Marines from Okinawa use creativity to stay in shape

Photo By Sgt. Aaron Hostutler | Lance Cpl. Timothy Wagner, a combat engineer, with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, works out with some of the equipment he and some Marines in his unit made, Feb. 28.  

NIHONBARA TRAINING AREA, JAPAN

03.19.2010

Story by Lance Cpl. Aaron Hostutler 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

PVC pipe, 550 chord, bamboo, duct tape and a few rocks, to some may seem like a pile of trash, but to Marines in Combat Engineer Company, Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, these are the tools they need to stay in shape.

Marines with the company recently deployed to Nihonbara Training Area for Operation Forest Light, a bilateral exercise with U.S. forces and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force focusing on exchanging combat tactics and techniques in a cold weather environment.

While training together was the mission for the operation, Marines with the battalion made sure they also accomplished a mission every Marine is given; staying physically fit.

"Physical fitness is extraordinarily important," said 1st Sgt. Douglas Blose, the company first sergeant.

While deployed, the Marines built a gym using only the materials they could find around them. They made pull-up bars, a dip station, a small barbell and two large barbells they used on their homemade workout bench.

"You have to want to do it yourself," said Cpl. Dustin J. Gunnoe, combat engineer. "You have to have that self motivation and determination to stay in shape."

With the amount of training Marines accomplished throughout the exercise, free time was limited. Often times after completing the day's training, cleaning gear and weapons and eating chow, they were left with only a few hours before lights out to shower and prepare for the next day.

Despite the lack of free time, some Marines decided to use that time to hit the weights.

"Staying in top physical condition has a lot of benefits," said Blose. "It helps you maintain physical stamina and withstand the physical rigors of combat. It builds and maintains confidence in yourself and your team. It can build camaraderie and keep Marines occupied."

In past deployments to the Middle East Blose and other Marines from his unit also used the tools they could find around them to build a gym and stay in shape there.

"We used to fill up a bunch of sandbags so they weighed just about they same. We tied 550 chord around them and then added as many as we needed on a steel bar so we could do curls or bench press," Blose said.

According to Blose, a Marine motivating himself to stay in shape says a lot about their character and often crosses over into other aspects of life.

"It really does say a lot about these Marines," he said. "They want to maintain a higher level of physical fitness and pride in themselves. A lot of the junior Marines in this command are green belts and some are even brown. There's no one here making them do that. They do it because they take pride in themselves, in their unit and in being Marines."

• Date Taken: 03.19.2010
• Date Posted: 03.23.2010 01:02
• Story ID: 47048
• Location: NIHONBARA TRAINING AREA, JP