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GLOBE Serving Camp Lejeune and surrounding areas since 1944 WWW.CAMPLEJEUNEGLOBE.COM
VOLUME 73 EDITION 51
THURSDAY DECEMBER 22, 2011 20
Photo by Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright
Petty Officer 2nd Class Fredrick Lacy, head operation’s petty officer for 2nd Dental Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, embraces his wife after surveying the remains of their house aboard the Tarawa Terrace housing community, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, April 15. The Lacys’ house was one of the hardest hit residences from the tornado that ripped through the TT area shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday night, one of approximately 12 that were completely demolished.
Photo by Pvt. Victor Barrera
Col. Daniel Lecce, commanding officer for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, talks to the press during the Greater Sandy Run wildfire aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, March 25.
Photo by Pfc. Jackeline Perez Rivera
Marines with 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, assist with cleanup at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune on Aug. 28 after Hurricane Irene.
OCT. 21 | HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
Task Force Leatherneck forces Taliban out of Upper Sangin Valley
LANCE CPL. LIA ADKINS Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Even the best meteorologists could not have predicted what Mother Nature had in store for the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in 2011. MCB Camp Lejeune was hit with a record amount of snow, two fires, a tornado and a hurricane, all occurring only months apart. However, the trials the disasters brought with them only helped the base emerge stronger and more united. “People who have worked here for more than 30 years have never seen (a year) like this,” said Col. Lecce, MCB Camp Lejeune commanding officer. “We maintain a certain level of preparedness at all times,
but in many ways, we were reactive to the larger disasters. The initial one was the flood, where we received about 29 inches of rainfall over three and a half days, which was just unprecedented. Then although, it wasn’t a disaster, we did have record snowfall.” In mid-January, snow fell in Onslow county and surrounding areas, causing flight and base delays, and closures in parks and museums. A dangerous mix of snow, ice and sleet was expected, so MCB Camp Lejeune prepared for the worse by opening four hours later than usual on Jan. 11. What was expected to be a dangerous time turned out to be a quite warm, precipitation-free morning, but the evidence of the base’s preparations were evident with caution
signs and cones. Then in February, the base closed again to all nonessential personnel, due to snowy weather conditions. Shortly afterward, a fire broke out in the Greater Sandy Run area. “The fire (burned) more than 10,000 acres and even jumped over (Highway 17),” said Lecce. During a press conference March 19, Lecce commented “as Marines, we are good in combat, but not so good with fires of this magnitude,” as the North Carolina Forestry Service took command of the fire. While the blaze originated March 18, it took more than two weeks of fire fighting and favorable weather conditions to be completely contained. It was the efforts of more than 75 North Carolina
Forest Service firefighter and fire managers, 20 MCB Camp Lejeune fire and emergency personnel and the Onslow County Emergency Operations Center, the wildfire was largely contained. Their hard work finally paid off when it was determined that there was no private property or residential damage as a result of the fire. “Then we had the tornado,” said Lecce. For some, the mere mention of last spring’s tornado still has a chilling effect. Meteorologists predicted thunderstorms just days before April 16, but no one expected a tornado to hit so close to home when it touched down in Terrace, one of MCB Camp Lejeune’s base housing areas. It SEE DISASTERS 11A
MARCH 31
MAJ. BRADLEY GORDON 2nd Marine Division (Forward)
Coalition forces with Task Force Leatherneck located in Helmand province have kicked off Operation Eastern Storm, a major offensive operation to root out the Taliban-led insurgency in the Upper Sangin Valley region of Kajaki. After five days of pushing north from Sangin along Route 611, Coalition and Afghan National Security Forces have pushed the insurgency out of Kajaki and secured the road leading to the once-terrorized village. “We are assisting the Afghan National Army’s 215th Corps to secure the main road between Sangin and Kajaki,” stated Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, commanding general, Task Force Leatherneck. “Senior Taliban commanders have been killed or forced into the northern portion of Helmand. The conditions are being set to encourage families to move back to Kajaki, into their SEE LEATHERNECK 10A
Photo by Lance Cpl. Michael Lockett
CH-53E Super Stallions loaded with quick reaction force Marines with Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, serve as another MEU capability able to respond to a variety of missions, March 22.
Marines rescue downed pilot after fighter jet crashes in Libya PUBLIC AFFAIRS
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit rescued a U.S.
Air Force pilot downed in Libya March 22. The Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle crashed in northeast Libya March 21 while flying in support of Operation
Odyssey Dawn, the joint coalition enforcing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to protect the Libyan people SEE LIBYA 10A