1/5 Marines prepare for Afghanistan

Photo By Sgt. Benjamin Crilly | Lance Cpl. Marco A. Hernandez, a team leader with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, calls in an improvised explosive device during training at the Infantry Immersion Trainer, Dec. 7. The IIT incorporated improvised explosive device training and gave the Marines the opportunity to practice spotting IEDs. Hernandez, 19, is from Laredo, Texas.  

CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

12.20.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Benjamin Crilly 

1st Marine Division

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Lance Cpl. Marco A. Hernandez leads his Marines through a local Afghan village conducting an atmospherics patrol to assess the mood of the locals. In a heartbeat the Marines’ attention turns from interacting with the local residents to sniper fire from the bazaar.

For the Marines and sailors of 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, the sights, sounds and smells of the Infantry Immersion Trainer mirrored the uncertainty and chaos that will prepare them for combat patrols in Afghanistan.

Hernandez and his team react to the sniper threat, taking cover and locating the shooter’s position on top of the bakery. Hernandez leads half of his team into the bakery, while the remaining Marines provide cover fire. Within minutes the threat is eliminated, and Hernandez maneuvers the team safely out of the village to successfully complete their mission.

The training, conducted Dec. 7, was part of the battalion’s pre-deployment training package designed to help prepare the Marines for their upcoming deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Conducted in the IIT, the training replicates scenarios and areas Marines may face, such as improvised explosive devices, local villagers and enemy combatants. Simulated explosions, role players and technological aids bring the trainer to life, immersing the Marines in the environment and giving them the opportunity to rehearse mission exercises while being evaluated in a controlled setting.

“It gives me a heads up for what to expect on deployment and sets us up for success as a team when we get to Afghanistan,” said Hernandez, 19, a team leader with 2nd Plt., Bravo Company, 1/5, from Laredo, Texas.

With all the buildings and the role players, the IIT does a great job of simulating what Iraq and Afghanistan are like, said Staff Sgt. Timothy J. Ordosch, the platoon sergeant of 2nd Plt., Bravo Company, 1/5.

“I think that it stunned some of the junior Marines who may have never deployed,” said Ordosch, a veteran of two combat tours to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 5th marine Regiment and one combat tour to Afghanistan with 1/5 last year. “This training gives them a good foundation and allows them to apply the things they have been taught about counterinsurgency.”

The introduction and application of counterinsurgency also incorporated improvised, explosive-device training and gave the Marines the opportunity to practice spotting IEDs. Instructors watched the Marines complete the missions and advised them throughout the situations on how to better employ their Marines and tactical capabilities.

The training is very important and designed to prepare Marines so that they can retain the knowledge that an outside set of eyes brings to the table and those little corrections that may save their lives in Afghanistan, said Alfredo A. Trevino, a tactics analyst for the IIT and former Marine with six combat tours to Iraq throughout his 10 years of service on active duty.

The training facility is great and extremely versatile, allowing the Marines to conduct any type of mission they may encounter in Afghanistan and practice their individual roles as small-unit leaders, said Ordosch, from Chicago.

“The environment in the IIT is crucial,” said Cpl. Ryan D. Sheets, a squad leader for Bravo Company, 1/5, from Aztec, N.M. “The training is definitely a good thing for [a] squad leader, and allowed me to practice the counterinsurgency operations that I will be leading in Afghanistan.”

The teams improved throughout the day as they gained more experience in the trainer and were able to absorb the instructors’ evaluation of their performance, said Trevino, a native of Lubbock, Texas.

“The one thing that I want all Marines to take away from the IIT is the ability to learn from the mistakes made here,” Trevino said.

The Marines of Bravo Company will build upon the fundamentals of counterinsurgency they learned in the IIT as they go through Enhanced Mojave Viper, a four phase pre-deployment training exercise at the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in January.

“IIT was a great first experience for me and every Marine should definitely go through it before they deploy,” said Hernandez.

• Date Taken: 12.20.2010
• Date Posted: 12.20.2010 19:32
• Story ID: 62365
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US