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Marines all across the Marine Corps participated in Back In The Saddle training to start 2017 off right. The goal of BITS is to refocus Marines after the holiday and prepare them for the year ahead.
For Marines of Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron they began their BITS training with a mass promotion ceremony followed by a run on the flightline aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Jan. 4.
“As we go on this run I want you all to think about what Marines before you have done here,” said Lt. Col. Douglas Seich, the commanding officer of H&HS. “From this flightline pilots have departed for missions and deployments to bring the fight to the enemy. Being able to run on the flightline as a squadron is something we haven’t been able to do before now. This should be fun.”
After the run the Marines were released to their individual shops for unit training. The units were responsible for planning and conducting the Unit Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training and additional training that was applicable to each shop’s mission.
“Back in the Saddle training is important because you have Marines coming back to the job from the time off for the holidays,” said Staff Sgt. David Memnon, the training representative for H&HS. “It’s a refresher on what they already know and they also learn new information that will help them succeed in the upcoming year.”
The UMAPIT course covers preventative annual training such as suicide prevention, the drug abuse program, and the family advocacy program. All of the UMAPIT topics teach Marines about resources available to them.
“Two of the big classes during the BITS training were the requesting mast class and operational risk management,” said Memnon. “Both of those are very important for Marines to know and keep in mind. As a command it is our responsibility to ensure the Marines know how both of
those processes work.”
Requesting mast is a process Marines can utilize when they have an issue in the work place and feel the issue needs to be acknowledged by somebody higher in their chain of command. Operational risk management is a critical thinking process Marines should utilize daily by assessing potential hazards and how to compensate for those hazards.
“It’s really about getting the entire shop together, getting that face time with your Marines, and making sure everyone is back on track and ready to work,” said Memnon. “It builds morale and reminds Marines why they are here. There are a lot of risks that come with our line of work and there are a lot of moving parts that go into making a squadron run. BITS training prepares Marines for challenges they may encounter in the upcoming year.”
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2017 15:49 |
| Story ID: | 220339 |
| Location: | BEAUFORT, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Marines get Back in the Saddle, by Sgt Ashley Phillips, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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