WELCOME BACK TO THE STATES ANDY!!!!

Dear 1st ANGLICO friends & families,

I would first like to say welcome home to all of our 1st ANGLICO warriors who just returned from a long deployment with the 13th MEU! By all accounts, SALT G did an absolutely superb job and had a very successful deployment. My hat’s off to the families of SALT G for making it through yet another deployment and providing the support to your loved ones in order to make it a successful deployment.

....the Marine Corps mandates that units returning from deployments set aside a period of time (usually five days) to decompress after making the significant change from the tactical environment back to normalcy—to our living rooms, with our wives, and our kids, too! We are planning “Warrior Transition” now with due respect to meeting the Commandant’s intent as well as to maximizing our free time to spend with our families and loved ones once we get home.

Lastly, your Marines and sailors continue to set the standard for outright professionalism and tactical effectiveness out here. Your loved ones are constantly setting the bar higher and higher for effectiveness in combat when it comes to air and surface delivered fires. You have much to be proud of! They are operating smartly and have a clear understanding of the mission at hand and that we will finish strong right to the end. Thank you so much for supporting these fine men and for being a part of 1st ANGLICO and our Corps!
Semper fidelis,

LtCol Brian T. Bruggeman, USMC
Commanding Officer, 1ST ANGLICO

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Passing the torch: 5th ANGLICO replaces 1st ANGLICO in Afghanistan

Passing the torch: 5th ANGLICO replaces 1st ANGLICO in Afghanistan

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — In preparation for the transfer of authority on Dec. 4, 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company and 5th ANGLICO have been convoying to bases throughout the Helmand province of Afghanistan recently.

Now that Dec. 4, has passed, the outgoing 1st ANGLICO has officially given the torch over to 5th ANGLICO and will be heading home soon.

“We wish 5th ANGLICO the best of luck and success,” said Paolicelli. “Hopefully we’ll be doing this again in about 17 months.”

United States Marines Birthplace Memorial

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Almost Time for Andy to Come Home

Andy and the rest of the crew in 1ST ANGLICO will be coming home soon!!!
And they are partying down in San Diego!!

Goodbye to Another Amazing U.S. Marine

Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you... I loved you so-- 'twas Heaven here with you.

CPL Samuel L. Johnson passed away at the young age of 20 on September 24, 2011.

Click here: Samuel L. Johnson

Medal of Honor Recipient Recalls Ambush

Dakota Meyer appears on 60 Minutes

What happened in the Ganjgal Valley in Eastern Afghanistan earned Dakota Meyer the Medal of Honor, but an investigation into the incident that killed four U.S. Marines and eight Afghan soldiers ended the careers of two army officers in charge that day.

View here: Dakota Meyer appears on 60 Minutes

Highest Military Honor Awarded to Marine, Dakota Meyer

Dakota Meyer saved 36 lives from an ambush in Afghanistan and was awarded the nation's highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, on September 15.

Former Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyers, from Greensburg, Ky., was in Afghanistan's Ganjgal Village, Kunar province in Sept. 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The 23-year-old Marine scout sniper repeatedly ran through enemy fire to recover the bodies of fellow American troops. He has since left the Marine Corps, but will become the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: 9/11 Remembered

Click Here: Afghanistan: 9/11 Remembered

Andy in Afghanistan

Photos from July 2011

Army Ranger Gets Medal of Honor for Heroics in Afghanistan

An Army Ranger who lost his right hand while tossing an enemy grenade away from fellow soldiers in Afghanistan has been awarded the Medal of Honor today.



Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry is the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Iraq and Afghan wars, according to the U.S. military.

"It's very humbling to know that the guys thought that much of me and my actions that day, to nominate me for that," Petry said, according to an Army News Service report.

Petry is being awarded the medal for actions on May 26, 2008, in Paktia, Afghanistan.

Already wounded by a bullet that went through both his legs, Petry picked up an enemy grenade that landed near him and two fellow Rangers and threw it back toward the enemy, according to the Army News Service. The grenade detonated and amputated Petry's right hand. Petry applied a tourniquet to his wound and called for help.

"If not for Staff Sergeant Petry's actions, we would have been seriously wounded or killed," Sgt. Daniel Higgins, a fellow Ranger, wrote in a statement, according to the Army News Service.

Petry, now assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, will be the ninth service member to be presented the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. The other living recipient is Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta.

Petry, a father of four from Santa Fe, New Mexico, has served two tours of duty in Iraq and six in Afghanistan.

America's Elite Fighting Force

There are two locations which turn men into Marines: the Recruit Training Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina, and the Recruit Training Depot at San Diego, California. Where you go depends largely upon where you enlist. Those who enlist west of the Mississippi will likely go through boot camp in San Diego, while those in the East will attend at Parris Island. There is only one boot camp to turn women into Marines -- Parris Island.

Other than geographical differences, such as the lack of sand fleas and better outdoor exercise weather for "Hollywood Marines," the training is virtually identical at both locations.

Parris Island graduates more than 17,000 Marines per year. The average daily male recruit population is 3,786. The average daily female recruit population is 600.San Diego graduates more than 21,000 Marines per year. The average age of male recruits is 19.1, and female recruits is 19.3.

Without doubt, Marine boot camp is more challenging -- both physically and mentally -- than the basic training programs of any of the other military services. Not only are the physical requirements much higher, but recruits are required to learn and memorize a startling amount of information. There are more than 70 "training days" in a period a little longer than 12 weeks (but don't let that fool you). There is lots of "training" going on during the "non-training days," such as the time in Reception, the time spent in "forming," and on Sundays and Holidays. It has been said time and time again by former Marines that Marine Corps recruit training was the most difficult thing they ever had to do in their entire lives.

The more you can prepare in advance, the better off you will be.

It's important that you get into some semblance of physical shape. Concentrate on running three miles and long marches (up to 10 miles). Sit-ups and pull-ups are also important. If you are unable to perform basic exercises, you may spend a significant amount of time in PCP (the Physical Conditioning Platoon). PCP is tough: PCP's objective is physical fitness, and that's what you'll be concentrating on while in the program. You don't get out until you can do 3 pull ups, 40 sit ups in 2 minutes, and run 3 miles in 28:00 minutes.


Alpha Company, Platoon 1009 Taking Their Last Run
July 2007

In Afghanistan, Marines Say Now's Not The Time For U.S. Pullout

U.S. Marines with Golf Company patrol with Afghan forces through a harvested poppy field in Northern Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Later this month, President Barack Obama is expected to announce just how many troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan starting in July. Whether the U.S. should still be engaged in Afghanistan has been hotly contested for years, but the budget crunch and the killing of Osama bin Laden has only intensified the debate.

Marines in the Golf Company agree that now is not the time to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan. Some Marines are OK with the president pulling out support troops like the construction battalion, but not combat troops.

Marines say they've made some gains against the Taliban and they finally have the right amount of troops... finally have everything they need. They finally feel like they're making progress. They just want more time.

The handoff to the Afghan military is complicated, because there are few well-trained units.

Sgt. John Maulder says if you've ever seen Afghan forces during a firefight, all they do is "pray and pray." To leave them now, he said, would just mean the country would descend into a "civil uprising" and the U.S. would just have to turn back around to help them.

Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Helmand (Pashto/Persian: هلمند) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation.

Helmand is the world's largest opium-producing region, responsible for 42% of the world's total production. This is more than the whole of Burma, which is the second largest producing nation after Afghanistan. Afghan opium accounts for more than 90% of the global supply.

Much of the fighting between NATO and Taliban forces is taking place in this province and Helmand is said to be a Taliban stronghold.

Helmand has a southern border with the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Many domestic and international observers have criticized Pakistan's efforts towards securing the border against Taliban insurgents.

Marine from Twentynine Palms Battalion Killed in Afghanistan

A Marine from Twentynine Palms has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Cpl. Paul W. Zanowick II, 23, of Miamisburg, Ohio, was killed Friday in Helmand province, long a Taliban stronghold. Zanowick, an anti-tank missileman, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment from Twentynine Palms.

Zanowick enlisted in January 2008. This was his second war-zone deployment.

Military Losses in Afghanistan: Joseph Gill and Bradley Justin Gaudet

British Marine, Lance Corporal Martin Joseph Gill from 42 Commando Royal Marines died in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Sunday 5th June 2011.

L-Cpl Gill was on patrol in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand. His unit was attacked by enemy forces with small-arms fire from a compound. L-Cpl Gill was hit and despite receiving immediate first aid, died of gunshot wounds.

L-Cpl Gill joined the Royal Marines in April 2008 and was appointed to the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines. Within a year, he was promoted to Lance Corporal and took responsibility for a four-man team, guarding the UK's nuclear deterrent. He moved to 42 Commando Royal Marines in September 2010.


US Army helicopter pilot, Bradley Justin Gaudet, a Warrant Officer serving with the 6th Cavalry Regiment, died on Sunday 5th June 2011 when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan.

WO Gaudet was on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan.

He had returned home last month for his daughter's birth and went back to Afghanistan a few days later to finish his tour. He and his wife, Ginny, also have a 10-year-old daughter, Tealie.