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    Sand TRAP: SPMAGTF-CR-CC Marines Train to Save Downed Pilots

    Sand TRAP: SPMAGTF-CR-CC Train to Save Pilots Downed Pilots

    Photo By Staff Sgt. Tony Simmons | U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air...... read more read more

    (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

    03.08.2015

    Story by Cpl. Tony Simmons 

    Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade

    SOUTHEAST ASIA - U.S. Marines and sailors with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command, conducted a Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel drill in the Central Command area of operation, March 8, 2015.

    Marines and sailors conduct TRAP missions to rescue or extract downed personnel or aircraft in the event of an in-flight emergency during operations.

    Service members involved in the TRAP constantly train and practice different scenarios to prepare for emergencies.

    “The drill was structured by the Joint Personnel Recovery Center who called us and let us know we have a downed pilot at a certain grid location,” said 1st Lt. Eric A. Todorski, a platoon commander with Company E, 2/7, SPMAGTF-CR-CC. “We then began to launch the exercise as if it were an actual mission.”

    When the call came in, the Marines put on their gear and began pre-combat inspections which ensure all Marines and sailors have the gear necessary to accomplish the mission. Once the PCI’s were completed, the TRAP force moved to the staging area where they received a pre-mission brief.

    The briefer explained that the drill would be to extract a simulated downed AV-8B Harrier pilot from a hostile environment. After the brief, the teams loaded onto MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and prepared for take-off.

    While in the air, mission essential information was passed through the use of hand signals and electronic tablets. Upon landing, TRAP personnel exited the aircraft, running through a plume of sand and dust to rescue the simulated downed pilot.

    Additional aircraft rocketed through the sky providing security for the ground team sprinting to their objective. Once the pilot was located and his identity verified, he was escorted to the Osprey and flown back to base.

    The team executed the entire extraction from exiting the Osprey to verifying the pilot’s identity and reentering the aircraft in only seven minutes, said Cpl. Michael I. Estradasantoyo, a team leader with Company E, 2/7, SPMAGTF-CR-CC.

    The TRAP force held a debriefing meeting once the aircraft returned to base.

    “We come out here in the back yard and practice patrol formations and drills,” said Todorski. “But the experience of doing it for real, flying somewhere, dealing with the brown-out when landing, understanding the communication structure, and recovering an actual person is much more of a high fidelity-training experience.”

    The TRAP force consistently practices drills in order to remain vigilant and ready for the moment their training is needed to save a life.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.08.2015
    Date Posted: 03.30.2015 09:28
    Story ID: 158518
    Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

    Web Views: 202
    Downloads: 7

    PUBLIC DOMAIN