CLC-36 departs for Exercise Dragon Fire II

Photo By Cpl. Todd Michalek | The Combat Logistics Company 36 convoy arrives in Fujiyama, Japan, after driving from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, for Exercise Dragon Fire II, July 9, 2012. Dragon Fire is an annual exercise held by CLC-36 to give Marines a chance to conduct infantry training in a field environment.  

FUJIYAMA, AICHI, JAPAN

07.13.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. Todd Michalek 

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni

FUJIYAMA, Japan - Combat Logistics Company 36 embarked on Exercise Dragon Fire II the morning of July 8, 2012.

Sixteen Marines and one corpsman met at the CLC-36 warehouse at 4:00 a.m. to take a convoy of eight tactical vehicles on the approximately 500-mile drive from Iwakuni to Camp Fuji, Japan. The Marines spent about an hour putting the finishing touches on their gear and ensuring the vehicles were ready for the journey.
Many of the motor transport operators were junior Marines, which made the convoy an excellent learning opportunity.

Gunnery Sgt. Antony Simmons, a CLC-36 convoy commander, said the convoy relates to combat in many ways, "In that you do deal with traffic, and that in other countries they can be very aggressive out there on the highways. The mentality I was trying to get across to the Marines every time we stopped was to allow the traffic to come in and out. In country, you have to relax a little bit so they don't have bad feelings about us being in their country."

The Marines performed well on the convoy, but some mechanical issues caused delays.

"We had one vehicle go down within 45 minutes of leaving the air station," Simmons said.

The vehicle pulled over to the side of the road and Simmons directed traffic around the Marines working on the Humvee. While the incident may seem like a hindrance to the mission, it actually created a very relevant real-world training scenario.

"We assessed it within fifteen minutes and couldn’t get it up and running, so we decided to tow it to the next rest stop, exactly as planned, and from that point we took it back and got another vehicle," Simmons said.

Although the challenge presented to the Marines was unexpected, it was a helpful experience.

"Most of the drivers out there were junior Marines driving some big trucks on small roads," Simmons said. “All-in-all, the experience of a convoy gives the drivers confidence and know-how."

The convoy lasted two days. The Marines spent the night at a rest area in Osaka. As the sun rose over the horizon the next morning, the Marines took to the road again and arrived at Camp Fuji that afternoon.

The long hours and challenges on the road served as a good experience and perfect segue into the upcoming training of Exercise Dragon Fire II.

• Date Taken: 07.13.2012
• Date Posted: 07.18.2012 03:39
• Story ID: 91724
• Location: FUJIYAMA, AICHI, JP