Photo By Staff Sgt. Kirstin Spanu | Marines with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment and 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion,...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marines from 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion and 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment partnered together with the U.S. Navy in an effort to increase interoperability between service members and to bring the Corps back to its original amphibious roots.
Infantrymen loaded their gear and rifles into 12 camouflaged amphibious assault vehicles before driving into the Atlantic Ocean to help members of the U.S. Navy, aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1), complete their well-deck certification. Combined, the platoon from 2nd AA Bn. and Fox Company, 2/2, created a mechanized infantry company.
“The ship was being graded on the ability to embark and disembark AAVs. We dropped the [infantrymen] off and the ship recovered us twice,” said 1st Lt. Jeffrey Paul Horwitz, platoon commander of 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd AA Bn. “It allowed the evaluators to see how the ship took AAVs on and let them go. [They would] take AAVs and a mechanized infantry company from the beach to the ship during a [Marine Expeditionary Unit] operation.”
After completing its evaluation, the USS Wasp hosted the Marines for a night, which allowed them to communicate and review the plans for their upcoming missions: an amphibious assault and a dismounted movement-to-contact.
The ship released the AAVs loaded with the Marines from 2/2 the morning of April 9, 2015, into the ocean water for an assault on Onslow Beach. Engines purred loudly as the vehicles neared the shore and smoothly transitioned from sea to land, roaring on as a mechanized infantry company to their next objective.
Amphibious assaults are complicated operations that require the seamless integration of both the Navy and Marine Corps.
“Amphibious assaults … are, without question, the most important readiness aspect that any infantry or AAV unit can train to right now, primarily because the commandant has made it very clear to Congress that we are going back to our amphibious roots, so it’s important that the mechanized infantry company gets the appropriate training,” Horwitz said.
After traveling together on sea and land, the AAVs brought Fox Co. to training area G-6, on base, where they finally dismounted the vehicles and moved on to yet another objective.
Infantrymen with camouflaged paint on their faces to match their uniforms trekked through the woods of Camp Lejeune, alert and with rifles in hand. They fired blank rounds at role-players and demonstrated their vigilance and core infantry skills to their leaders.
“It was a great training evolution that tested command and control, our battle drills, and infantry tactics overall. I thought the Marines showed superb commitment today, because they were committed to being prepared,” said Captain Alex Luedtke, commander of Fox Co., and native of Omaha, Nebraska. “The Marines did an excellent job.”
The training allowed Marine units and members of the Navy to work hand-in-hand, as amphibious fighters, and built the camaraderie necessary for service members to work well together during joint operations.
“Being on the ship, learning the ship, and living and berthing together facilitated camaraderie,” said Luedtke. “Being in the tracks together and experiencing that as a company brought them together, and working together to solve this tactical problem built camaraderie as well.”
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2015 15:01 |
| Story ID: | 160075 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | OMAHA, NE, US |
| Web Views: | 239 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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