TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Marines with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, conducted an Aerial Assault Course during Integrated Training Exercise 1-15 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Nov. 1-2, 2014. The training was done in preparation for an upcoming deployment in the spring of 2015.
The overall goal of the AAC is to incorporate air and artillery assets with infantry units in order to accurately and effectively accomplish the mission.
The Marines started their mission from a friendly post which was set up by Headquarters and Surveillance Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment. Once there, Company L was transported by Marine Aircraft Group 31 air assets to a designated landing zone closer to their objective.
“After landing we had an approximately one click travel movement before assaulting trenches and setting up our defense,” said Cpl. Austin Lee, a team leader with Company L. “Once in the defense, we spend our time prepping for enemy counter-attacks.”
When the assault began, machine gunners fired upon the trenches to suppress the enemy. As the riflemen began their assault, the machine guns shifted fire to other trenches.
“Everyone has a part in the mission,” said 21-year-old Lee, from San Jose, Calif., “Whether you’re the main effort or the supporting effort, you’re playing an important role.”
Because infantrymen are expected to carry heavy loads of gear over long distances, strength and endurance are important assets for them to maintain. Corporal Jeffery Walsh, a section leader for Company L, explained the importance of knowing how to properly pack gear for these long movements.
“During our movement we were carrying mortar rounds, two (mortar) systems, all of our personal gear and five liters of water per man,” said Walsh, a Detroit, Michigan, native. “There is a right way and a wrong way to pack your gear. You don’t want your pack bouncing around, so you have to make sure you pack it tight.”
Corporal Walsh said he believes this was an important learning experience for his junior Marines who have not yet been deployed.
“This is exactly like the start of some deployments,” said Walsh. “You land in the middle of nowhere and you take over an enemy objective and turn it into your home. That’s exactly what we did here.”