Photo By Kristen Wong | Niki Eller (left) applies camo paint on Anny Eller's face in the morning before the...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — The “Island Warriors” of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment brought out extra sets of cammies for their new, temporary recruits, the spouses, during the unit’s Jane Wayne Day, March 26, 2015.
The group arrived at the unit’s headquarters building at 8 a.m. While some opted to wear athletic gear, other spouses were dressed in their husband’s uniform, from boots to cover.
Lt. Col. Brian P. Coyne, the commanding officer of 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines, welcomed the families to the event, briefly joking about the day’s events including fast-roping and jumping from a helicopter. He immediately reassured participants that they would not be doing those activities, acknowledging that many spouses were apprehensive about the event. He reminded all spouses that they can choose not to participate at any time throughout the day, and gave a brief overview of what was to come.
“You are going to shoot a rifle,” Coyne said. “You are going to be tested on your leadership and your ability to react under different conditions with only a few tools and a team to negotiate obstacles. You are gonna get a chance to put on some of our gear. It’s a light set, but a gear set nonetheless.”
Coyne assured the spouses that they would be walking while wearing those gear sets, “cause Marines love walking.”
“We don’t like riding anywhere,” he said. “We walk really long distances because we’re sick. We like to hurt ourselves and make sure we’re harder than any other humans on this planet.”
The spouses were divided into two groups and rotated through several activities throughout the day.
Spouses in Bravo Group began their day at Boondocker Training Area, while Alpha Group headed to Range Training Facility Kaneohe Bay. While some couples drove, some spouses hiked to Boondocker Training Area from the unit building, carrying their husband’s gear on their backs, black, green and brown camo paint smeared across their cheeks.
“It hurt my shoulders more than I thought it would,” said participant Rylie Klinski, who hiked to Boondocker Training Area with gear.
“We host these events to increase cohesiveness within our unit,” said Danielle Carter, the family readiness officer of 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines. “This is extremely important right now because we’re about to deploy soon, so we want to get the families together, get the Marines together and this is what it’s all about for us.”
At Boondocker Training Area, the spouses engaged in exercises that are part of the Marine Corps Leadership Reactionary Course. Spouses were divided into small groups and assigned to different stations. At each station, they were given a problem-solving task to complete within 10 minutes.
This was Klinski’s first Jane Wayne Day, and she wanted to see what her husband does. As her group had difficulty with the first few exercises in the LRC, Klinski said she realized the amount of skill is involved in her husband’s role as a squad leader.
Due to time constraints in the day’s schedule, the spouses ended up having to complete each exercise within seven minutes. Participant Amy Skvarek said she joined Jane Wayne Day to socialize and meet other families. Skvarek said one of the hardest stations involved getting a team of four and an ammunition can across a series of chains without touching the ground or chain posts with only a plank as an extra tool.
At Kaneohe Bay RTF, spouses received a safety brief and each took turns firing an M4 service rifle. An assistant range safety officer accompanied each spouse and provided guidance on properly handling and aiming the weapon.
As both groups finished their respective activities, both groups headed to Landing Zone Eagle, where the entire unit and families gathered for an Easter family fun day. Just before the day came to a close, a few remaining spouses competed in a modified combat fitness test to win a prize. They did a long-distance sprint, push-ups and a relay race that included bear crawls, low crawls and throwing an egg instead of a grenade.
“Jane Wayne Day’s great because we’re always so busy and there’s so much to cram into a training schedule that we have that we don’t always have a lot of time to get to know each other outside of work,” said Capt. Jack Treptow, Echo Company commander, 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines. “Jane Wayne Day’s absolutely that opportunity for some of the leadership (to meet everyone).”
Treptow, of Homewood, Ill., said Jane Wayne Day also gives spouses an opportunity to meet fellow spouses and build relationships. The unit is going to deploy soon, and with those relationships, spouses can support each other.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2015 15:18 |
| Story ID: | 159105 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Hometown: | HOMEWOOD, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 585 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 'Island Warrior' spouses take on Jane Wayne Day, by Kristen Wong, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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