5th ANGLICO hones skills, procedures

Photo By Cpl. Anthony Ward Jr | Marines plot locations on maps before conducting the land navigation portion of the ANGLICO Basic Course on Camp Hansen June 10.  

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN

06.10.2011

Story by Cpl. Anthony Ward Jr 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company completed the ANGLICO Basic Course on Camp Hansen June 10.

The 5th ANGLICO from III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF, held the month-long course to familiarize Marines new to the unit with the battalion’s standard operating procedures.

ANGLICO is a liaison unit specializing in coordinating artillery, naval gunfire and close air support.

“The course is to introduce Marines to the missions, roles and capabilities of 5th ANGLICO and what we expect them to do out in combat, and ensure they will be able to operate independently with foreign units,” said Capt. Daniel Brown, 5th ANGLICO’s assistant operations officer.

“We operate in small teams; we have to make sure our Marines are as proficient as possible,” Brown said.

There are currently three active-duty ANGLICO units and two in the reserves. Each ANGLICO operates differently due to variances in climate, geography and required tasks, so each unit’s ANGLICO Basic Course varies to fit these needs.

The Marines at 5th ANGLICO’s course received refresher training in subjects ranging from land navigation in urban and jungle terrain to weapons assembly and disassembly.

Cpl. Samuel J. Stark, a radio operator with 5th ANGLICO, said it is important to know both basic forward-observing skills and basic radio procedures.

“Being an experienced radio operator within the unit, this is a great refresher and a great way to look into the other half of our unit, the forward-observing side,” said Stark.

“It’s very physically (demanding), and it’s designed to make people think when they’re tired,” said Brown about the course. “They show up here; it’s early in the morning, and we are already running them all over the base with flak, Kevlar and a rifle.”

The course is part of the unit’s training building up for a scheduled deployment to Afghanistan later this year.

“It’s a great course for cross training within the unit,” added Stark who deployed with the unit to Afghanistan last year as a radio operator. “If they are a radio operator, they learn about the forward observer’s job.

If they are forward observer, they learn about the radio operator’s job.”

The course concluded with the Marines putting their newly-honed skills to the test.

After going through this course, the Marines came out tired, but with a new understanding of the unit and a vast amount of knowledge, said Brown.

• Date Taken: 06.10.2011
• Date Posted: 06.16.2011 20:13
• Story ID: 72226
• Location: CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JP