2nd Recon not afraid to get wet during water jump evolution

Photo By Staff Sgt. Immanuel Johnson | The jumpmaster gives the thumbs-up signal after four Marines from 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion successfully jump out of the C-130 aircraft into the ocean 1,500 feet below March 25, 2015, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Marines conducted static-line jumps in order to refresh their skills and keep up-to-date on required certifications. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Immanuel Johnson/Released)  

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, UNITED STATES

03.25.2015

Story by Cpl. Michelle Reif 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The Marines of 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion are said to have been born in the water. During a water jump training evolution aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the Marines of 2nd Recon made dramatic re-entrances into their proverbial birthplace, March 25, 2015.

The Marines of 2nd Recon participated in static-line, water jump training in order to refresh their skills and keep up-to-date on required certifications. During the training, the Marines jumped from 1,500 feet out of a C-130 aircraft into the frigid ocean below. Marines in zodiac boats waited below to pull the parachutists out of the water once they landed.

“The purpose of this training is to familiarize Marines with jumping into the water and all the procedures that go along with exiting the aircraft, all the way down to the recovery of the equipment at the bottom and eventually ending up at the beach,” said Gunnery Sgt. Randall Parkes, the paraloft chief for 2nd Recon and native of San Diego.

Marines weren’t the only things falling from the sky during the evolution. The Marines attached a zodiac boat to a wooden palate and pushed it out of the aircraft. The boat, aided by two large parachutes, landed gracefully in the ocean. In a real insertion situation, the Marines would use the dropped boat to reach the shore after landing in the water.

“As recon Marines, we have a wide array of capabilities to offer a commander,” said Lance Cpl. James Gallant, a point man with 2nd Recon. “If he needs somebody who can jump into a combat zone or he needs somebody who can dive in without anyone knowing he’s there, then we train to fit all those situations and all the circumstances that our unit commander might run into, whether or not he has a landing zone.”

Before heading out to the ocean, the Marines spent time training in the pool.

“We practice procedures for what happens if the parachute falls on top of you and how to get out of the harness when you are falling into the water so that it doesn’t pull you down,” said Gallant. “We practice what happens when you start getting dragged by the parachute in a high wind situation and how to detach yourself from the harness.”

2nd Recon plans to complete the evolution again in the summer while wearing a full combat load in order to make the training more reflective of a real combat situation.

• Date Taken: 03.25.2015
• Date Posted: 03.27.2015 13:42
• Story ID: 158355
• Location: CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US
• Hometown: SAN DIEGO, CA, US