MWSS-171 combat engineers hike for unit preparedness

Photo By Cpl. Joseph Karwick | Marines with Combat Engineers, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, hike through the mountain passes of Haramura near the site of Exercise Thunder Horse, March 21, 2013. Throughout the hike, Marines would check the Marine in front of them to make sure their equipment was not falling off or loose.  

IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN

03.21.2013

Story by Lance Cpl. Joseph Karwick 

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

IWAKUNI, Japan - Marines with Combat Engineers, Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, hiked through the mountain passes of Haramura Exercise Area, Japan, near the location of Exercise Thunder Horse, March 21, 2013.

The Marines hiked approximately seven miles through rigorous terrain to maintain their physical fitness and uphold their standards as a force-in-readiness.

“We went on a nice seven-mile hike with a combat load,” said 1st Lt. Brett Harber, MWSS-171 engineer operations company executive officer. “It’s a nice place to come out and get a change of scenery from Iwakuni and get a little bit of a
terrain and altitude change.”

Having a constant presence and training on station can become repetitive and Marines often need to change things up to keep from
becoming complacent.

“Iwakuni is a great station, but it’s kind of the same thing every day,” said Harber. “It is nice to come out here and give us the chance to get back into that combat mindset of putting on a full combat load and hiking in kind of an unknown area.”

Engineers often find themselves in situations that can be out of the
norm for their job.

“All Marines are, first and foremost, riflemen. We never know
in a time of war when we are going to have to hike,” said Harber. “You never know when a vehicle is going to break down and we are going to have to hoof it. On top of that, there have been plenty of instances where engineers have taken on the role of a provisional rifle platoon and had to go on patrols. It is an expectation
for all Marines.”

Maintaining unit cohesiveness, as well as keeping the Marines of
a unit conditioned, are important steps to keeping a unit ready at a
moment’s notice.

“We train to do infantry-based maneuvers and tactics, and that is
what this is about,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jamie Byrd, MWSS-171 Engineer Company 1st Sgt. “It raises the morale and camaraderie of the Marines, which is very important. This is one of our unit
conditionings that we all look forward to in order to keep pushing
toward the fight.” MWSS-171 continues to maintain
the standard of Marines being a force-in-readiness, proving every
Marine is first and foremost a rifleman, and requires adaptive
capabilities to take on any role for any need that may rise.

• Date Taken: 03.21.2013
• Date Posted: 03.29.2013 02:00
• Story ID: 104288
• Location: IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JP