Photo By Sgt. Michelle Reif | Lieutenant Col. Eric A. Reid, the commanding officer of 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The Infantry Rifle Squad Competition was a grueling battle that took place in the punishing heat and spanned an exhausting three days from June 17-19, 2015. Three rifle squads, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and India Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment competed in the annual 2nd Marine Division event to determine the most mission-ready squad in the division. They proved their superior skills by conducting offensive operations, live-fire ambush patrols, squad attacks, landing zone operations, obstacle and endurance courses and shooting ranges. They did all this and more in the name of friendly competition and proving what a well-trained Marine rifle squad is capable of accomplishing.
The competition was over but a winner has yet to be declared. Who would be left standing when the smoke cleared? Who would take home the glory and the trophy? Which squad would rise above and prove itself as the most mission ready and combat proficient?
Major Gen. Brian D. Beaudreault, the commanding general of 2nd Marine Division, presented the Infantry Rifle Squad trophy, badges and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals to the squad representing 1/2 during an award ceremony aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, July 1, 2015.
“They represent the very best of infantry in the 2nd Marine Division,” said Beaudreault. “I’ll go so far as to say that they represent the very best of infantry that we have in the United States Marine Corps.”
The combat-like competition focused on the standards set forth in the Training and Readiness Manual to test the Marines. The teams can now take the knowledge they learned back to their individual regiments and influence other squads to become as efficient as they are.
“The knowledge that they have they can now spread,” said Sgt. Jaymes L. Chambless, the squad leader from the winning squad. “If my 14 Marines can inspire 10 Marines, and so on, it just spreads the knowledge and the wealth.”
Chambless believes that it was his squad’s ability to function together as a strong team that made them stand out against their competitors.
“You learn the biggest thing is unit cohesion,” said Chambless. “The tighter your squad is, the better you are going to work together and the better you are going to perform. And that’s just it. It takes more to be a leader than just screaming at somebody. You have to get to know your Marines and learn to work with them. I think that was the biggest part of winning.”
Beaudreault congratulated the winning squad and expressed his belief that it is the Marine rifleman, not any piece of equipment or program that is the most important element on the battlefield.
“It took more than just brute strength, it took mental toughness,” said Beaudreault. “One weak link in the chain and you don’t win. There are no weak links in this squad. They earned every bit of what was pinned on their chest today.”
The winning squad will be recognized by the Commandant of the Marine Corps at a ceremony aboard Marine Barracks Washington, 8th and I in August.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2015 09:30 |
| Story ID: | 168885 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 4,743 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
This work, 1/2 represents very best of Marine Corps infantry with physical strength and mental toughness, by Sgt Michelle Reif, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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