines can now complete their handgun qualification using a pistol equipped with a red dot optic, according to a policy change announced in a Marine Administrative Message last week. However, there is a caveat: the optic — an M17 Romeo red dot — must be purchased and issued by the Marine’s unit. Exactly how many Marines will receive the optics remains unclear. Military Times requested comment fro...[Read More]
Marines conduct cargo UAS shipboard testing
The Marine Corps recently conducted shipboard testing with the TRV-150C Tactical Resupply Unmanned Aircraft System (TRUAS) aboard a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock (LPD), marking a significant milestone in advancing ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship resupply solutions for Combat Logistics Battalions (CLBs).
Marines deepen ties in Philippines as rotations continue
A new rotation of U.S. Marines in the Philippines suggest the force may be maintaining a more continuous presence in the country. A command element from I Marine Expeditionary Force replaced the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit on March 31, the Marine Corps said in a statement, continuing the Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia, or MRF-SEA, mission in the Philippines. This rotation “places greate...[Read More]
Marines fire HIMARS for first time near Mount Fuji
The U.S. Marines conducted a landmark training exercise which saw them fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) for the first time while near the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division unleashed HIMARS missiles during live-fire training at Camp Fuji on Oct. 27. Although the location has been used as a training ground for a ...[Read More]
Marines fire HIMARS for first time near Mount Fuji
The U.S. Marines conducted a landmark training exercise which saw them fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the first time while near the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division unleashed HIMARS missiles during live-fire training at Camp Fuji on Oct. 27. Although the location has been used as a training ground for a wide vari...[Read More]
Marines fire HIMARS for first time near Mount Fuji
The U.S. Marines conducted a landmark training exercise which saw them fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the first time while near the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division unleashed HIMARS missiles during live-fire training at Camp Fuji on Oct. 27. Although the location has been used as a training ground for a wide vari...[Read More]
Marines fire HIMARS for first time near Mount Fuji
The U.S. Marines conducted a landmark training exercise which saw them fire the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for the first time while near the base of Mount Fuji, Japan. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division unleashed HIMARS missiles during live-fire training at Camp Fuji on Oct. 27. Although the location has been used as a training ground for a wide vari...[Read More]