2nd TSB conducts joint air delivery training with 2nd CEB

Photo By Sgt. Melodie Snarr | Lance Cpl. Kendy Derival, a motor transport operator with 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, secures a load of building materials before delivering them to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion during a joint air delivery mission at Camp Lejeune, N.C, June 9, 2016. The mission was to fly supplies for a forward operating base from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., to Camp Lejeune, and conduct a successful air drop and then deliver the supplies to 2nd CEB for the construction of Forward Operating Base Sapper. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Melodie Snarr/Released)  

NC, UNITED STATES

06.09.2016

Story by Cpl. Melodie Snarr 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

Marines in Landing Support Company, 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, in conjunction with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 conducted a joint air delivery mission at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 9, 2016.
The mission was to fly supplies from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, to Camp Lejeune, to conduct a successful air drop and then deliver the supplies to 2nd CEB for the construction of Forward Operating Base Sapper.
“Our mission today is to provide capabilities to 2nd CEB by [parachuting] all the materials they need for a [forward operating base,]” said Cpl. Ruben Carreras, a parachute rigger with 2nd TSB. “It’s something we do here in the states to practice so they can [parachute supplies] while in theatre or in country.”
Packages were air dropped out of a C-130 Hercules from VMGR-252. Then a recovery team made up of parachute rigging Marines removed the parachute and loaded the package onto a vehicle to transport to the building site.
“It’s great practice for them to rig other materials they don’t normally get to [rig],” said 1st Lt. Brittany Fruin, air delivery platoon commander with 2nd TSB. “They get to recover [the materials] and explain to other Marines how we do our job and how we recover materials.”
Once the package gets there it is taken apart and the materials are organized.
This training allows us to simulate being in combat or deployed where an air drop is our only option, said Cpl. Andrew Christensen, a combat engineer with 2nd CEB.
“It gets our equipment operators and our Marines used to all our [materials being parachuted from an aircraft] instead of coming in on trucks,” said Christensen.
The training combined more units to simulate what would happen for a delivery in country.
“We appreciate any opportunity to drop real things to real people,” said Fruin. “We would love to be able to [train with other units.]”

• Date Taken: 06.09.2016
• Date Posted: 06.13.2016 20:23
• Story ID: 200983
• Location: NC, US