By Sgt Danielle Bacon, 26th MEU

NEW YORK - Marines and sailors of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 26 returned home Nov. 12, after participating in the commissioning of USS New York, the Navy’s newest landing platform dock.

Since their arrival in New York Nov. 2, the 260 Marines and sailors have given tours to thousands of visitors each day. From veterans to cheerleaders, all visitors were able to check out Marine Corps vehicles, equipment and weapon systems, all of which are assets that will be aboard the ship that was built around the Navy-Marine Corps team.

“This ship was built with Marines in mind,” said Col. Mark Desens, SPMAGTF-26 commanding officer. The Marines showed off the ship’s improved capabilities and their own gear ranging from aircraft to amphibious vehicles and weapon systems. Not only were Marines on hand to explain the gear, they ensured visitors got hands-on with it as well, giving as many people as possible the firsthand experience of seeing and touching the vehicles and equipment. The Marines and sailors hosted 9/11 victims’ families, Wounded Warriors, VIPs, the New York Jets players and cheerleaders, and even a princess of Thailand during the tours.

But the Marines did much more than conduct tours. Each day, Marines of SPMAGTF-26 ventured into New York to conduct community relations events, participate in ceremonies, and cheer on their favorite teams at sports games.

The Marines attended community relations events at the Staten Island Marine Corps League, interacting with the veterans whose large shoes they now fill. They also played with children at a child development center at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. They visited the Brooklyn Veterans Administration hospital, raising the spirits of veterans getting treatment there. More Marines visited the Morgan Stanley Columbia Presbyterian Children’s Hospital where they read to children.

Four Marines took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pay respects and show their patriotism by re-enlisting inside the construction site at Ground Zero. Three Marines eligible for promotion Nov. 1 delayed their promotion ceremonies three days in order to receive their new ranks at the site.

Three live shows broadcast from the flight deck of USS New York, and SPMAGTF-26 Marines were there to interact with the show hosts and cheer in the audience. Montel Williams, himself a former Marine, broadcast his radio show from USS New York Nov. 4. Fox and Friends broadcast its television news program Nov. 5. ESPN’s Mike and Mike show broadcast their radio and television show Nov. 10. Celebrity chef Robert Irvine, host of Food Network’s “Dinner: Impossible,” cooked for and with the Marines and sailors in the ship’s galley Nov. 8.

A few lucky Marines attended the final game of the World Series. Others were invited to the sidelines as the New York Giants battled the San Diego Chargers. Several Marines attended a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman.

The Marines observed the Marine Corps’ 234th birthday with no less than four ceremonies, including ones with the NYPD, retired members of FDNY, a birthday observance for SPMAGTF-26 alone, and a formal cake-cutting on the flight deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The Navajo Code Talkers and Purple Heart recipient Cpl. Aaron Mankin were some of the noted speakers at the Intrepid ceremony.

The Marines observed Veterans Day by attending breakfast with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg before marching in the city’s 90th annual Veterans Day parade. They also participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the Intrepid museum.

The parade took the Marines down 5th Avenue. Along the way, New Yorkers cheered and showed their respect for the Marines through signs.

Grace Crowley held a sign on the parade route thanking the Marines for her freedom.

“I appreciate everything that you guys do,” she said.

Lance Cpl. Brian M. Woodruff

SPMAGTF-26 Public Affairs

NEW YORK (Nov. 13, 2009) - Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 26 marched in the 90th annual Veterans Day Parade in New York City in honor of military members both past and present Nov. 11, 2009.

The parade was preceded by a ceremony where several guests spoke, including Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, Medal of Honor recipient, Bob Kerrey, New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and Governor of New York, David Patterson. The guests spoke about what Veterans Day means to them and how proud they were of military servicemembers.

People gathered after the ceremony in front of the Eternal Light Monument, a memorial erected in New York City’s Madison Square Park to pay tribute to those who serve in the United States military.

Nearly 30,000 people marched down 5th Ave. when the parade started. Crowds gathered, cheering and clapping as soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coast guardsmen passed by.

“I was honored to be able to march in the parade and be cheered on by all those people,” said Cpl. Wesley T. Clark, a ground communications repairman with SPMAGTF-26. “It helps remind people what military members past and present have gone through to protect their freedoms.”

Robert Irvine, host of “Dinner: Impossible” on Food Network, speaks to Seaman Apprentice Florentino Soto, a culinary specialist, aboard USS New York Nov. 8, 2009 in New York City. Irvine and Soto cooked lunch for Marines from Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 26 and sailors from USS New York. SPMAGTF-26 is made up of North Carolina Marines from several units that are aboard USS New York for the ship’s commissioning. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde)

Lance Cpl. Tommy Bellegarde

NEW YORK (Nov. 11, 2009) - Robert Irvine, host of Food Network’s “Dinner: Impossible,” came aboard USS New York ,Nov. 8, 2009, in Manhattan to cook for and with the Marines of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force 26 and the sailors of USS New York, many of whom were fans of the show.

Irvine, Randall Williams, Irvine’s business partner, and the cooks of USS New York prepared a chicken white-bean chili for SPMAGTF-26 Marines and the ship’s crew for brunch. Inside the kitchen, Irvine conversed and joked around with the troops.

“Today we came here to have a little fun with the sailors and Marines in the galley,” he said.

By 10:30 a.m. the dish was ready to be served to a long line of hungry Marines and sailors invading the mess hall. Irvine helped serve the food to the troops.

The celebrity chef said he felt the staff in the kitchen worked extremely well together and today was a perfect example of what the Navy-Marine Corps team means.

“What I saw today in the galley was a team, a coherent team. That cohesiveness is amazing. The camaraderie is second to none,” he said. “It’s very unusual to see a kitchen run as smoothly, especially on a new ship like this,” he added.

USS New York, which was commissioned Nov. 7, is the newest vessel in the Naval fleet. Irvine, a former chief petty officer in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, was extremely impressed with the new ship’s modern features.

“I love the way in which it’s laid out,” he said. “Obviously (there is) more walkway, more space that people can actually move around. It’s much easier for the guys when they have all their equipment to get up and down (the stairs),” he added.

After lunch, Irvine took the opportunity to autograph photos for SPMAGTF-26 Marines and USS New York sailors. He also spent time with several of his fans aboard the ship.

At the end of a successful visit, Irvine had a message for the Marines of SPMAGTF-26 and sailors of USS New York, “Continue to do your job. Continue to have fun and continue to always remember that people out here love you for what you do every day. God bless you and be safe. Oorah!”

Photo from 24th MEU

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – Marines from the Camp Lejeune-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted an amphibious assault across the beaches here this morning as part of a combined training exercise with the Navy’s Nassau Amphibious Ready Group.

In tpre-dawn hours Marine infantrymen from the MEU’s Battalion Landing Team 1^st Battalion, 9^th Marine Regiment, loaded Assault Amphibian Vehicles, better known as AMTRAKS, and “splashed” into the ocean from USS Ashland to assault objectives on Onslow Beach and Mile Hammock Bay. Right behind them followed armored HMMWV’s, M1A1 tanks, Light Armored Vehicles, artillery and support personnel loaded aboard Navy hovercraft and landing boats from USS Nassau and USS Mesa Verde, both located miles off the North Carolina coast.

The assault tested the ability of the Marine Corps-Navy team to plan and execute a mission using all elements of the Marine Air Ground Task Force to move from amphibious ships to objectives ashore, which is a primary skill set for Marine expeditionary units. The training exercise is planned to last approximately three days and will consist of follow-on missions throughout Camp Lejeune’s training areas.

The operation is part of a training exercise called Composite Training Unit Exercise, or COMPTUEX, where Marines and sailors from the 24th MEU work with the Nassau ARG to test their skills in planning and executing a variety of missions over the course of nearly three weeks.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how everything’s coming together,” said Col. Pete Petronzio, commanding officer, 24^th MEU.

The 24th MEU is slated to be the landing force for the Norfolk-based Nassau ARG, and will deploy early next year on three amphibious assault ships – USS Nassau, USS Mesa Verde and USS Ashland.

More than 2,300 Marines and sailors make up the 24th MEU, which is composed of its command element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment (the Ground Combat Element), Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) (the Air Combat Element), and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 (the Logistics Combat Element).

The Marines kicked off their pre-deployment training program in June, and before deploying they will complete a host of specialized combat courses, field training exercises and at-sea periods where they plan and conduct missions from ship.

Their final training exercise is called Certification Exercise, and is currently planned for early December, and will put the 24^th MEU back at sea with its Navy counterparts.

–Press Release