Photo By Sgt. Rachel Grothe | Spc. Danielle R. Marlar, intelligence analyst, 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 9th...... read more read more
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SAGAMIHARA, Japan – “It looked like an egg sitting on top of a bowl of rice,” said Spc. Danielle R. Marlar, intelligence analyst, 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, 9th Mission Support Command.
Marlar is in Japan for the first time as a participant in the inaugural iteration of Exercise Imua Dawn. Handed a menu in a foreign language, she pointed to a picture and hoped for the best. “I had to go with it,” she said. “We aren’t here for very long.”
The food presented to Marlar looked nothing like the picture, but, “When it came out I touched the rice, and it was cold. It looked slimy, and I was expecting it to be really gross,” said Marlar. “I thought, ‘Oh no, maybe I don’t want to do this,’ but then I thought, ‘We’re in Japan, how often are we here? So I might as well just try this.’ It was really good. We almost ordered seconds, it was that good.”
Marlar is known for her can-do attitude, whether she’s trying new foods, climbing mountains on her personal time, or doing something new at work.
“This is how she deals with new things. She grabs it and goes. She’s already on top of it. She accepts challenges and doesn’t back down,” said Sgt. 1st Class Louis Jefferson, Equal Opportunity adviser for the 303rd MEB.
The Imua Dawn exercise is a Command Post Exercise (CPX) designed specifically for Maneuver Enhancement Brigades. It is a U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) focused, brigade-level CPX for USPACOM and U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) assigned forces. Brigade and battalion level staffs are required to perform critical collective tasks during the exercise. It aims to establish, implement and test exercise design, concept and infrastructure.
“Our big picture is to move into another area that we’re not already in,” said Marlar. “Since I’m intelligence, we’re supposed to look at the enemy area and analyze information. We help decide what places we should attack or where you would not, like the schools, the hospitals and everything.”
The scenario created for Exercise Imua Dawn is different than other simulated battlefields used in other exercises.
“We’re doing force on force. I’ve never done that before. So I wasn’t sure if I was going to be prepared or really understand the whole game. We’ve always done this with insurgencies,” said Marlar. “Force on force is like our enemy is another organized military structure instead of just insurgents doing IEDs, suicide bombers, etcetera. This is organized. They’re strategic. That’s the biggest difference.”
“I’m kind of helping the unit find their footing,” said Marlar, fitting of the avid hiker’s personality.
Marlar enjoys the steepest climbs around her home, Honolulu.
“My favorite hike is Stairway to Heaven,” she said, referring to a popular hike on Oahu.
She knows every new challenge will have a reward.
“They start out pretty hard. And some of them are intense,” said Marlar. “When you’re doing it you’re like, ‘How am I going to get up there? Is this going to be worth it? This sucks,’ but once you get there and you see the view you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m so glad I did this. I would do this again.’”
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2015 20:33 |
| Story ID: | 169580 |
| Location: | SAGAMIHARA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Hometown: | HONOLULU, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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