Communications Marines settle into the jungle [Image 2 of 6]

OKINAWA, JAPAN

10.27.2019

Photo by Cpl. Harrison Rakhshani 

III MEF Information Group     

U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Reinaldo Martinez stands at the bivouac site at Jungle Warfare Training Center, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 27, 2019. During their communication exercise, Marines with 7th Communication Battalion demonstrate their ability to establish and maintain communications in any environment, including the jungle. Martinez, a native of Bridgeport, Conn., is a data systems administrator with Alpha Company, 7th Comm. Bn. "Family is important to me. Both my parents were born in Puerto Rico, and my father was in the Puerto Rican Army. They moved to Bridgeport, which isn't as bad as Puerto Rico, but it's still pretty ghetto. There's a lot of poverty. Rows of houses burnt down, broken, with boards on the windows. Two of my uncles were latin kings. I've lost a lot of family to gang violence. I was in highschool when my recruiter found me. I mean that. I didn't seek him out. He grabbed me and said 'We're doing lunch.' I'm thankful for that, it was a way out and a way to try to outdo my Dad. But family is still important to me. I send some home to help Mom pay the bills." Part of the training focused on the unit’s ability to deploy small fire teams in support of long-range rapid deployments where the Marine Corps will need to establish austere bases. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Harrison Rakhshani)

• Date Taken: 10.27.2019
• Date Posted: 11.07.2019 23:06
• Photo ID: 5867298
• VIRIN: 191027-M-SQ016-1010
• Resolution: 5184x3456
• Size: 11.77 MB
• Location: OKINAWA, JP
• Hometown: BRIDGEPORT, CT, US