MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Combat fitness tests, shooting weapons and rappelling are all part of the day-to-day training for the Marines and sailors of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion.
But it wasn’t the usual band of warriors running with ammo cans, putting rounds down range or rappelling from a tower on this training day.
Marines and sailors of 1st Recon Bn. took a day off from training while their wives and loved ones walked a day in their combat boots during the battalion’s Jayne Wayne Day in various training ranges at Camp Margarita, June 3.
“Hosting events like these builds camaraderie for the families,” said Tina Hoffman, the battalion’s family readiness officer. “It helps new families get to know the other families in the battalion.”
Lt. Col. Brian Gilman, the battalion’s commanding officer, began the day with a brief about the battalion’s upcoming training and deployment. He also spoke about the importance of family readiness during a deployment.
“The 1st Recon Battalion is a family,” Gilman said. “In order for us to get to know each other as a family, we also have to know each other out of work. The relationships we build will be key to helping out one another once the Marines and sailors are deployed.”
Participants were then taken to the rappel tower where they learned rappelling techniques and then ran a mock CFT. Later on, they took a trip to Wilcox range and handled the M40 sniper rifle, M4 carbine and the Berretta 9mm pistol. The day’s event concluded with participants racing a combat rubber reconnaissance craft, also known as a “Zodiac,” at the Camp Margarita training pool.
“I loved rappelling off the tower and shooting the pistol,” said Nicole McKee, wife of Pfc. David McKee, an infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Recon Bn.
“It gave me a better idea of all the fun training that he gets to do,” said McKee, from Seattle.
With a full day of rappelling and shooting behind them, the families went home with a better understanding of what their Marines and sailors go through every day.
“Seeing what it’s like to shoot these weapons and to feel how tiring it is for their husbands gives them a better appreciation for what they do,” Hoffman said.