Soldiers fire the Army’s new M1A2 SEPv3 tank at Fort Hood, Texas, Aug. 18, 2020.
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Small Arms Shoot
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Naajee Tymes shoots an M4 carbine during a small arms qualification at Naval Base Coronado, Calif., Aug. 17, 2020.
Heavy Hold
Marine Corps Cpl. Jakob Orlowsky carries a log during a competition at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 16, 2020.
Competition Climb
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ethan Willy climbs a rope during a competition at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug. 16, 2020.
Sports Heroes Who Served: Former Marine Dethroned Muhammad Ali
Aug. 18, 2020 | , DOD News
Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.
In 1974, during his 1973-1976 service in the Marine Corps, Leon Spinks earned a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division at the inaugural World Amateur Boxing Championships in Havana.
He then won the 1975 Amateur Athletic Union title and was runner-up in the finals of the 1975 Pan American Games. In 1976, he clinched the gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the Olympic Games in Montreal.
Spinks gained the reputation of being one of the best amateur boxers in the world by registering 133 knockouts over a three-year period.
When he enlisted in the Marine Corps, boot camp was 13 weeks long. However, he remained in boot camp for six months at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California, because he was said to have had trouble adjusting to military structure.
But he and his drill instructors persevered, and Spinks finally graduated from Platoon 3090 in December 1973. He then joined the All-Marine boxing team at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which was a good fit for his tremendous talent, energy and drive.
When Spinks stepped into the boxing ring at Camp Lejeune for the first time, Marine Corps assistant coach J.C. Davis, who became the first African American Marine Corps boxing coach in 1967, immediately knew he had an incredibly talented young man. Within just 15 seconds, Spinks knocked out his opponent.
"I mean Leon did that combination — boom, boom — and this guy was out," Davis said then. "I looked at the time, and I looked at [the head coach], and I said, 'S---, we've got a champion.'"
Marine Corps Sgt. Terry Jamerson, stationed at Camp Lejeune in 1976, watched Spinks spar at the gym. After Spinks knocked out his sparring partner, "he looked at me and said, 'Would you spar with me? You look big enough,'" Jamerson said. "I told him that I am not an idiot and would only watch. I got his autograph that day."
On Feb. 15, 1978, in Las Vegas, in one of boxing's greatest upsets, Spinks won a split decision over heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali after going 15 rounds. Spinks became the heavyweight champion after only eight professional bouts, and he was the only man ever to take a world title away from Ali in the ring, as Ali's other losses were either in nontitle bouts or in world title fights where Ali was the challenger.
On Sept. 15, 1978, Ali regained his title in a rematch.
Spinks is a 2016 All-Marine Boxing Hall of Fame member. He was also inducted into the Jacksonville-Onslow Sports Commission Hall of Fame in Jacksonville, North Carolina, April 12, 2018.
Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey attended the 2018 induction and watched his friend get inducted.
"First thing that I want to say is that several years ago we inducted Leon into the Hall of Fame of the Marine Corps," Bailey said. "One of the things that I remember him saying is that 'I may not have been the best in certain aspects of the sport, but I was a Marine.' He never lost sight of his foundation and how he came up in the Marine Corps. Leon is still a character, and he is still a massive man with his hands and shoulders."
Bailey said he admired the grit and determination that Spinks had in the ring.
"I could only imagine what it was like to be hit by him. Glad he was on our team," he said. "I saw him numerous times fight, and he had something called the Spinks Jinx. He got into his boxing stance and double stomped his front foot, distracting his opponent. They would look and then his overhand right punch would hit them with the left hook taking them down. He had this unorthodox way of bouncing forward that would throw you off in the ring. There are a lot of world class boxers that represented the Marine Corps."
The late Ken Norton, inducted in 2018 to the All-Marine Boxing 2018 Hall of Fame, maintained a strong friendship with Spinks after their boxing careers. Norton also defeated Ali and reigned as the World Boxing Council's heavyweight champion.
Spinks' brother, Michael Spinks, won a gold medal in the middleweight competition during the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Both were inducted in the 2017 Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.
The All-Marine Boxing Team was disbanded in October 2012, due to a change to the USA Boxing rule at the time that removed headgear during bouts.
(Matthew Sokol, sports writer for the Camp Lejeune "Globe" newspaper, contributed to this article.)
Derecho Cleanup
Iowa National Guard soldiers remove tree limbs and other debris from power lines and roadways, Aug. 14, 2020, after a derecho hit the eastern part of the state. In the first three days of response efforts, the soldiers moved nearly 2.25 million pounds of debris and cleared the equivalent of 68 city blocks.
School Project
Texas Army National Guard Capt. Nadine Wiley De Moura helps students collect trash at Elena Gjika School in Mitrovica, Kosovo, Aug. 14, 2020. Capt. De Moura and other soldiers volunteered for the beautification project to support building strong relationships with communities in the area.
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Father & Son Moving & Storage in Billerica, Massachusetts, for Unlawfully Auctioning Off Belongings of Deployed Servicemember
The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit in the District of Massachusetts alleging that PRTaylor Enterprises LLC, a company doing business as Father & Son Moving & Storage (Father & Son), violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by failing to obtain a court order before auctioning off the entire contents of a U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant’s two storage units while he was deployed overseas.
The SCRA, which provides a wide variety of financial and housing protections to members of the military, prohibits storage companies from auctioning off servicemembers’ belongings without a court order. The lawsuit further alleges that among the Technical Sergeant’s possessions sold by Father & Son were military gear and mementos that had belonged to a cousin who was killed in military action, his grandfather’s military service medals, a dresser that was handmade by his great-grandfather, and personal photographs.
“Congress enacted the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to protect the patriots who protect all of us by serving in our nation’s armed forces. The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act outlawed the kind of conduct alleged here, and for good reason. No individual or organization should be able to get away with the kind of devastation this young man suffered when he returned home from an overseas deployment and learned that many of his most valued family mementos were gone. The law protects servicemembers from losing their property, including items of great sentimental value, because of their service,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is filing this lawsuit today to ensure that this servicemember receives just compensation and to prevent this from happening to another member of our military. We must and will put an end to these unlawful business practices.”
“This servicemember was called overseas to serve our country and returned home to find his personal possessions, family heirlooms and military awards auctioned off to the highest bidder,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “That is unacceptable. We will continue to protect the rights of servicemembers who dedicate their lives to preserving our security and freedom.”
The law places the burden on moving and storage companies and other lienholders to determine whether the property in their possession belongs to a servicemember. The complaint alleges that several facts should have put Father & Son on notice that the Technical Sergeant was a servicemember, including that he told an agent of Father & Son that he was in the military. The complaint also alleges that Father & Son picked up and packed the Technical Sergeant’s belongings at Hanscom Air Force Base while he was present and wearing his U.S. Air Force uniform. The lawsuit asserts that Father & Son sent correspondence to the Technical Sergeant at his previous address of record at Hanscom Air Force Base while he was stationed overseas.
In addition to seeking damages for the servicemember, including the value of the auctioned items, the Justice Department is seeking to enjoin Father & Son from illegally auctioning off servicemembers’ possessions in the future in violation of the SCRA. The lawsuit also seeks a civil penalty.
This lawsuit resulted from a referral to the Justice Department from the U.S. Air Force. Servicemembers and their dependents who believe their SCRA rights have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/. The department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $474 million in monetary relief for over 120,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. Additional information on the Justice Department’s enforcement of the SCRA and other laws protecting servicemembers is available at www.servicemembers.gov.
Going Down
Army Spc. LeSean Pickstock rappels down a tower during the 2021 State North Dakota National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Camp Gilbert C. Grafton, N.D., Aug. 16, 2020. The competition challenges participants in multiple aspects of soldier tasks.
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