Marine husband, wife reunite in Afghanistan

 

Sgt. Jennifer Estrada, assigned to the female engagement team, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, adjusts the chevron ranks on her husband, Staff Sgt. Jonadam Costilloe, currently assigned as the I Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD) air liason, Camp Dwyer. Costilloe reunited with his wife of five months for his promotion ceremony held at Camp Leatherneck, July 1. The Grand Junction, Colo., couple are on their third combat deployment, their first on seperate camps.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — She couldn’t stop smiling at him, even when he wasn’t looking. He was tangled up in her bubbly cheerful personality and smiled at her every time she spoke to him.  Both of them were soaking up the last few moments together before they’d go their separate ways again. They couldn’t even kiss or hold each other’s hand, much less hug. But when the crowd left, she snuck in a kiss on his cheek, and all he could do was sigh.

CLB-6 Marines, Sailors Enjoy Food and Fun During Field Meet

Sgt. Elizabeth Urbaez, 26, from Washington Heights, N.Y., wire chief for Headquarters and Service Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), leads an all-female team in a tug-of-war challenge during a field meet at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, July 5.

Evening Parade ceremonial bugler

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Cody Mamalis, left, a bugler from the The Commandants Own,the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, sounds assembly to Marine Barracks Washington Sgt. Maj. Eric Stockton during the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington in Washington, D.C., July 1, 2010. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Alvin Williams/Released)

Female engagement team conducts a medial outreach

 

U.S. Marines and Sailors from the female engagement team with Bravo Battery, 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, conduct a medical outreach for residents in the village of Habib Abad, Afghanistan, July 3, 2010. Residents were given the opportunity to receive care for minor injuries and illnesses and were provided with personal hygiene products. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Marionne T. Mangrum/Released)

Will nation’s women’s military memorial stay open?

 ARLINGTON, Va. — Garage sales and quilt raffles helped a determined group of female World War II veterans raise money to transform a rundown wall at Arlington National Cemetery into a grand stone memorial to women who served their country. But those women are dying off, even as the memorial runs short of funds.  With women now involved more heavily in combat jobs, those early organizers hope a new generation will step up to the challenge of keeping the memorial open so military women’s stories won’t be lost.

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Veterans get pushed aside: lack of assistance leads to financial bind

Leslie is from the new breed of Marines. Different from my day, she is cute as a button and tough as steel. I am proud to know her. As the only female in her reserve company of 300 combat engineers, she was in the original invasion of Iraq and one of the few women Marines to be awarded the Combat Action Ribbon.

Several of her close friends in the company were killed in action during her combat tour. Leslie got a civil service job with the state where she met and married her husband, Troy, also a former Marine, with deployments to Kuwait and Somalia on his record. After leaving the Marines, Troy continued his service by joining the Pennsylvania National Guard.

 

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Husband, Wife Coach Marine Shooting Team

Sgts. Mark and Emily Windmassenger, members of the All-Marine marksmanship team, stand together at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 12, 2010. The couple is coaching the Marine air rifle and air pistol shooting teams that are competing at the inaugural Warrior Games.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —The Marine Corps teams competing at the inaugural Warrior Games here have a wealth of coaching knowledge available to their athletes. But the Marines on the shooting team have an unusual pair of coaches at their disposal. Sgt. Mark Windmassenger and his wife, Sgt. Emily Windmassenger, are coaching the Marine shooters in the games. Both coaches are accomplished marksmen on the All-Marine shooting team in Quantico, Va.

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Village medical outreach provides care to Afghans

1st Lt. Justine Roberts, public affairs officer with I Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD), shows the children how to use a jump-rope, May 15, during a village medical outreach outside Naw-Abad. Marines and medical officers from Brigade Headquarters Group and 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, I MEF (FWD) and an Afghan National Army medic from Camp Shorabak, set up and conducted the outreach to provide medical care and assess long term medical needs.

NAW ABAD, Afghanistan —Marines and medical officers from Brigade Headquarters Group and 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD) and an Afghan national army medic from Camp Shorabak, Afghanistan, set up a village medical outreach, May 15, outside the village of Naw-Abad, to provide medical care to the people of that area.The Marines and Sailors set up a medical tent and aided over 35 men and children who traveled from their homes down to the medical site.

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Woman Marine pins on second star

 

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. —A woman of many firsts drew a large crowd of Marines as she celebrated her promotion to major general May 12 at The Clubs At Quantico.

 Maj. Gen. Angela Salinas prides herself as being the first woman Marine to command a recruiting station. Salinas commanded Recruiting station Charleston, W. Va. Aside from that, Salinas was the first woman Marine to command Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif.

Salinas takes pride in her accomplishments, but remains humble and never forgets to let her junior Marines know how much they mean to her and the success of her career.

 

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Marines Paint Mural, Display Corps To Boston

 

 Bostonians driving past Marines painting a mural showcasing the Corps’ proud values displayed their support by waving, honking and shouting motivation toward the Marines at an intersection in Hyde Park, May 5.

For more than a week Marines from different units throughout the Marine Corps have come to work on the mural and give something back to the city of Boston. The purpose of the mural was showing the people of Boston what the Marine Corps did during Marine Week Boston.

 

 

Sgt Tiffany Benson, Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans, LA, tackles the background color on the mural.

 

 

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