2013 News Archive Stories

Harrier, F-35 group commander departs, new commander welcomedMarines, sailors, civilian employees and community members gathered at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma for an official change of command ceremony Thursday for the incoming and outgoing commanding officers of Marine Aircraft Group 13.During the ceremony, MAG-13 bad

Maj. Gen. Steven W. Busby (left), commanding general of Third Marine Aircraft Wing, congratulates Lt. Col. Brent Weathers on receiving the Bronze Star. Weathers, an AV-8B Harrier pilot with Marine Aircraft Group 13 and native of Marshall, Okla., was awarded the Bronze Star for his courageous efforts in Afghanistan in support of Operation Endurin

Two more F-35B Lightning IIs fly overhead before landing at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma on Wednesday, becoming the 5th and 6th aircraft attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121.

A World War II Memorial is coming to the state Capitol, and the last existing gun barrel from the USS Arizona will be part of its centerpiece.Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who has been active in the establishment of the WWII memorial, said he learned a couple of years ago that a barrel from the famed, fallen battleship still lived,

The Marine Corps, as the smallest branch of service, prides itself on having a high percentage of service members who are considered "force multipliers." They often handle the responsibilities of two or more Marines of equal or higher grade and set an extraordinary example for their peers to follow. A select few of these Marine&

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma recently hosted the inaugural children’s tour Intro to Devil Dogs 101, with the help of Marines, volunteers, teachers and parents from the local community. Children from a handful of local elementary schools participated in the tour, which began on Ramada Field and finished on the flight line with a co

After weeks of debate and number-crunching, the Defense Department announced plans Tuesday to furlough about 680,000 of its civilian employees for 11 days through the end of this fiscal year, allowing only limited exceptions for the military to avoid or reduce the unpaid days off.Tuesday's announcement of the mandatory unpaid days of

After nine months at sea serving with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Peleliu, more than 150 Marine Attack Squadron 311 Marines returned Monday to MCAS Yuma. Click here for slideshow 

A lifetime member of the Yuma County Sheriff’s Posse was recently honored in Washington, D.C., for his service as a sailor during World War II. Raymond Evans, who served in the Navy from 1944 until 1946 as a fireman 1st Fleet tug sailor, was one of a small group of veterans from Arizona of that war who were flown to the nation&rsqu

Army veteran Joe “Tiger” Patrick II, who served in Operation Desert Storm, has been walking across America to honor those he calls the fallen heroes of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. On Thursday he stopped off at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, where he met with members of the news media and photojournalists who were at th

The commanding officer of four Harrier squadrons and one F-35B squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma said Thursday that continuing construction to prepare for more next-generation fighter jets puts the air station in a position to assume a much larger presence on the West Coast.Col. Michael Gough, commanding officer of Marine Air

Budget tightening in the Department of Defense could mean Yuma Proving Ground not entering banner-bearing Humvees in parades or sending speakers to an after-hours function in town.Following a statement by the Office of the Army Chief of Public Affairs that said sequestration and budget uncertainty will limit community support, YPG sp

Yuma County has tentatively scored more than $10 million to improve and flatten Martinez Lake Road.The road to the popular summer destination about 35 miles north of Yuma is known to frequent travelers as a hilly, difficult-to-traverse stretch of pavement. But if the Federal Highway Administration finalizes a $10,075,000 grant, withi

Seventy soldiers of the Phoenix-based Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 850th Military Police Battalion of the Arizona Army National Guard will return to Arizona on Thursday from their deployment to Qatar in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Among them are two soldiers from Yuma and one from Somerton. The Yuma soldiers are Pv

A Yuma Marine assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 in Yuma will receive a prestigious USO award for her actions during and after a deadly Taliban attack on Camp Bastion last year while deployed to Afghanistan.Cpl. Mary Beth Monson will be presented with a Military Leadership Award on Thursday during the USO's 47th annual

A Yuma man is cherishing a one-of-a-kind piece of history from World War II that was given to him several years ago by his brother shortly before he died. Talking in a low tone that was both a mixture of immense pride and deep sadness, Filemon Tellez said his brother, David, survived the Bataan Death March and went on to spend more t

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — It's moving season and families are naturally concerned about their children's education, but parents' minds were put to ease thanks to a special guest-visit from a superintendent and Camp Lejeune school liaison officers.While on a recent vacation trip to visit family in Jacksonville, N.C.

According to Lockheed Martin spokesman Mike Rein, the company will resume delivering F-35Bs, the short-takeoff-and vertical-landing variant of the Lightning II, to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma sometime within the next month.“It's definitely looking that way,” Rein said.Rein said in a telephone interview Monda

Civilian Department of Defense employees working at both Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground may have the mandatory unpaid furlough days they are facing as part of sequestration reduced to just seven.They had initially faced 22 days and are now set at 14.According to The Associated Press, senior Pentagon

A Yuma-based platoon of an Arizona Army National Guard unit received two awards for the combat service it earned during two deployments in Iraq.A Unit Awards ceremony was held for the 855th Military Police Company recently at the Sunnyslope Armory in Phoenix. The Yuma-based 1st Platoon is made up of law enforcement and other federal

Known simply by the Marines who have attended it over the years as WTI, which stands for Weapons and Tactics Instructor course, it is also the only training of its kind, providing pilots, weapon system operators, ground combat and combat support service personnel a world-class opportunity to hone their battlefield knowledge and expertise.

Arizonans are aware of the important role played by military installations throughout our state and, though the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground isn't as well known as others, the proving ground's impact on national defense is profound.How many people outside the proving ground know of YPG's role in managing military environmental testi

About 135 high school students enrolled in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (MCJROTC) participated in the inaugural Kofa High School Crucible on Thursday. Held at the Kofa football stadium, it began with a promotion ceremony. "This is the first year of the program at Kofa High School, so everyone is an LE-1

On the morning of Sept. 5, 1967, Sgt. Bravie Soto led a squad of men into the thick jungle of Bien Hoa Province, South Vietnam. It was a sweltering late summer’s day as they set out from their command post to patrol the perimeter of a rubber tree plantation. Soto and the seven men under his command would never return. Soto,

One year ago, President Barack Obama stated in a proclamation for Women's History Month: “While we have made great strides toward equality, we cannot rest until our mothers, sisters and daughters assume their rightful place as full participants in a secure, prosperous and just society.” Securing her place in the U.S. Army is