II Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs

Story by Lance Cpl. Dwight Henderson

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Working as one, the Marines hoisted the long, heavy support beam and braced the metal bar against their chests as they moved in unison toward the partially-completed bridge. Pressing the beam against two truss panels, other Marines moved in quickly with bolts, nuts and sledge hammers to quickly attach the beam to the bridge.

Wiping the sweat from their brows and taking a quick breath, the 30 Marines from Company A, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group moved on to the section of the bridge requiring their attention.

The bridge-building exercise aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., was designed to teach the Marines how to assemble and employ the British Mabey & Johnson Ltd. Logistic Support Bridge. The Marine Corps has fielded the LSB since 2003, however, this is the first time Marines constructed the bridge aboard Camp Lejeune.

Alan D. Pearson, a training officer from the British company that manufactures the bridge, was on hand to teach the Marines how to properly assemble and deploy the bridge.

"The Marines are very enthusiastic, they're highly motivated," said the Plymouth, Devon, U.K., native. "This is something that is completely new. There's nobody taking part in this training that has ever done it before."

With some bridge components weighing well over 1,000 pounds, and the high temperatures and humidity conspiring to sap the Marines' strength, the bridge construction proved to be tougher than most other bridge builds.

"The Marines are enjoying the challenge of doing something different, learning more aspects of their job and a different type of bridge system," said 1st Lt. Anthony D. Rowley, the Company A commander, who took command in April. "They're looking forward to being able to apply this in [Afghanistan]."

The Marines took two days to build the 130-foot bridge, but in the field, a group of approximately 30 trained Marines could build it in 13 hours.

Logistic support bridges are built to replace existing bridges that have been destroyed or damaged during conflicts such as the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. After U.S. forces leave the area, the bridges are normally left in place for the locals to maintain and utilize.

For more information on the II Marine Expeditionary Force, visit the unit's web site at www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil.

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