Photo By Cpl. Julio McGraw | Cpl. Paul Regotti, squad leader, Company I , 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Smoke rises from the ground and tear gas billows out of canisters, engulfing the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. Riflemen settle into fighting holes, amidst cold winds and harsh desert conditions, while quickly equipping their gas masks.
Marines with 7th Marine Regiment participated in the Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation Exercise aboard the Combat Center, Jan. 12-21, 2015. MCREE allowed Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment to peer-review their counterparts in 3/7 in order to better prepare them for their upcoming deployment. 3/7 is currently slated to deploy as part of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Crisis Response - Central Command 15-2 in support of operations in the region.
“MCCREE is a series of live-fire and dry-fire field exercises that a unit gets evaluated on [while] receiving feedback from another battalion in the regiment,” said Capt. Kevin Fallon, Company Commander, Company I, 3/7. ” In our case, [1st Battalion 7th Marines] evaluated us.”
Throughout the exercise Marines from 1/7 evaluated their counterparts in 3/7 by giving them constructive feedback on their performance.
“This training is a pre-requisite for deployment and the Integrated Training Exercise held here at the [Combat Center],” Fallon said. “The only difference is that in this exercise we are evaluated at a more internal level by the regiment.”
The 10-day field exercise consisted of different missions spanning over several ranges aboard the Combat Center. The missions were similar to what a Marine Air-Ground Task Force could encounter while deployed.
“It was a good way to flex our muscles on certain things that we usually do, but this time we could execute it with all of the moving parts on a battalion level,” Fallon said.
3/7 Headquarters and Service Company set up a forward operating base and supported Companies I, K, and L through their runs of the ranges.
The three companies of 3/7 conducted exercises that included a 20-kilometer movement-to-contact and dug-in a defensive posture with fighting holes. While there, the Marines were tested on their ability to set-up and react to both physical and chemical attacks.
A company-level helicopter assault on a Military Operation on Urbanized Terrain town was also conducted with the use of MV-22B ‘Osprey’ tilt-rotor aircraft.
In the following days, the unit also conducted a dry-fire rehearsal and live-fire offensive operation at the Morgan’s Well training area and the MOUT Town on Range 210.
At Range 210, Amphibious Assault Vehicles from Company D, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion and M1A1 Abrams Tanks from 1st Tank Battalion, Company B, supported each of the companies as they cleared objectives.
According to Fallon, with the feedback given by 1/7 during MCREE, Marines of 3/7 plan on improving their operational skills and maintain readiness for any type of task given to them.
“The feedback 1/7 gave us is definitely of great value and will be implemented to make our Company and our Battalion be better prepared for what lies ahead,” Fallon said.
| Date Taken: | 01.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.28.2015 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 152959 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,002 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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