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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii - Family members slipped on the uniforms of their loved ones to learn about their jobs during Jayne Wayne Day hosted by 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, July 1, 2015.
A total of 43 family members signed up for the event to experience firsthand what the “Lava Dogs” do as infantry Marines. Boarding the same bus the unit uses for transport when the unit deploys, the group toured Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility and Boondocker Training Area.
“The unique experience today is a small glimpse of the capability of our infantry battalion,” said Lt. Col. Quintin Jones, the battalion’s commanding officer and a native of Memphis, Tenn. “When we go to (Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms) in a few weeks, we’ll do things like this and it will be our report card to make sure we can deploy (later).”
Marines demonstrated how they prepare weapons before firing and how they use each of their weapons systems for different mission goals. The group saw, in a step-by-step presentation, how the Marines break into smaller squads to coordinate their attacks using the weapons introduced earlier. The participants later had an opportunity to fire a few of the handheld weapons the battalion regularly uses when in
the field.
“The range was the most exiting (station) for me,” said Brittany Estrada, one of the participating spouses in the event.
Family members also spent time learning how the infantry battalion partners with other sections of the Marine Corps, including air support. Members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367’s “Scarface” spent time with the group answering questions about how their helicopters are used in connection with ground forces. Then the Scarface pilots had family members take the wheel inside the simulators for their UH-1 Y Venom and AH-1W Huey helicopters.
“What they’re getting in one day is a quick snapshot of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force,” said Capt. Vincent Young, assistant operations officer for 1st Bn., 3rd Marines. “This is how we fight and train. Unlike any other components, the Marine Corps has organic ground, amphibious and air assets.”
At the end of the day the Jayne Wayne Day participants headed over to the Boondocker Training Area to test their teamwork skills in the field. Breaking up into smaller sections, each team tried out some of the battalion’s routine training. The battalion personnel showed the family members how Marines and Sailors perform field medicine, took them for a ride in an amphibious assault vehicle and showed them how to problem solve in the Leadership Reaction Course.
“(The LRC) was harder than I thought it would be,” said “Lava Dogs” spouse Andi Fuglsang. “It was tough to get people to agree to a plan.”
Young said the Jayne Wayne Day coordinators also wanted to give participants invaluable skills to take home in addition to a better understanding of their unit. The group also learned some CPR skills with simulated figures.
“(The participants) won’t be certified with a combat lifesaver qualification or by the American Red Cross, but they will have some hands-on training for first aid,” he said. “Some have not had any CPR training. This is only one type of training we do, but it’s great because it gives (the family members) something they can use for life.”
Several participating spouses said having the opportunity to see the wide range of training the battalion takes on was already invaluable. Estrada said although the event was her second Jayne Wayne Day, she still learned so much about what her husband goes through.
Estrada said she appreciated everyone taking the time to describe their jobs and how coordinators planned a memorable experience just for family members. Young said the ultimate goal of the event was to give family members a better idea of what the members of the battalion do on a daily basis.
“It can be really tough for spouses or girlfriends to conceptualize what goes on in a unit,” Young said. “My wife always asks questions about what I do, and some may not fully understand how the unit runs. Their only reference might be the movies.”
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2015 23:42 |
| Story ID: | 169210 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Hometown: | MEMPHIS, TN, US |
| Hometown: | PINE BLUFF, AR, US |
| Hometown: | SEDONA, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Families of 1/3 tackle Jayne Wayne Day, by Christine Cabalo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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