HARAMURE,Japan -- Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, stationed out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, kicked off exercise Kamashika Wrath at Haramura, Japan, Sept. 30, 2017.
The exercise allows Marines to test mission performance and meet training requirements by placing them in real-world scenarios.
“We are the first line of defense for air-base protection,” said U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Trelaine Buffaloe, a water support technician assigned to MWSS-171 and the utilities maintenance chief for Kamashika Wrath. “This is to help with our air-ground defense and air-ground support. We support all aircraft that come in for refueling. We provide utility and combat engineer support, and we build structures that may be needed. We need to stay ready and be able to fight tonight.”
Marines will participate in an indoor range, take part in chemical biological radiological nuclear defense drills and conduct convoy operations.
The exercise will help Marines become more prepared for the unexpected by keeping them on their toes and ready to respond to real-world situations.
“Kamashika Wrath is a lot about the ‘fight-tonight’ perspective we’re supposed to have as 171,” said U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Bradley Surovik, a data network operator with MWSS-171. “In order to be able to fight tonight, everyone has to be a part of the bigger thing that needs to come into place and work as one unit.”
Surovik also said that he hopes to utilize refresher training to further hone his skills and that of his Marines.
Going through training such as this helps the squadron build camaraderie and unit cohesion by working as a team for a common goal.
“Exercises like this are pretty revealing because adversity shows a man’s true colors,” said Buffaloe. “As a unit we want to work well with each other. We’re a band of brothers. We need to have that control and maturity to conduct tasks given to us, and in order for us to do that we need to practice how we play.”