Camp Pendleton Marines Honor Vietnam Predecessors

Marines hold reunion for Vietnam-era recon predecessors
Stars and Stripes
By Jennifer Hlad
Published: April 24, 2015

John Burtoft, of The Villages, Fla., was a corpsman with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and went to Vietnam twice: once on the USS Pyro for 18 months in 1964-65, and again with recon in 1968-69.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.
Ken Benckwitz was spit on at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Retired Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor, right, talks to a Marine with 1st Marine Reconnaissance Battalion on Thursday, April 23, 2015, at a reunion for Vietnam-era recon veterans at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
JENNIFER HLAD/STARS AND STRIPES

People threw feces at Dan Mulvihill at LAX.

After his return, John Baker was told by the first girl he dated not to mention to her friends or family that he had been a Marine in Vietnam.

But this week, when about 175 fellow reconnaissance Marines from the Vietnam era gathered in San Diego County, they were welcomed and embraced.

Cpl. Brandon Tan was one of several current recon Marines who participated in a raid demonstration Thursday for the veterans. Afterward, wearing camouflage face paint and foliage on his uniform, he shook the hand of veteran after veteran.

“Thank you. You’re the reason we’re here,” he said.

The reunion was designed as a way for all Marines who served in recon units in 1965-71 to commemorate 50 years since the U.S. entered the Vietnam War.

Active-duty Marines showed off their equipment and demonstrated a helicopter jump and a raid.

Afterward, they honored the memory of their fallen recon brothers at a memorial service.
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Camp Pendleton Marines, Everything Working Against Them, Everyone For Each Other

Marines Awarded Navy Cross, Bronze Stars for Bravery in Afghanistan Battle 
NBC San Diego
By Andie Adams and Bridget Naso
Apr 9, 2015

“I asked the guys, I said, 'Look, does anyone have a problem with risking it to take these guys out there because if we don't, they're going to die here,’” said Jacklin. “And there wasn't a second of hesitation. Everyone says, ‘I'm in, let's do it, let's do it.”

Six Camp Pendleton Marines were honored Thursday for their bravery in Afghanistan: one with the Navy Cross, and the others with the Bronze Star. All part of a Marine Corps Special Operations Team, they took part in one of the most historic battles during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Gunnery Sgt. Brian Jacklin, who was the team’s second in command, described the June 2012 battle at an early morning ceremony at Camp Pendleton Thursday.

He and ten fellow Marines were helping the Army stabilize villages in the Helmand province when they were surrounded on all sides by their foes. “The enemy had the advantage in terms of geographic position, they had the advantage in terms of local fire power.

Everything was working against that team,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph Osterman at the ceremony. 
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Camp Pendleton Marine to Receive Navy Cross

Gunnery sergeant to receive Navy Cross for Afghanistan valor
The Associated Press
Published: April 8, 2015

Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Brian C. Jacklin U.S. MARINE CORPS

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The Marine Corps said Tuesday that a gunnery sergeant will receive the service's second-highest award for enduring heavy assault in Afghanistan while his team leader and another Marine were ushered to safety after being shot and seriously wounded. Brian C. Jacklin, 32, will be awarded the Navy Cross on Thursday at Camp Pendleton, becoming the eighth person in the Marine Special Operations Command to receive the honor since the unit was formed in 2006.

The Los Angeles native was second in command of a team that came under attack in the Upper Gereshk Valley of Helmand province in 2012.

After his team leader and another Marine suffered life-threatening injuries, he established communications with a nearby unit.

"Without hesitation, Jacklin seized control of the situation and orchestrated a counterattack," the Marines said. "He courageously led his team out of their compound and through open terrain in order to secure a landing zone. Jacklin remained in the open, raining M203 grenades on the enemy and directing the fires of his team, until the aircraft could land and evacuate the wounded."

Also Thursday, Maj. Gen. Joseph Osterman, commander of the Marine Special Operations Command, will award the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device to Gunnery Sgt. William C. Simpson IV,

Staff Sgt. Christopher Buckminster, Staff Sgt. Hafeez B. Hussein, Sgt. William P. Hall and Sgt. David E. Harris, all critical-skills operators. The Marine Corps said they "boldly displayed their courage and gallantry during the same engagement as Jacklin."
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Camp Pendleton Marine Going Down Under

Pendleton, K-Bay Marines to deploy to Australia
Marine Corps Times
By Joshua Stewart, Staff writer
March 27, 2015

In 2016, Corps officials hope to send 2,500 Marines — a full Marine air-ground task force — to Australia.

Members of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin conduct a helicopter insert during a live-fire exercise at Bradshaw Field Training Area during Exercise Koolendong in Australia. About 1,170 Marines will deploy to Australia’s Northern Territory in April. (Photo: Cpl. Scott Reel/Marine Corps)

The Corps has identified the third group of Marines to head to Australia for a six month deployment. 

In mid-April, about 1,170 California- and Hawaii-based Marines will deploy Down Under. They'll form Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, and will train alongside the Australian army in the Northern Territory.

Units include 1st Battalion, 4th Marines and a detachment from Combat Logistics Battalion 1 from Camp Pendleton, California, as well as Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, said 2nd Lt. Natalie Poggemeyer, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps Forces Pacific. It's the second time HMH-463 will be a part of the rotation — the squadron was the Corps' first aviation unit to deploy to Darwin during last year's rotation. read more here

Camp Pendleton Marine Killed in Motorcyle Accident

Camp Pendleton Marine Dies in 805 Freeway Motorbike Crash

The man was 34-year-old Sacramento resident.
Patch.com
By Mirna Alfonso (Patch Staff)
March 23, 2015

A 34-year-old Camp Pendleton Marine was killed early over the weekend in a crash on Interstate 805 in Kearny Mesa.

The Marine, a Sacramento resident, crashed his speeding motorcycle into a Honda Accord, which had just been struck by a hit-and-run driver in the northbound lanes near exit ramp to Balboa Avenue about 3:45 a.m., Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol and the county Medical Examiner’s Office.

He died at the scene.
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Darkhorse Wounded Marines Pushing to Achieve Greatness

CAN’T KEEP DARKHORSE DOWN: OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
Marines Official Site
By Pfc. Alvin Pujols, 1st Marine Division
March 13, 2015

Perseverance and pride fuels them to do great things. For Chischilly and Barron, the pride of belonging to the “Darkhorse” battalion and the reputation they uphold pushes them to achieve greatness.

2014 Marine Corps Trials - Day 1
Marines, veterans, and international allies compete a wheelchair basketball game during the Marine Corps Trials in various Paralympic events at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California March 4-12. Other events include: archery, cycling, field, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming and track.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- After taking the reins in Sangin District, Helmand province, Afghanistan, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, began a hard-fought battle. By the time their tour ended in April 2011, the Marines of the battalion suffered the highest casualty rate of any U.S. Marine unit during the past 10 years of Operation Enduring Freedom, losing 25 Marines and incurring 184 casualties.

The battalion has a legacy dating back to Belleau Wood in World War I and a long history of success in battle in every major American conflict since. Their insignia and their motto, “Get Some,” is based in a brotherhood unique to U.S. Marines. For two “Darkhorse” Marines in particular, that devotion went beyond the field of battle.

After stepping on a pressure-plate improvised explosive device during a patrol of the Kajaki Dam area in southwestern Afghanistan, Cpl. Marcus Chischilly, a team leader with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, lost his left leg above the knee, sustained nerve damage in his right hand and received shrapnel wounds across his body.

It took two years for Chischilly, a Phoenix native, to recover from the blast, but in those years, Chischilly never lost his positive attitude, he said. After leaving the wheelchair, Chischilly was able to adapt to the prosthetic leg that assisted him with his mobility.

During his recovery, Chischilly, along with the other patients at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, participated in different adaptive sports. One sport that called out to Chischilly and his fellow Marines was wheelchair basketball, a sport where he could easily draw parallels to his time as an infantry team leader.

“Wheelchair basketball challenged us as a team; we had to really be cognitive of our teammates,” said Chischilly. “We learned to hone the skill of managing ourselves in a wheelchair.”

Chischilly, a member of the Navajo Nation, began playing wheelchair basketball in the 2012 Marine Corps Trials, where he not only participated in wheelchair basketball, but also in swimming and track and field.
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Wounded Marine Shares "Brotherhood, loyalty and commitment"

Marine finds solitude in taking care of brothers in arms
DVIDS Marine Corps
Wounded Warrior Regiment Story
by Cpl. Jared Lingafelt
March 6, 2015

“When I sit down and talk to a Marine and know that I have helped them out, even if it is just talking to them and letting them vent, they walk away feeling better and it’s a great feeling to know I was a part of that,” said Anderson, a Birmingham, Alabama, native.

Cpl. Jared Lingafelt
Sgt. Jeremy Anderson, an athlete from Wounded Warrior Battalion – East and Birmingham, Alabama, native, draws his bow back and takes aim during an archery practice at the 2015 Marine Corps Trials. Competition provides opportunities for Marines like Anderson to train as athletes, while increasing their strength so they can continue their military service or develop healthy habits for life outside the service. The Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment enables wounded, ill, or injured Marines to focus on their abilities and to find new avenues to thrive. The fifth annual Marine Corps Trials is being held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 3-11. Athletes will compete in archery, cycling, shooting, swimming, track, field, sitting volleyball, and wheelchair basketball. (Photo by Cpl. Jared Lingafelt)

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Brotherhood, loyalty and commitment may just be words to most, but for Sgt. Jeremy Anderson, they are a way of life.

“I have always felt that it is my duty to take care of Marines,” said Anderson, an athlete from Wounded Warrior Battalion – East competing in the 2015 Marine Corps Trials.

“Coming up through the Marine Corps I had leadership, but they weren’t really fully engaged so now that I am in the position I am in, I want to help as much as possible.”

Anderson has served numerous job titles and billets throughout his career including barracks manager, training clerk and staff judge advocate clerk, but it was the injuries he sustained while serving as a field artillery man that eventually landed him at the Wounded Warrior Regiment. 

Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan took their toll on Anderson’s mind and body, but despite the challenges he faced, his focus remained on helping out his Marines.
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Marine and Soldier Off to Hawaii Honeymoon

San Diego military couple wins dream honeymoon contest 
CBS News 8
By Jeff Zevely, Reporter
Posted: Mar 02, 2015

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Finding the proper balance between the military and marriage can be difficult, which is one reason why a husband and wife who serve at Camp Pendleton just won a dream honeymoon to Hawaii.

Christian and Kirsten Perry met in Afghanistan. Christian's a Marine, Kirsten a soldier. Somehow they fell in love in a war zone. 

"His first question was, 'Can I get your email?' Kirsten said. "It was actually kind of like a dare… it was like, I bet you can't get her number,"

Christian said. Christian proposed on Valentine's Day last year, and wasn't sure if Kirsten would say yes. "Imagine you're about to go on stage in front of 1,000 fans or something. She's the biggest fan I've ever had," Christian said. Kirsten accepted the offer and the bling.

In order to get stationed together at Camp Pendleton, they got married in a rush two months later. read more here

Camp Pendleton Afghanistan Veteran Marine Trial Ends

Former Camp Pendleton Marine gets 11 years in prison for DUI crash that killed 3 fellow servicemen
Orange County Register
Sean Emery
January 30, 2015

Arguing that Hale's drinking was an attempt to self-medicate in order to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder from his experiences in heavy combat in Sangin, Afghanistan,

Jared Hale, a former Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant convicted of a drunken-driving crash that killed three of his fellow Marines, listens as he is sentenced at the West Justice Center in Westminster on Friday.
KEVIN SULLIVAN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A former Camp Pendleton Marine sergeant convicted of killing three other servicemen in a drunken-driving crash was sentenced Friday to more than a decade in prison, as an Orange County Superior Court judge denied his request for treatment rather than time behind bars.

Jared Hale, 27, told Judge Terri K. Flynn-Peister that for the rest of his life he will have to live with the loss of Sgt. Jeremiah Callahan, 23; Cpl. Christopher Arzola, 21; and Cpl. Jason Chleborad, 22, all of whom suffered fatal injuries in the 2012 crash in Dana Point.

"It's been a rough five years," Hale said, his voice unsteady with apparent emotion. "But there is just not much left of me, honestly."
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Libya Hotel Attack Claimed Life of Camp Pendleton Veteran

Camp Pendleton Marine Veteran Killed In Libya Hotel Attack (Video)
KPBS News
By Beth Ford Roth
January 28, 2015

The only American killed in Tuesday's attack on a luxury hotel in Libya was a Marine Corps veteran who'd served at Camp Pendleton.

According to CNN, David Berry was one of ten people killed when gunmen stormed the Corinthia Hotel in Tripoli. Five of dead were Libyans, four French, and Berry the sole American who lost his life.

Cliff Taylor, who is CEO of Crucible (a private security firm), told The New York Daily News that Berry was an employee of his company, and worked as a security manager in Tripoli.
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Training Accident Claims Lives of Two Marines

2 Marines identified in deadly California helo crash 
The Associated Press
January 25, 2015

Capt. Elizabeth Kealey, left, and 1st Lt. Adam Satterfield, right, were killed when their UH-1Y Venom helicopter crashed during a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., on Friday. The Marines and the aircraft were based at Camp Pendleton, Calif. (Photo: Marine Corps)

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — Two Marine Corps officers killed when their helicopter crashed during a training exercise in the Southern California desert were remembered Sunday as talented pilots.

Capt. Elizabeth Kealey and 1st Lt. Adam Satterfield died from injuries in the crash Friday at the Twentynine Palms Marine base.

They were the only two Marines aboard the UH-1Y Huey helicopter.
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Camp Pendleton Grounds Site of Acjachemen Natives Conversion

What California Indians lost under Junipero Serra, soon to be saint 
LA Times
Karin Klein
January 16, 2015

Through those records, many of today’s Acjachemen know which villages were their ancestral homes. Some can trace their roots back to Panhe, which means they know where their ancestors stood 9,000 years ago.

An early photo of Mission San Juan Capistrano
one of the missions overseen by Father Junipero Serra
(Los Angeles Times)

Is there a word for the extinction of cultures? Not the people of those cultures, but the cultures themselves?

I ask because one of the notable consequences of the California mission movement founded by and overseen by Father Junipero Serra was the loss of various Native American cultures, to the point where many Indian groups cannot now get tribal recognition.

It seems odd that Pope Francis, known for his cultural sensitivity and appreciation for diversity, has chosen to confer sainthood on Serra, who played such a big role in obliterating indigenous culture in coastal California.

Several years ago, I was honored with an invitation to attend a traditional Acjachemen ceremony in San Onofre State Beach, just south of the Orange County border.

The members were celebrating the fact that the Coastal Commission had put a halt to a massive toll-road project that would have encroached on the site of the ancient Acjachemen village of Panhe, which their ancestors had inhabited continuously for 9,000 years, until shortly after the arrival of the Spanish. In fact, it was at Panhe that the first christening took place in California; the actual spot is on Camp Pendleton.
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Camp Pendleton Corpsman Memorial Rededicated

Corpsman monument rededicated
OC Register
By ERIKA I. RITCHIE
STAFF WRITER
Published: Dec. 12, 2014

Original memorial was installed at old Naval Hospital in 1983 but was damaged when it was moved.

JOSHUA SUDOCK , STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Raul Avina created a corpsmen monument in 1983. The monument was in front of the Naval Regional Medical Center Camp Pendleton for 31 years. Last year a new Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton opened on the base.

Attempts to move Avina's sculpture didn't go well and a new monument was created from Avina's original.

An unveiling was held Friday at the base. Many of Avina's family members were on hand for the event.

Corpsman are the Marines "docs" in combat and have saved countless lives over the decades.

"They will do this because each and every one of them know that their Marines will protect them with their very lives as well, he added."

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Veterans Harder Hit By Hep C

At The Crossroads, Part 6: Veterans Harder Hit By Hep C
Rhode Island NPR Radio
By KRISTIN GOURLAY
December 5, 2014

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. At a hearing Wednesday, Dec. 3, Sanders wanted to know why new hepatitis C drugs cost so much and how the VA was going to pay for them.
Credit Screenshot of live stream of hearing

Dennis was a young Marine training at Camp Pendleton, ready to deploy.

“I was on my way over, I was in what they call staging,” said Dennis. “13, 16, 17 days, then send you over to Okinawa, then Vietnam. I got lucky.”

That is, if you call blowing a knee out lucky. It saved him from going to Vietnam. Soon after that, Dennis isn’t sure when or how, he got infected with the hepatitis C virus.

“I didn’t do any intravenous drugs or anything like that,” Dennis said. “My ex had it, I don’t know if I got it from her.”

Dennis is 63. He’s from Providence. He doesn’t want us to use his last name because of the stigma hepatitis C can carry. It’s a disease he’s been living with for decades. That’s partly because, until this year, his treatment options were pretty grim. But the years of hoping for something better to come along are over. Doctor Alexis Pappas gives Dennis the good news in an exam room at the Providence VA.

“So as you’ve probably heard in the news,” Pappas explained, “there’s a lot of new treatments for hepatitis c and the VA has all those available now for your genotype.”

Pappas tells Dennis she’ll start him on treatment right away. And chances are excellent that after 12 weeks he’ll be cured. But that cure comes at a price. One new hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi, costs $84,000 dollars for a full course. The VA managed to negotiate that down to about $50,000 dollars.

But with more than 170,000 veterans living with hepatitis C, the price is still too high for strained budgets.

“So most of our veterans have been carrying disease for the past three, four decades,” said Promrat. “And now it’s the time when the full-blown manifestations of chronic liver injury come to light. And we’re now dealing with that, right now.”

Dealing, he says, with a ten-fold increase in the number of patients with liver cancer. Rising numbers of patients needing liver transplants. More veterans with cirrhosis and liver failure. All consequences of untreated hepatitis C.
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Camp Pendleton Marines Taking Over LA

UPDATE

Dodger Stadium was site of simulated raid by Marines from Camp Pendleton

If Marines deploying next year are ordered to assault an enemy stronghold and capture a high-value target, they can say they practiced at Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium was the site Monday night of a simulated raid by Marines from the Camp Pendleton-based 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

A “raid force” of 75 Marines arrived on MV-22B Ospreys and other aircraft from Fort Hunter Liggett near Monterey, Calif., about 170 miles from Chavez Ravine. The aircraft landed in the stadium parking lot and Marines stormed the stadium, primarily through the stadium tunnels.
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Camp Pendleton Marines To Conduct Training In Downtown LA
CBS News
December 5, 2014

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Residents in and around downtown Los Angeles could hear helicopters or other military aircraft over the coming days as Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton train in preparation for a deployment.

The training is part of a two-week military exercise that starts Friday and extends through Dec. 16 and involves about 2,400 members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to the Associated Press.

While residents could see as many as six military helicopters buzzing over the downtown area over the next week, raids being held at several undisclosed locations in the city will be off limits to the public for safety reasons, Capt. Brian Block told the Associated Press.

“It’s not going to look like ‘Apocalypse Now’ by any stretch of the imagination,” Block said. Dozens of Marines will raid buildings and shoot paintballs from modified M-15s as part of the exercise, but no residents live in the spots where the pseudo-combat will take place, according to Block.
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Gunnery Sgt Back From Afghanistan Thought No One Was There For Him

Until he saw he was wrong.

"Gunnery Sgt. Chris Taylor recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, and didn't expect to see any family members at his homecoming."

Wife welcomes Marine home with surprise visit upon his return from Afghanistan
NBC TODAY
Eun Kyung Kim
December 1, 2014

Sgt. Chris Taylor was surprised when he returned home

(Photo: YouTube)

A surprise reunion following a year-long separation from loved ones can overwhelm even the most disciplined, battle-hardened Marine with emotion.

Gunnery Sgt. Chris Taylor recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, and didn't expect to see any family members at his homecoming.

"Because he is stationed in California and our kids and I live in Maryland, he didn't think that anyone would be there when he returned. But I showed him!" wrote his wife, Sara Taylor, in the caption of a YouTube video she posted last month of their emotional reunion.
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Veteran's PTSD Cross-country Horseback Trip Change His Own Life Too

Vet Crosses Country on Horseback for PTSD Awareness
NBC San Diego
By Liberty Zabala
December 1, 2014

A Marine Corps veteran has come home to Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, California, after traveling across the country entirely on horseback.

Matt Littrell is riding to raise awareness for veterans dealing with mental, emotional and physical pain. Bronze Stars, Navy Cross Awarded for Bravery in Afghanistan.

After two combat tours in Iraq, coming home was one of the darkest parts of Littrell’s journey — until he got on his horse to ride 2,600 miles to fight for his brothers in arms going through the same thing.

“One step at a time. One mile at a time. It’s a journey you’ll take and you’ll find it,” Littrell said.

As this part of his journey ends, a new one begins.

“We actually got engaged on the trail, and we do plan to get married when we get home,” said Littrell’s fiancé Kristen Fuhrmann. “I fell in love with the honesty and the person.”

Every mile along the way, he’ll keep fighting.

“I told these guys we’d ride for them and we will and we did,” Littrell said.

So far, he has raised $82,000 for the Semper Fi Fund.
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A Marine Corps veteran has come to Camp Pendleton after traveling across the country on horseback to raise awareness for veterans dealing with physical and emotional pain. NBC 7's Liberty Zabala reports on Nov. 30, 2014. (Published Monday, Dec 1, 2014)

Marine with robotic leg braces to receive a Bronze Star

Marine With Robotic Leg Braces to Get Bronze Star
Associated Press SAN DIEGO
By JULIE WATSON
Nov 21, 2014

Capt. Derek Herrera wanted to remain on active duty after a sniper's bullet in Afghanistan left him paralyzed two years ago.

Now he plans to retire from the Marine Corps, but not before walking across a stage with robotic leg braces to receive a Bronze Star.

Herrera will be honored Friday at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, in a ceremony that will also mark his medical retirement after 8½ years in the military.

Herrera has vowed to retire while standing, like he did when he joined the Marine Corps.

"I could easily go and roll up in my wheelchair. But for me it's a mental and emotional goal that I set for myself: to stand up and walk out of the Marine Corps," said Herrera, who was the first American to purchase the ReWalk system recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The special operations officer is being honored with the Bronze Star for his actions on June 14, 2012, when the patrol he was leading came under heavy fire in Afghanistan. Herrera continued coordinating efforts while receiving treatment for his own spinal injury and collapsed left lung.

"The bravery and fortitude he displayed inspired his men to heroic feats as they valiantly fought to save the lives of their wounded team members and repel the enemy assault," wrote Maj. Gen. M.A. Clark in recommending Herrera be recognized with a Bronze Star.
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Camp Pendleton Navy Corpsman To Be Awarded Navy Cross

Camp Pendleton Navy Corpsman To Be Awarded Navy Cross
KPBS News
By Beth Ford Roth
November 20, 2014

Navy Chief Petty Officer Justin Wilson

U.S. NAVY

The commanding general of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) will award Navy Chief Petty Officer Justin Wilson the Navy Cross at a Camp Pendleton ceremony on Nov. 25.

The Military Times reports Wilson, 36, works as a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman assigned to MARSOC's 1st Marine Special Operation Battalion, which is based at Camp Pendleton.

Wilson was on his third deployment to Afghanistan, according to the Navy Cross citation, when, along with several members of Marine Special Operations Team 8113, he was injured by an explosion on Sept. 28, 2011.
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Marine Major Died During Run in Germany

Marine major dies after collapsing during training run
Marine Corps Times
By Hope Hodge Seck Staff writer
November 13, 2014

A Marine supply officer died last week after collapsing during unit training in Germany.

Maj. Ryan Hansen, 41, a sustainment division head at Marine Corps Forces Europe, was pronounced dead at Sindelfingen hospital near Boeblingen on Nov. 7, Marine officials said. He had been completing a physical training run. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa is based in Stuttgart.

The cause of Hansen's death remains under investigation, said Capt. Richard Ulsh, a spokesman for MARFORAF. The command has not yet received an autopsy report, he said.
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