Marine Recon and MARSOC

Some of 2nd Recon Bn’s Amphibious Reconnaissance Marines doing their Amphib thing.  Bold Alligator is a multinational exercise hosted by the US, concentrating on littoral warfare.  Started in 2011, it has been held annually ever since, and involves as many as eleven allied countries conducting combined-arms littoral operations at Camp Lejeune, NC and Virginia. http://youtu.be/3R7FH-tR3sw […]

After years of discussion and intense debate, Operators in MARSOC will now officially earn the title of Raider. After an announcement by General Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalions will be re-designated as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Marine Raider Battalions, along with other subordinate commands in MARSOC. The […]

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. We were standing in a small circle — the six of us, there in the darkness — going over the patrol one last time. The Afghans would lead us to a compound; we’d arrive at dawn. From there we would monitor a known Taliban hideout. […]

It was my first patrol. It wasn’t anything extraordinary — a presence patrol in the village — but for a lowly combat correspondent, it was something. My allies had helped secure my position on the CONOP; operators who I’d befriended or known prior, and also the MISO techs, who had broken more ground with the […]

The explosion tore me from sleep. I scrambled up from bed and burst outside, assuming an air of indifference as soon as I saw the others. There were five or six of them, all looking over the Hesco barriers at a distant stain of black smoke. Pogues — engineers, corpsmen, attachments like myself, here to […]

SOFREP Readers, I would like to introduce myself as the newest member of the SOFREP team and share with you a little about my story and why I am honored to write for this site. I am currently a Marine Special Operations Officer at 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion (MSOB) in Camp Pendleton, CA.  Prior […]

Questions have been raised in certain circles about MARSOC’s future with the US’ role in Afghanistan winding down.  It should be remembered, however, that the Marine Corps has a long history of unconventional warfare and special operations long predating SOCOM itself, never mind MARSOC. On November 29, 1804, Lt. Presley O’Bannon, Midshipman George Mann, seven […]

On 28 May, 2004, Commander Wilson received the order to cease direct action missions and focus on a new, protective mission.  NSW Squadron One, to include Detachment One, was tasked to provide personal security detachments for the interim Iraqi government.  Task Unit Raider was given the task of protecting Vice President Rowsch Shaways, one of […]

We’d been stalled on the tarmac at Leatherneck for almost an hour. They had scrunched us all to the front of the Osprey’s cargo bay where we now sat rocking in our jump seats, our bags between our legs, the rotors pounding turbulently outside. We were drowning in the stench of diesel fuel, stale and […]

For most of its institutional life, the Marine Corps has prided itself on being the poor bastard child of the US military.  For decades, its equipment was the Army’s castoffs.  Marines were still using bolt-action Springfield 1903s into 1942, and still using the M1 Garand after the Army had adopted the M14.  Marine helicopters are […]

On Jan 13, Private First Class Joshua Islam died while taking the Recon screening at Pulgas Training Tank, Camp Pendleton, CA.  He was 18.  No details of the circumstances of his death have yet been released, as it is under investigation, as always happens with a death in training. There have already been many people, […]

“X” was not the only target that the MCSOCOM Detachment One Marines took down in May.  On May 17th (though it had been discussed for several days prior), Objective “Rambler” went on the target board. The information for Objective Rambler came from 2nd Bn, 5th Special Forces Group.  The target was actually three individuals, an […]