MWCS-28 supports Combined Endeavor

Photo By Cpl. Victor A. Arriaga | Lance Cpl. Dallin Brimley carries two ammunition cans during a combat fitness test. Brimley and fellow Marines from Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28 conducted their CFT while supporting Operation Combined Endeavor 2013 in Grafenwoehr, Germany.  

U.S. ARMY GARRISON, GRAFENWOEHR, BW, GERMANY

09.16.2013

Courtesy Story

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

U.S. ARMY GARRISON GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Lance Cpl. Ryan Zabriskie was completing his training at the schoolhouse at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., when someone tapped him on the shoulder and said he needed to report for a briefing on Exercise Combined Endeavor.

Zabriskie was not the only one of the group that left North Carolina Sept. 16 for Grafenwoehr, Germany, on their first exercise in support of a fleet activity.

“This is totally new for us”, said Sgt. Christopher Wallace of Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28. "None of us have worked in a multi-national environment before and some have never deployed at all.”

For a first exercise, Combined Endeavor 2013 can be quite a challenge. CE ‘13 is the world’s largest communications and interoperability exercise involving 38 participating nations. The mission requires seasoned professionals that can handle many moving parts with minimal problems.

The young Marines of MWCS-28 were tasked with providing communications services including chat and web port interoperability that would allow participating nations and organizations to talk to each other.

The Marines practiced setting up the equipment necessary for their piece of the pie several times prior to departing the U.S., but when they arrived adapting to the way things operate in a joint environment was the real challenge, said Wallace.

“We had no problem doing everything our way, but that’s not how it works in this environment,” he said. “What we had to do was simulate a regimental-level command operations center over a large number of multinational battalions.”

Monty Martinez, of the Computer Science Corporation Center of the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity is part of a support group that travels with the Marines.

“MCTSSA fields a team of technical experts to support operations and exercises,” said Martinez.

MCTSSA is comprised of active-duty Marines, government contractors and civilians – all of them are experienced in field operations of with both equipment and procedures.

“We are here to provide engineering, field operating procedure and help desk support to these guys,” said Martinez.

While in Germany, the MWCS-28 Marines also took the time to conduct their annual Combat Fitness Test.

“We wanted to do the CFT in a deployed environment to show that this is how we train and to invite other services and countries to participate,” said Staff Sgt. Patrick McKelvey.

The winning service and nation received a painted ammunition can presented as a trophy on American Host Night, a night set aside for American service members to share hospitality and culture with service members from other participating nations said McKelvey.

• Date Taken: 09.16.2013
• Date Posted: 10.03.2013 16:05
• Story ID: 114705
• Location: U.S. ARMY GARRISON, GRAFENWOEHR, BW, DE