Photo By Cpl. Matt Myers | U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. Alberto S. Moreno pressure washes the tracks of an M-88...... read more read more
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GWANGYANG, Republic of Korea – U.S. Marines began retrograde and redeployment activities April 6 in preparation for the conclusion of exercise Freedom Banner 2014 at the Gwangyang Port, Republic of Korea.
During the retrograde and redeployment, all vehicles and equipment used during the amphibious assault exercise Ssang Yong 2014 move to Gwangyang Port for cleaning and inspections before they can leave the Republic of Korea, according to Maj. David I. Eickenhorst, the Freedom Banner 14 Arrival, Assembly, and Operations Group exercise officer with III Marine Expeditionary Force Command Element.
“This is a classic retrograde and redeployment of equipment where the equipment is coming from various points of action across the Korean peninsula and it will journey through a reconstitution point where it is cleaned, prepped, and inspected prior to maritime propositioning loading operations,” said Eickenhorst. “The equipment was just involved in amphibious assault exercise Ssang Yong 14, so we have to account for every piece that returns to us from that evolution and ensure proper maintenance activities occur before re-embarking onto the USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo maritime prepositioning force ship.”
As equipment from Ssang Yong 14 returns to Gwangyang following its use in the amphibious exercise, it undergoes an extensive logistical process, according to Eickenhorst.
“Everyone who is involved in this retrograde and re-embarkation process is looking to get the gear back onboard in an efficient manner,” said Eickenhorst, from Houston, Texas. “We have to account for damaged or in need of repair equipment, wash everything down so it can go through agricultural inspections to ensure there are no foreign contaminants and go through a transfer of ownership process where the equipment is turned over from the units that used it during Ssang Yong 14 to the Marine air-ground task force responsible officer. Then finally it needs to be approved by the ship’s master and ship supervisor with a trim, stability and stress report after they allow it to be loaded onto their ship.”
The transportation of equipment over a long distance from Pohang to the Gwangyang Port is equally a massive undertaking for the Marines involved, according to Eickenhorst.
“There will be a total of 273 principle-end items returning via convoys and train rail-cars between April 7 and April 10,” said Lt. Col. Robert C. Sellers, the Arrival, Assembly, and Operations Group exercise officer for Freedom Banner 14, with the III MEF Command Element. “We’ll have tanks, howitzers, amphibious assault vehicles, and additional equipment coming back at two sticks per day to be processed through maintenance and inspection cycles.”
The back load of equipment onto the naval vessel dubbed Bobo is similar to the initial offload of equipment, with one exception, according to Sellers.
“The big difference between the backload and initial offload is the order of the equipment once it’s on the ship,” said Sellers, from Belvidere, Ill. “The Bobo’s next mission is to support exercise Balikatan 2014 so we’re back loading the equipment so that when that equipment arrives it is the first to come off the ship.”
For the Marines working tirelessly to expedite the loading process and conclude the exercise, some see a deeper responsibility to the Republic of Korea.
“Projecting power from ship to shore is a critical mission for the Marine Corps, but a big part of that mission is making sure when we are done and it’s time to leave we do it the right way,” said Gunnery Sgt. Alberto S. Moreno, a platoon sergeant with 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I MEF. “When we leave somewhere, as Marines, you want to leave it better than when you showed up, so it’s important we take back everything we brought and take the time to clean up after ourselves – that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
Freedom Banner 14 is part of Marine Expeditionary Force Exercise 2014, an umbrella exercise which began March 10 and extends through April 17. Freedom Banner 14 is a maritime prepositioning force ship offloading exercise that simulates would occur during a wartime or disaster relief scenario while strengthening ties between the ROK and U.S. alliance.
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2014 01:06 |
| Story ID: | 125932 |
| Location: | GWANGYANG, KR , BUSAN GWANG'YEOGSI [PUSAN-KWANGYOKSHI], KR |
| Hometown: | ATCHISON, KANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | BELVIDERE, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | DENTON, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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