MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Often enough, friends and families of Marines and sailors say they do not understand their service members, nor do they know what these service members actually do at work.
Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Battalion 15, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, hosted a Jane Wayne Day for their friends and families here, Jan. 27, in order to share their experience as the elite fighting force.
Jane Wayne Day is one of many old Marine Corps traditions, created to allow service members’ friends and families to ‘step on to those yellow footprints’ for a day.
“We want to expose our family members to the jobs and duties of our Marines and sailors in the battalion,” said Lt. Col. John Wiener, battalion commander, CLB-15. “Not to mention it’s a great way to bring everyone together to learn about what we do, to have a chance to get to know each other and build that unit cohesion as we get ready to deploy.”
To show their loved ones what their Marines and sailors could be doing during their upcoming deployment with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the day kicked off at Red Beach, where the crowd watched as an amphibious assault vehicle landed and deployed several tactical vehicles onto shore.
The group then received classes and demonstrations of how each of these vehicles operates and their purposes, as well as some of the equipment service members carried with them.
One in particular that captured the most attention from the group was a static display of a bomb suit and two robots set up by explosive ordnance disposal Marines. Everyone wanted to either control the robots or try on the suit.
“It was so cool, and it wasn’t heavy at all,” said Megan Pioszak, 27, from Royal Oak, Mich. “This is probably the closest experience of being an astronaut that I’ll get in my entire life.”
A day in the field as a Marine wouldn’t be complete without consuming a few Meal, Ready to Eat packages. The group learned to strip down an MRE and prepare its main course for a hot serving.
Once everyone finished with their meal, the group was bused to a nearby range, where they were introduced to a few weapon systems that service members used – such as the M249 squad automatic weapon, M240B machine gun, M4 assault rifle and the M9 pistol.
“I’m looking forward to shooting the SAW,” said Jennifer Laurvick, 22, from Yakima, Wash.
Unfortunately, the SAW wasn’t on the agenda of weapons that friends and families can shoot. However, they were allowed to shoot the M4 assault rifle and the M9 pistol, as well as watching a demonstration of the SAW and the M240B in action.
“Even though I didn’t get to shoot the SAW, it was still really fun,” said Laurvick. “We have an M4 at home so it’s nothing new to me. But it was awesome putting it on burst. I enjoy every part of his service. I know he’s doing it for the right cause and I’m behind him all the way.”
Laurvick added, “I really appreciate everything that was put together for us. I’m glad us spouses get to come out and experience what our Marines and sailors do each and every day.”
Wiener was pleased with the outcome of the event.
“It was a very successful event,” said Wiener, 43, from Cherry Hill, N.J. “The battalion trained long and hard this past few months to prepare for our deployment and they deserved to have some fun. They’ve accomplished all the requirement of the robust pre-deployment training phase. The battalion is well prepared for any challenges that lay ahead.”