Photo By Sgt. Lucas Hopkins | Lance Cpl. Danyelle Spinelli, an electrician with Marine Wing Support Squadron 272,...... read more read more
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BOGUE, N.C. - More than 30 Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 272, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducted non-combatant evacuation operations aboard Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue, North Carolina, Nov. 19, 2014.
The Marines processed 29 role players through a makeshift Evacuation Control Center. The exercise was part of the unit’s training for an upcoming deployment with Special- Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa.
In a foreign country, United States citizens are taken to the ECC before being transported to the U.S.
“The ECC is used for evacuating American personnel from a foreign nation during times of crisis,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Lejeune, an armory chief with MWSS-272, and native of Houston.
Before departing for the U.S., evacuees are sent through a five-step evacuation process. The first phase is reception, where citizens are briefed on the expectations of the procedure. All persons are given an amnesty period to turn in any weapons or illegal drugs.
“In reception, we’re giving the initial overview of the process, such as maintaining proper identification and not bringing anything illegal back to the U.S,” said Lejeune. “We want the evacuees to know being a U.S. citizen means we’re going to make sure they are properly evacuated to a safe environment.”
Following reception, evacuees are escorted into security, where Marines thoroughly examine all luggage and persons before moving onto the next stage.
“We search for any contraband to ensure no illegal substances or objects are brought back to the U.S.,” said Lejeune. “We understand the evacuees are U.S. citizens, but we search everyone to guarantee the safety of not only the military personnel conducting the ECC, but of other evacuees as well.”
U.S. citizens then move onto registration, where the Marines can identify all persons leaving through the ECC. The registration process guarantees accountability of all embarking evacuees. Lance Cpl. Brinhley Alviarez, a refrigeration mechanic with MWSS-272, aided during the registration process of the 29 actors.
“We take the individuals coming in after they have been briefed and searched. I use their identification to match with our registration database, and ensure they are listed for embarkation,” said Alviarez, a Boston native.
Once registration is complete, evacuees are taken to baggage, where luggage is stowed for the flight to the U.S. The final step before embarkation is holding, where U.S. citizens await departure.
“We compile the manifest for departure in holding, and we make sure the evacuees are comfortable before moving onto their flights,” said Lejeune.
Security is a top priority for the personnel conducting military-assisted departures, while also providing a calm atmosphere for all evacuees. No weapons or controlled substances got through the ECC.
“Security is important to us, but even more so for the evacuees. We need to ensure they feel safe throughout the process,” said Alviarez.
Despite having set parts in the evacuation procedure, the Marines switched roles minutes prior to the final exercise. The abrupt change confirmed the Marines’ ability to uphold any position in the ECC with little notice.
“We have to constantly rehearse the roles throughout the procedure until we are all well-versed in each area,” said Alviarez. “It helps us identify the things we need to work on and how to better assist people, because in a real-life scenario there will be children, families and elderly people who need taken care of, not actors.”
After the final walkthrough, Lejeune said he was pleased with the effort of his Marines.
“They processed all of the actors in a smooth and expedient manner, all while staying professional and doing what they trained to do,” said Lejeune. “I’m overwhelmed with excitement.”
The Marines of MWSS-272 will conduct one more NEO in December before next year’s deployment as part of a certification exercise.
“We’ve put forth a lot of effort through these scenarios,” said Alviarez. “If anything does happen, we know we can help complete whatever is expected of us.
| Date Taken: | 11.19.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.24.2014 15:47 |
| Story ID: | 148695 |
| Location: | BOGUE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | BOSTON, MA, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 128 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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