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    Fire in the hole!; Lava Dogs attack in company

    Fire in the hole!; Lava Dogs attack in company

    Photo By Cpl. Colby Brown | Marines of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, walk to the debrief area...... read more read more

    TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES

    03.06.2011

    Story by Cpl. Colby Brown 

    Marine Corps Base Hawaii

    MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — In anticipation, the demolition charges are set. “30 seconds to firing!” is passed down the line and Marines brace themselves for an explosion. Each second slowly passes through time, stretching for what seems like minutes. Out of nowhere, “Fire in the hole,” is screamed. Instantly, a quaking concussion-wave sweeps across the ground. A mushroom cloud of smoke, dirt and rocks lifts into the air and underneath it, Marines charge toward their enemy.

    “This exercise is pretty much a measuring stick on how well we work together as a platoon and company,” said Cpl. Aaron Montgomery, squad leader, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, native of Cotulla, Texas.

    Alpha Company attacked their objectives at Range 400 here, March 6. Each company of the Lava Dogs maneuvered through this same course of fire, practicing their company-sized live fire and maneuver skills.

    “This gives the Marines a chance to fully understand all the organic and inorganic assets a Marine Corps rifle company can bear on the enemy,” said 1st Lt. Tom Rigby, executive officer of Alpha Company, 1/3, and a native of Redbenk, N.J. “It establishes a good baseline for fire and maneuver with supporting assets.”

    After the first explosion, which was a “bangalore” demolitions charge breaching concertina razor wire, Marines advanced as platoons to their objective. Each platoon was given a different mission during the attack, but all culminated with a successful recapture of a mock weapons cache an opposing force had seized the night before.

    Communication between squads and platoons was critical to success of the attack. As one platoon advanced, another provided live-fire support, firing rounds overhead while Marines assaulted the enemy’s position.

    “Every machine has a function — Alpha Company’s function is warfighting,” said 2nd Lt. Kevin Corbett, platoon commander, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/3, native of Manlius, N.Y. “Our real strength, though, is our [non-commissioned officers]. From fire team leaders to platoon sergeants, their efforts are reflected in our company’s success.”

    Although no real enemy troops were present, some Marines became casualties. Coyotes, evaluators of the Company’s performance during the attack, would pick any Marine not in a properly covered position too close to a danger zone and tell them they had become injured. The platoon corpsmen were graded on their performance while giving aid and evacuating the casualty.

    “The casualty was definitely a learning point because you never know when you will have to leave your squad to save someone. When we do this kind of training we get to build our tactical team skills. And we’re actually pulling the trigger which adds to the realism of the exercise,” said Lance Cpl. Michael Ellmer, fire team leader, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/3, and native of Gig Harbor, Wash.

    During the attack, Marines were able to practice use of shoulder-fired rocket systems and heavy machine guns. The company’s mortar section and the battalion’s Combined Anti-Armor Team 1 provided heavy weapons support.

    Through the combination of the Marine Corps maneuver doctrine and live fire support assets, the company successfully conducted the attack and had an opportunity to fine-tune their combat skills.

    “This training is very important because it is very challenging,” said Staff Sgt. Claude Watson, platoon sergeant, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1/3, native of Jamaica Queens, N.Y. “When my Marines finish this range, it gives them confidence in themselves and in their unit for when we go out on missions similar to this in Afghanistan.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.06.2011
    Date Posted: 03.22.2011 15:08
    Story ID: 67551
    Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US

    Web Views: 188
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN