Photo By Cpl. Deanne Hurla | Staff Sgt. Vicente Munoz, an aviation ordnance technician, and Sgt. Jerod Color, a...... read more read more
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SAN DIEGO - Marines from squadrons under Marine Aircraft Group 16 took off under the warm California sun for a group motorcycle ride July 15.
The ride promoted motorcycle safety and the importance of following the rules of the road.
Sports bikes, cruisers and touring bikes were separated into groups mixing the experience levels of Marines, and though most were experienced riders, for some it was their first group ride.
“This is my first time on a group ride like this,” said Cpl. Adrian Jones, a power plants technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 16 and a Fort Worth, Texas, native. “On group rides you have to look out a lot more. You use a lot more of your ‘sixth sense.’ You can relate it to the Marine concept of watching out for the guy to your left and right and knowing what’s going on to help keep yourself and everyone else safe.”
Each rider took responsibility for the safety of the group. Pointing out road hazards and watching for hand signals passed from the lead rider were vital factors.
"You can only give them so much training, then they have to go out and ride,” said Sgt. Maj. Don W. Gallagher, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing sergeant major and a Great Falls, Mont., native. “Riding the back roads is one way to train them ‘outside the wire’ to be a defensive rider. You are not going to be able to prevent anything, but you have to be safe.”
Learning is more than giving briefs, it’s showing the Marines how to ride safely in a large group and still be enjoyable, explained Maj. John Gilbert, director of safety and standardization for MAG-16 and a Napa, Idaho, native.
It is good for the younger guys to see how to execute a ride this size safely and it still be enjoyable, Gilbert continued. This is something they might want to do on a regular basis and get their buddies out here in the future as well.
Though MAG-16 is the first to complete a ride this size at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Gallagher says he hopes other units will follow suit.
“Today was a good turn-out,” he said. “I’m proud to see them here talking it up and having a good time.”
At the end of the day, the nearly 60 Marines had completed a three-hour ride safely and without incident.
“I think everyone is happy and had a good time,” said Gilbert. “We definitely want to see more participation next time and hopefully make this a quarterly thing.”
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2011 18:49 |
| Story ID: | 74032 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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