CENTRAL TRAINING AREA, Okinawa - Marines with the 9th Engineer Support Battalion occupied Landing Zone Dodo here along with several other sites in the Central Training Area from July 7 -17 to execute a series of training exercises.
The training was designed to prepare the Marines for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan later this year.
“As we get heavy into our pre-deployment training, getting ready to deploy into Afghanistan, we need to exercise all of our mission-essential tasks,” said Lt. Col. Scott A. Baldwin, commanding officer, 9th ESB, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “We are able to exercise about 90 percent of our mission-essential tasks in one shot here, so it is a great opportunity.”
The Marines set up camp at LZ Dodo, using it as a base of operations from which they executed their training, according to Baldwin. The Marines maintained a combat mindset and established base security at a series of entry-control points and maintained security on all convoys and patrols outside of the base.
“Coming out here and sleeping in tents, living with weapons and being in the gun trucks with the crew-served weapons really focuses on getting the Marines into that combat mindset as we go forward,” said 1st Lt. Robert J. Jankowski, assistant operations officer, 9th ESB.
The Marines took the opportunity to work on operating together as they would on a deployment.
“A lot of what this is doing is building the teamwork between the individual sections,” said Baldwin. “It was the first time for me to be able to assess a lot of the Marines together, and I couldn’t be more proud of how they have been doing.”
Cross training was considered an important part of developing teamwork, and was on full display when several different military occupational specialty fields practiced recovering an overturned 7-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement.
“A convoy is going to go out with multiple different units,” said Chief Warrant Officer Joshua R. Ashworth, motor transport maintenance officer, 9th ESB. “We are going to have engineers, we are going to have utilities, we are going to have security, and it’s imperative that they all know the basics of how to do this so they can support each other.”
Experienced wrecker operators worked with the younger Marines to pass along the skill set.
“We are going through scenarios to teach the other operators about how to recover a vehicle,” said Lance Cpl. Kevin H. Freeman, wrecker operator, 9th ESB. “I think that sharing this experience will definitely help the Marines out in case of a rollover or a hasty tow.”
During the training exercise, 9th ESB worked to be self-sustaining, purifying their own water for hygiene and drinking, as well as operating a fuel-supply point and providing base and convoy security, according to Jankowski.
The Marines not only improved their unit readiness but left the central training improved, having worked on constructing new structures and repairing established structures as part of their training.
“First platoon is focused on constructing (Southwest Asia) huts. This hut is something that is used a lot in (combat) and is designed for the Marines to live in, especially in outposts,” said 1st Lt. Andrew L. Fassett, platoon commander, Alpha Company, 9th ESB. “Once we (leave) this site any unit can check in and use these SWA huts for training.”
The varied training provided a good starting point for the Marines as they work up to their coming deployment to Afghanistan.
“I could not be happier with the training that has gone on out here,” said Baldwin.
| Date Taken: |
07.22.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
07.21.2011 19:48 |
| Story ID: |
74097 |
| Location: |
CENTRAL TRAINING AREA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: |
135 |
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0 |
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This work, Engineer Marines prepare to deploy, by Cpl Mark Stroud, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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