QUANTICO, Va. — Officials at Quantico report someone may be trying to get unauthorized access to the Navy’s secured internet service, or NMCI.

In a statement, base officials said some users have received a phone call from the would-be hackers warning them that their computers could crash, that remote access to their machines will be required to stave off any problems.

More in a press release:

There have been reports of Navy NMCI users receiving a telephone call purporting to be from a member of an HP/NMCI Windows 7 support team. The caller typically says that problems such as event viewer errors have been detected on your NMCI workstation that will cause it to crash. The individual will direct you to a web link ask you to allow remote access to your computer inorder to fix the problems.

This is NOT a legitimate call, it is an attempt to gain unauthorized access to NMCI resources via a technique commonly referred to as social engineering. When successfully utilized social engineering is a very effective technique for hackers since it allows them to bypass multiple layers of security and gain direct internal access to a computer network using the credentials of a legitimate user.

If you receive a call similar to the one describe above:

1) Do not go to the web link or allow remote access to your NMCI seat.

2) Hang up the phone, do not attempt to engage the caller in conversation or

provide any information about yourself, your NMCI seat, your job, etc.

3) Report the incident to the Information Assurance Officer (ISMO) at [email protected] and provide any information you can remember about the call.

QUANTICO, Va. — A Marine was found dead at Quantico and investigators don’t know yet how he died.

Authorities found Cpl. Daniel B. Vilevac was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound while inside his home Sunday night. Vilevac lived in on-base housing at Quantico, and he was pronounced dead there.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is now looking into the death and have not named any suspects, or have the determined if Vilevac’s death was by his own hand.

More in a press release:

Vilevac, a native of Cuyahoga, Ohio, a rifleman assigned to Charlie Company, The Basic School, where he was an enlisted instructor-advisor. While at TBS, Vilevac was responsible for training newly commissioned second lieutenants.

He joined the Marine Corps in August 2008, and was promoted to corporal in January 2012. His awards include the Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, NATO/International Security Assistance Force Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal, and the National Defense Medal.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Cpl. Vilevac’s family, fellow Marines and friends following this tragic incident,” said Col. Todd S. Desgrosseilliers, commanding officer of TBS. “Supporting and taking care of those affected by this loss is our top priority at this time.”

QUANTICO, Va. — Heightened security measures are in place at Quantico tonight following a mass shooting in Washington.

Thirteen people were shot and killed this morning at the Washington Navy Yard in the Nation’s Capital most deadliest day since the Air Florida crash in 1982.

The gunman, identified by police as 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, of Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the victims, according to police.

All this prompted an increase in security at Quantico tonight.

More in a press release:

Due to the ongoing incident at the US Navy Yard in Washington, DC, Marine Corps Base Quantico has implemented heightened security measures as a precaution which may slow traffic accessing the MCBQ. All personnel should be reminded to immediately report any suspicious activity to (703) 432-EYES (3937) or usmceagleyes.org.

In addition to Marines and the home for the Corps’ Officers Candidate Training School, Quantico is home of the FBI Academy and houses a primary training ground for the DEA.

QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps has announced a pilot program that allows certain career Marines to temporarily leave active duty while retaining their grade, time in grade and full health benefits.

The Navy has had a Career Intermission Pilot Program since 2009, and Marine Corps Administrative Message 418/13, signed Aug. 23, 2013, announced that the Corps is opening up a similar program through 2015.

“The long-term intent of this program is to provide greater flexibility in career paths of Marines in order to retain valuable experience and training of Marines who might otherwise permanently separate,” the MARADMIN states.

Under the program, up to 20 enlisted Marines and 20 officers could be approved each year from 2013 to 2015 to go into the Individual Ready Reserve for periods of up to three years. A stated requirement that Marines apply for the program between six and nine months ahead of time, though, may make it unlikely that anyone will go on hiatus in 2013.

While on intermission, Marines will retain their full benefits and also receive a stipend of one-15th of their base pay.

Those who avail themselves of the program will be required to return to the service at the end of their inactive duty and serve at least two months for each month they were away.

“It’s going to take some planning and serious consideration to apply for this program,” said Gunnery Sgt. Bryant Lodge Jr., assistant operations chief of enlisted retention at the Manpower Management Enlisted Assignments Branch of Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “I don’t think it’s a quick, easy decision.”

He said a Marine who wants to finish a degree or gain professional experience to bring back to the Marine Corps might consider using the program.

Cmdr. Angela Katsen, who, as head of the Navy Office of Diversity and Inclusion, managed the Navy’s CIPP from July of 2011 to July of 2013, said the most common reasons sailors have used the program have been related to family, travel and, especially, education. She said the program has gained popularity, both among sailors asking to use it and senior personnel suggesting it as a retention tool, but is still used at only about half its capacity.

“We’re allowed to have 20 officers and 20 enlisted each year, but we’ve never maxed out at that amount,” Katsen said.

She said the program is used about equally by officers and enlisted sailors, as well as by men and women.

The Navy renewed its career intermission program in 2012, still as a pilot because not enough sailors have returned from their intermissions for officials to analyze the impact on promotions and other factors, Katsen said. Only about half a dozen have taken their break and returned to active duty, but one officer was promoted shortly thereafter, in a “seamless transition,” she said.

“Four years into it, it’s already been a very positive experience.”

However, the program is not for everyone.

No Marine can participate in the Corps’ CIPP before serving the first term of service, and on the enlisted side, it’s only open to grades E6 and E7. Marines are not eligible if they can’t complete the ensuing obligation due to service limitations, mandatory retirements or enlisted career force controls.

“The program targets mid-level officer and enlisted (E-6/E-7 and O-3/O-4), as these are often the ranks that are making personal decisions regarding staying in the Marine Corps until retirement or separating to pursue personal or professional goals,” said a written statement from Manpower and Reserve Affairs officials.

Enlisted Marines in a training pipeline and officers who have not been career designated are ineligible, as are Marines under investigation or with records of disciplinary action in the previous two years, or who are indebted to the government. Aviation officers with more than a year of active duty service obligation or aviation retention pay cannot apply, and neither can Marines currently receiving a critical skills retention bonus or fulfilling obligated service as a result of a bonus. Marines may, however, opt to receive the first installment of their bonus after completing their intermission.

For those who are approved for an intermission, an allowance will be paid for travel to and from one residence.

After the hiatus, if a Marine can’t return to active duty due to physical or security clearance requirements or other eligibility issues, the Navy can recoup the value of whatever benefits that Marine received while in the Individual Ready Reserve.

The need to stay fit is one reason that, although Marines in the IRR are not required to participate in monthly drills, Lodge recommended they do so. He also noted that attending monthly drills is a way to keep abreast of Marine Corps practices. “That way, you’re not that far behind when you go back in,” he said.

Lodge said he didn’t think the obligation to lengthen terms of service would deter most career Marines, but he said any intermission should be carefully considered and used wisely.

“You need a mature Marine who knows what they’re doing, who knows their future intentions and aspirations,” he said.

NOKESVILLE, Va. — For the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne, life during World War II wasn’t easy.

For starters, each American paratrooper in the division weighed about 150 pounds, but the amount of equipment they needed to carry with them on their jumps doubled their weight even before time they climbed onto the airplane.

The equipment: guns, grenades, even a bazooka that used a dangerous electrical charge to fire its ordinance, it was a dangerous load to bear.

“When you fired this weapon with its electrical charge, it has a tendency to make the warhead blow up,” said re-enactor Robert Hubbs of Stafford.

Hubbs and many other re-enactors and living historians took questions Saturday from those who wanted to know more about what life in war is like.

They came to the Tank Farm in Nokesville, and annual demonstration featuring tanks, military trucks, guns, and several other working artifacts that will make up the Americans in Wartime Museum slated to be built behind a Kmart store in Dale City.

The annual event is designed to showcase the belongings of the museum, as well demonstrate the hardware’s military might.

There were also live shows on Saturday displaying the talents of military working dogs from Fort Belvoir, as well as simulated gunfire, and a flamethrower, which showed first hand the horrors of warfighting, in addition to the re-enactors and living historians.

The event also serves as an opportunity to raise funds of the museum to fund construction of the planned facility on a 70-acre site along Interstate 95 in Dale City.

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QUANTICO, Va. -- Teachers and students at Quantico will head back to class Tuesday without looming furlough days.

Quantico Middle High School has been spared the brunt of federal sequestration that had teachers eyeing mandatory furloughs of up to one day per week. Those furloughs would have kept students outside of the classroom.

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QUANTICO, Va. — If a Marine and their spouse are gravely injured in an accident and are in need of long-term care to help with daily activities like bathing or eating, the Marine will likely receive some assistance through Veterans Affairs if they served during any wartime. The spouse, however, will be left to pay out of pocket.

TRICARE offers skilled nurses to handle medical rehabilitation, but they do not offer long-term care to assist with basic activities, which is why Ivette Bennett, life skills trainer with Marine Corps Family Team Building program, encourages military families to have a plan. To help families understand the financial aspect of long-term care, the MCFTB program held a “Who Pays” workshop July 31, at the Religious and Family Services Annex.

Most people don’t consider long-term care insurance until they are between the ages 55 and 65 years old, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. However, Bennett said anyone who has experienced a traumatic accident or has taken care of a chronically ill relative knows the importance of investing in a policy early.

“Having a plan eases the financial burden on family members, which can be expensive and can diminish the quality of life for a caregiver,” Bennett said.

Starting early also allows a person to potentially cut cost of their policy. Stephen Ingalls, long-term care insurance agent at Genworth Financial and workshop instructor said, most insurance companies will offer discounts for age and good health.

Bennett said the goal of the workshop wasn’t to solicit insurance companies, rather to provide people with tools to develop a plan to keep their independence throughout their lifetime and prevent becoming a burden on family members.

Participants were advised to find an insurance professional, decide how much coverage they can afford and find out what health discounts are available. They were also told to think about the cost of long-term care where they currently live and where they plan to retire. Length of coverage depends on personal preference, but the average long term care need is around three years, no more than five.

Monthly cost can vary, but Ingalls said whether someone purchases a small policy or a large extensive one, not doing anything shouldn’t be an option.

“Around 70 percent of people over age 65 will need some type of long-term care services during their lifetime,” Ingalls said. “Therefore, a small policy is better than no policy.”

As important as it is for people to set aside money for emergencies and for the future, the instructor suggested individuals consider the same concept with their personal health.

“Basically, a long-term care plan is like a savings account for you in case something happens,” Ingalls said.

— Writer: [email protected]