MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – As part of their ongoing training, Marines with Alpha Company, 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, completed their restoration on a fire and maneuver range, here, Oct. 17.
Several bunkers, which serve as targets, were riddled with bullet holes during live fire exercises. 7th ESB engineers replaced these bunkers as part of a battalion-sized exercise taking place in Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton.
“The purpose [of this exercise] is to gain proficiency in survivability operations, general engineering operations and command and control operations,” said Capt. Brent L. Kershaw, company commander, Alpha Company, 7th ESB. “We had a couple of construction projects we wanted to execute for the [Range and Training Area Maintenance Section].”
Although their work took place at Twentynine Palms, the Marines maintained a tactical mindset thought the process to present an atmosphere similar to that of a combat zone.
“The training out here is for Marines to get better at their job,” said Cpl. Clarence J. Cly, a motor transportation operator with Alpha Company, 7th ESB. “It really builds the team’s camaraderie a lot and it gives us a taste of our jobs in a combat environment.”
The project not only gave the engineers a chance to work together in a new environment, but also helped them smooth out any rough edges.
“At the beginning we had hiccups, but over time we worked out the kinks,” said Cly, 22, from Fruitland, N.M.
Once the Marines’ project on the range is finished, they will continue to perform different tasks until the completion of the exercise.
“I’m proud of the work everyone has done,” said Kershaw, 29, from Burleson, Texas. “It’s good to see an ESB company with all its forces working together, showing how we can be a force multiplier on the battlefield.”