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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – The U.S. Marine Corps recognizes the importance of engaging local populations on foreign shores, actions the service has partaken in since its inception 237 years ago.
Marines of Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., recently trained in and executed these types of interactions at the Integrated Training Exercise here, May 27, to prepare for Operation Enduring Freedom where the stakes will be much higher.
ITX leadership, commonly referred to as “Coyotes”, tasked and evaluated the battalion to send convoys to resupply a village here filled with role players who acted out foreign cultures as “local-nationals.”
“Instead of being out in the desert … where you can see the enemy 1,000 meters away, this is a lot more condensed – a lot more avenues of approach to cover,” said 1st Lt. Andrew M. Lark, a Chuluota, Fla., native and Transportation Support platoon commander with Combat Logistics Battalion 6. “As you go through the town, you have to watch the rooftops, watching every section of the windows. [There’s] a lot more role-players, so there’s actually a ton of ‘Coyotes’ dressed as role-players out there … and the bad guys, the actual insurgents were out there as well, and it’s a little harder to cover everything.”
The Marines employed lessons from their cultural awareness training to decipher between friend and foe, a choice that overseas can mean the difference between mission success or failure, or even life or death.
Upon entering the town, the “local-nationals” approached seeking the water they had requested from the troops riding in armored personnel carriers, recovery vehicles, and mine-resistant ambush protected all-terrain vehicles or M-ATVs. The Marines moved cautiously, unsure of the unfamiliar surroundings, but nevertheless delivered the cargo. After a short conversation with the village’s leadership, the convoy went underway to return to base.
However, the “enemy’s” (comprised of “Coyotes”) plans for the convoys were meant to spoil a safe return.
“The purpose of today’s training is to train the Marines in civil operations,” said Cpl. Kirk Gadsby, an ITX instructor-trainer. “Today, they’re going to be utilizing their [standard operating procedures] to react to [improvised explosive devises] and a complex ambush. The reason we put them through the training is to set them up for real world events they might encounter – be it on a [Marine Expeditionary Unit] or maybe going to an area devastated by natural disasters or even going to Afghanistan … so they can set themselves up for success.”
The IEDs struck the convoys as they exited the village. Small arms fire began shortly after. The situation forced the Marines to fight their way out of the village while keeping everyone and everything on hand.
The “Coyotes” evaluated the Marines once they reached safety and provided feedback from their own personal experiences of deployments past.
“The Marines do well under pressure,” said Lark, a burly former nose tackle who played football for the Naval Academy. “It’s almost like [learning] a playbook… It’s a lot easier when you’re in trucks moving around than when you’re trying to talk to a group of Marines using a whiteboard.”
| Date Taken: | 05.27.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2013 13:18 |
| Story ID: | 107907 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US |
| Hometown: | CHULUOTA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 242 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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