2nd Recon takes immediate action

Photo By Sgt. Justin Updegraff | A Marine with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division provides suppressing fire while fellow Marines bound back to break contact with a superior force during the simulated training exercise aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., Jan. 21, 2015. The Marines would conduct a patrol down range, the range targets would pop up simulating enemy targets, and then they would cover and move back down the range to elude the enemy force that, in this scenario, is superior. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Justin T Updegraff/ Released)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

01.21.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Justin Updegraff 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Patrolling up the range, Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division simulated coming into contact with an enemy unit that is superior in numbers and fire power aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., Jan. 21, 2015.

Split into groups, the Marines conducted dry runs, with no ammunition, before running their live-fire runs. This is to ensure that all Marines know what to do and where to be during the actual drills.

“Over the last two days [the Marines] have done numerous [shooting] drills, both unknown distance and static,” said Capt. Mark Robinson, 2nd Platoon Commander, Alpha Company with 2nd Recon Bn. “Last week we did five days of close quarters training, and that’s with [targets] being fifty meters [away] and in, with both their M4 [assault rifles] and side arms. So the Marines are already very familiar with their weapons systems. For each individual run, they had to do one complete dry run, with no rounds and no issues, before the [officer in charge] would allow them to do a live run.”

During the exercise, the Marines patrolled down the range expecting to take contact. For training purposes, range targets popped up simulating the enemy. The Marines called out the direction that the enemy was located, they then egressed out of the situation, moving back and providing suppressing fire to cover each team moving back.

“Today we kind of got away from the reconnaissance aspect of our job and more to the infantry tactics, which is something we’ve been called to do in the past years,” said Cpl. Jacob R. Engelken, a reconnaissance man with the battalion, “We did a lot of immediate action drills, which is just a different type of bounding. [This training] was supposed to familiarize ourselves with these tactics.”

Robinson says that he is confident that these Marines will be able to patrol in a combat zone, and upon contact with the enemy, they will be able to break contact or accomplish whatever the situation dictates.

• Date Taken: 01.21.2015
• Date Posted: 01.26.2015 09:00
• Story ID: 152698
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US