Recon Marines, Special Forces soldiers team up for parachute ops

Photo By Spc. Leigh Campbell | Marines jump from a KC-130 Hercules aircraft above Camp Schwab during Tactical Water Insertion Jumps.  

02.13.2007

Story by Lance Cpl. Corey Blodgett 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By Lance Cpl. Corey A. Blodgett
III MEF CPAO

CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, Japan — Reconnaissance Marines and Special Forces Soldiers teamed up Feb. 13, 1,000 feet above Camp Schwab to sharpen some of the high-flying skills common to their missions.

Marines from 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, and Soldiers from the Army's 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, rehearsed Tactical Water Insertion Jumps during the event, which in this case involved landing in the water to link up with waiting boats.

During the training, a KC-130 Hercules aircraft carrying the Marines and soldiers made several passes over the Oura Wan Beach Drop Zone as three-man teams executed static-line jumps on each pass.

The Special Forces Soldiers contacted 3rd Reconnaissance Bn. requesting amphibious support for the jump in exchange for jump slots, explained Gunnery Sgt. Tim A. Parkhurst, the 3rd Reconnaissance Bn. paraloft chief.

"They needed boat support for the drop zone," Parkhurst said. "We're right there at Camp Schwab with our dive and boat locker. So we provided boats for the (drop zone) crew, and they gave us some seats on the plane."

While most other units would rely on "in-house" support from Marine Corps units, Parkhurst said he often doesn't have that help when it comes to jumping.

"We (take advantage of) that unique opportunity to work with the other services," he said.

The Marines often perform jumps with aviation support from the Air Force's 31st and 33rd Rescue Squadrons, Parkhurst said. But working with the soldiers from 1st SFG is different because their duty as a ground combat force is something the units have in common.

"Sometimes it's quite a bit different between a Marine and a Soldier," Parkhurst said. "But we all went to the same schools and we have the same mission, so there is a distinctive mutuality."

• Date Taken: 02.13.2007
• Date Posted: 03.02.2007 10:29
• Story ID: 9298