Greetings and Happy Marine Corps Birthday! As the final verse of the Marine Corps Hymn starts out, here’s health to you and to our Corps. November marks the 235 th celebration of the Marine Corps’ Birth on November 10 th , 1775 in Philadelphia, PA. Veteran’s Day occurs during the same week, and I would ask that as your Marines pause to commemorate and celebrate our history, that you would take time to remember the heroes of our past that have kept our country free. It is a solemn oath that America’s servicemen take – an oath to give their life ifasked to defend the people and Constitution of the United States against all enemies. Please keep us all in your prayers. On the more routine note, life has begun to settle into a more predictable rhythm. After deploying across the Pacific to Guam, spending only a few weeks in Iwakuni, and then moving up to Misawa, Japan for a week and then back to Iwakuni, the squadron hardly even had time to unpack their bags before the next movement. I think most ofus have finally figured out the shortest route from work to our quarters, the hours ofthe chow hall, the exchange, the commissary, and the bowling alley. You know, the important stuff. Marines have figured out the train system and are making it out into Iwakuni and over to Hiroshima a few train stops away. Luckily, October weather in Japan is some of the best of the year and it hasn’t gotten too cold to enjoy the time outdoors. Our next big movement will be down to the island of Okinawa, Japan to Kadena Air Base to participate in a large-force exercise supporting Marine Aircraft Group 12 and 1 st Marine Air Wing. We’ll most likely spend the holidays in Okinawa before packing up to return to Iwakuni – at least it’s warmer down there! By then, we’ll be well past the halfway point. We’re already almost a third of the way there now, and before you know it, your loved ones will be walking off the airc raft and back into your lives. It seems a long way off. I appreciate the support of the families and wish all of you the best. Happy Birthday, Marines! Semper Fidelis, LtCol Goodwin Commanding Officer LtCol Dan Goodwin Executive Officer Maj Chad Sund Sergeant Major SgtMaj Scott Boyer Family Readiness Officer Mrs. Stephanie Early Deployed Address: Rank Last, First MI VMFA 225 UIC 41027 FPO AP 96609-1027 VIKINGS RULE!! A word from the Commanding Officer T T H H E E V V I I K K I I N N G G V V O O I I C C E E VMFA(AW)-225FAMILY READINESS NEWSLETTERNOVEMBER 2010
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It is hard to believe that the holidays are upon us, and the seaso
starts off with the traditional commemoration of the 235th birth
our beloved Corps. Normally we celebrate the occasion with a
formal ball and get dressed in our finest dress with our spouses
and loved ones. This year we will be having a less formal
deployed celebration in our service uniforms, with our new
friends from our sister squadron, the Bengals of VMFA(AW)-2
I want to thank all the former Marines and Veterans for your service to this grea
Country as we remember all the Veterans who have so proudly served and spent
time away from their loved ones like your Marines are doing today.
The daily routine has become more familiar. The jets always need to be fixed an
the Marines are doing a fantastic job of keeping them in the air. The daily schedisn’t very different from back in Miramar, except for the absence of our families
and friends. With only a few places to hang out on the base, the Marines and
Sailors have found their way to places such as Hiroshima, Tokyo and the Fuji
Grand Mall. You may have heard them mention the Kintai Bridge or the Peace
Park, a few of the local landmarks. I encourage the men and women to get out a
experience the culture and history of this foreign land. The squadron recently
returned from Misawa, Japan. The short detachment was a success and from th
talk of the young Marines, it was a nice break from the base of Iwakuni. It doesn
take much to impress a Marine; the dining facility alone was a morale boost! It
seems that the Marines and Sailors are finding new hobbies to do and making ne
friends. It is encouraging to see the intermingling of division shops shooting poolbowling a few games in the new bowling alley. The Marines are doing well and a
accustomed to the rigors of this deployment.
The next stop for our squadron will be Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. We
will most likely spend the Christmas Holiday and New Year there. No matter ho
many deployments a family does, the holidays just aren’t the same without our
loved ones. Send the cards and stocking stuffers, I am sure your loved one will fe
more at home when they receive them. Before you know it, the deployment will b
over and your loved ones will be back home picking up where they left off. The
Commanding Officer and I appreciate your support and I wish everyone a safe a
I am Corporal Linwood E. Hinton, a 20 year old Aviation Operat
Specialist from Tarboro, NC. This is my first deployment and I amore than eager to share my experiences. This deployment is giv
me the time to become more knowledgeable and versatile in my M
Prior to deploying, I was primarily a Training Marine; I was
responsible for making sure that our squadron’s Marines received
their annual training such as going to the Rifle/Pistol Range, takin
their PFT/CFT, or attending Professional Military Education sch
Recently, I have started doing more of the Operations part of my MOS, where I track a
log Aircrew flight hours and report the squadron’s statistics to higher headquarters.
One of the reasons I enlisted into the Marine Corps was to travel. Prior to joining, I ha
idea what it was like overseas, or even on the west coast of the United States. So far on t
deployment, I’ve had the luxury to walk through the jungles of Guam and enjoy thebeautiful oceanfront and beaches while staying in a four star hotel. We also recently ha
the opportunity to work with the Japanese Air Self Defense Force in Misawa, JP, which
located near the northern tip of the main Japanese Island of Honshu. The Japanese cul
is nice; the locals are very friendly and practice many formal customs and courtesies. I’
also had the opportunity to experience the local area of Iwakuni, JP. I’m looking forwa
to taking advantage of the touring and sight-seeing opportunities throughout Japan tha
Single Marine Program provides.
Even though I greatly enjoy the opportunity to travel, the way that our unit is coming
together as a family is what I love most about this deployment. Being away from home c
be stressful at times, but when we have brothers and sisters to the left and the right of us
who are going through similar pains it’s easier to come together as one in order to makebest of our time here. To all of the loved ones back home, I would like to thank you all fo
your support throughout this deployment and I would also like to tell you that so far ou
deployment is going well. Be safe, and we’ll see you soon! Semper Fidelis.