Marines step into virtual battlefield

Photo By Cpl. Khoa Pelczar | Cpl. Hans R. Jean-Baptiste, 22, from Haiti, motor transport operator with Combat...... read more read more

Photo By Cpl. Khoa Pelczar | Cpl. Hans R. Jean-Baptiste, 22, from Haiti, motor transport operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, listens to the radio for any report of suspicious activities during a combat logistics patrol as part of a training exercise using the Combat Convoy Simulator at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 19. The CCS was designed to train Marines how to respond to attacks during combat logistics patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan.  see less | View Image Page

01.19.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Khoa Pelczar 

1st Marine Logistics Group

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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Marines are always seeking different ways to train to improve their skills in combat.

Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, headed to Las Pulgas, Camp Pendleton, Calif., and stepped into a virtual battlefield using the brand-new, video game like Combat Convoy Simulator, Jan. 19.

As a way to reduce casualties during combat logistics patrols, Lockheed Martin developed the Virtual Combat Convoy Trainer (later known as CCS) to train service members on how to respond to attacks during combat logis¬tics patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The CCS allows Marines to practice their missions and simulate different types of engagements, such as receiving small-arms fire, running into an ambush or even responding to contact from the air. The simulator allows Marines to prepare for the worst while providing basic to advanced convoy skills.

"Between going out to the field and training with the simulator, I don't think you can really compare the two as they both have different advantages," said Pfc. Cheam M. Moua, motor transport operator with CLB-13, CLR-17, 1st MLG. "Out in the field, we get the feel of how things go as we're doing the training. With the simulator, you get to exercise what you've learned."

There are six stations and a control room in each CCS building, four Humvee simulators and two Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement 7-ton simulators, according to Gunnery Sgt. Richard E. Botelho, operation chief for training support division, Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base. The control rooms can be linked up to train a larger combat logistics patrol of more than six vehicles, if needed.

"It has changed a lot since I was a young Marine," said Botelho, 45, from Cambridge, Mass. "I remember calling for contact out in the street while training. Now to have this type of training where there are simulated insurgents come charging at you is just amazing."

The control rooms allow the instructors to create the scenarios the Marines see in each station, and all stations were able to communicate to each other through radios, explained Steve A. Sapien, 40, from Knoxville, Tenn., senior site technician for CCS, Pulau Corporation. The CCS tried to cover all the skills necessary in combat logistics patrol operations, including communication skills.

The CCS provides a complete 360 degree training environment which requires Marines to remain aware at all times. The weapons used during training are wireless and allow Marines to move freely in and out of the vehicle, letting them control the situation as they would in combat.

"I've never deployed before, so this gives me a good feel of what Iraq and Afghanistan would be like,"said Moua, 20, from Minneapolis. "Out in the field, you don't have (in¬surgents) come running at you and you won't be able to shoot a (.50-caliber Browning machine gun) like that at any instructor."

According to Sgt. Anthony Santiago, motor transport operator with CLB-13, CLR-17, 1st MLG, CCS al¬lows the Marines to fine-tune their training by simulating an actual combat logistics patrol with many different possible scenarios.

"Doing this simulation training is not a waste of time," said Santiago, 24, from New Haven, Conn. "It allows us to make the mistakes here in a controlled environment, as opposed to in real life where mistakes can get us killed. We were able to go back and view exactly what we did instead of relying on our memory. It helps us get a true understanding of what we need to work on."