Photo By Cpl. Thomas Provost | Sgt. Ian Trenkel, communications chief for the air support element of Marine...... read more read more
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By Thomas Provost
III Marine Expeditionary Force
IE SHIMA, Okinawa, Japan -- As the KC-130H hit the landing strip, Marines of Marine Detachment 18, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepared to disembark the airplane. The steel beast swung around and lowered the tail gate. Marines dashed out behind Humvees and cleared the plane. The air support element set up a 360-degree security perimeter as the Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team took off running down the air strip.
Marine Detachment 18, in conjunction with the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Group from Kadena Air Base, conducted an exercise code named "Operation Nightingale" to practice setting up and securing a landing strip in a simulated combat zone Jan. 15.
The goal of the exercise was to successfully establish a landing zone to provide the ability to control aircraft in a combat zone, said Sgt. Chance R. Hensley, the air support element's non-commissioned officer in charge.
According to Cpl. Caleb J. Ryan, an air traffic control systems maintenance chief for the mobile team, the Marines set up a 3,000-foot by 60-foot landing strip, using only five Marines.
After exiting the aircraft, one Marine, the base man, ran to where the beginning or base of the projected landing strip would be. The other four Marines dashed down the length of the projected landing strip. Two stopped at the 500-foot mark; these Marines, the left and right men, measured the width of the strip to ensure it had a minimum of 60 feet in width. The fourth, the pace man, stopped at the 1,000-foot mark. The fifth Marine stopped at the 3,000-foot mark, which was the end of the landing strip. He is the reference man.
The base man and the reference man, using radios and the other three Marines as guides, then aligned both ends of the landing strip to make sure it was as straight as possible.
Good accuracy and speed is the key in airstrip construction, Ryan said.
The faster the strip is set up and communication is established, the faster other aircraft can land and off load supplies and reinforcements and evacuate the wounded. The landing strip is designed to support military operations close to the fighting, he said.
"I believe given a combat situation, we would be able to do our job successfully," said Hensley, confident about how successful the exercise went, despite the fact it was the first time the detachment conducted this type of training.
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.26.2009 02:44 |
| Story ID: | 29251 |
| Location: | IE SHIMA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 319 |
| Downloads: | 251 |
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