CAB Marines from Okinawa conduct final exercise for Operation Forest Light

Photo By Sgt. Aaron Hostutler | Marines with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, trecked through mud, thick jungle and other various terrain during the final exercise of Operation Forest Light.  

NIHONBARA TRAINING AREA, JAPAN

03.03.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Aaron Hostutler 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

Imagine patrolling down a snowy road. Your feet feel frozen. Your gear and clothes are wet. You can't wait to sleep in a real bed. All of the sudden you hear gunshots and whistles in front of you. It's the enemy, and they are aiming down their sights at you.

What do you do? How will the cold effect you? Will your cold-weather gear help or just get in your way?

These questions, among others, were put into practice during the final exercise of Operation Forest Light, a bilateral exercise between Marines from Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force and the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, March 3.

The final exercise consisted of two Marine platoons and two Japanese platoons assaulting eight objectives over two days while two more Japanese platoons played the role of the enemy. The various objectives were simulated enemy occupied positions in key locations throughout the training area.

"They chose the objectives to make it more difficult on us," said 1st Sgt. Douglas Blose, the company first sergeant of the battalion's Combat Engineer Company. "By taking the various objectives, Marines learned to gain and maintain momentum through breaching tactics, techniques and procedures and utilizing key terrain while creating avenues of approach."

The exercise started with Marines patrolling to an objective with nothing but moonlight to guide them. Eventually, the sun rose and the Marines made their way through thick jungle while avoiding being detected by the enemy.

"Being in the jungle was a lot different that being in Afghanistan where the terrain is mostly a vast open area with mountains compared to the dense jungle where enemies could easily camouflage themselves with the terrain," said Lance Cpl. Timothy Wagner, a combat engineer with the company.

But enemy foot soldiers were not the only concern of the Marines. Mine fields, tanks, mock air strikes and mortar fire kept the Marines on full alert.

"The reason they did it at squad and platoon level was to remember we fight with combined arms," Blose said. "We shell them with artillery as we're getting ready to move through an objective. We're always moving forward."

A main idea the Marines wanted to pass on to the Japanese was the idea of using every available asset to gain and keep momentum, according to Blose.

"Momentum in combat is of absolute importance," he said. "It's like a street fight. The person who gets in that first punch and keeps striking usually wins. It's the same idea in combat."

After the Marines accomplished their mission for the first day, they bedded down in the tall grass, huddling together for warmth, hoping the night would be warm and dry. Unfortunately for them, it was neither.

After a cold wakeup, they packed away their gear, quickly ate chow and stepped out to reach their next objective.

By 1630, the objectives were all successfully taken and the Marines were on their way back to their hooch in Nihonbara training area for some hot chow and a good nights rest.

Exercise Forest Light ran from, Feb. 17 through March 7, and consisted of an exchange of tactics, techniques and procedures culminating in this final exercise.

• Date Taken: 03.03.2010
• Date Posted: 03.24.2010 00:56
• Story ID: 47116
• Location: NIHONBARA TRAINING AREA, JP