MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Twenty-six Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 returned to the Station, July 29, after building a road in Camp Kawakami, Japan.
Engineers, heavy equipment operators and motor transport operators came together to level out the nearly half a mile long gravel road and perform other road-construction projects for the U.S. Army ammunition depot over the course of 13 days.
"We had three missions up there," said Staff Sgt. Stephen E. Graham, MWSS-171 construction platoon foreman. "We cleared a fence line of brush and trees to increase the camp's force protection. There was also a drainage ditch approximately two hundred meters long that had to be cleared out with a (Small Emplacement Excavator) tractor. Then we built the gravel road that went around a different area of the fence line."
Graham said the Marines employed dozers, SEE tractors, graters and dump trucks during the project, accomplishing all three missions in less than the projected time.
"The Marines don't get to do stuff like this that often," said Sgt. Antonio Green, MWSS-171 HE operations chief. Green was responsible for keeping the equipment operational and ensuring the Marines had assignments throughout the project.
"It was a great opportunity to get them out there and gain the experience," he said. "All the Marines were licensed on a new piece of equipment while they were there."
2nd Lt. Julie K. Ervin, MWSS-171 Heavy Equipment officer in charge, expressed her enthusiasm at the invaluable training opportunity the project afforded the Marines.
"The Marines really got out there and were able to do some training with the heavy equipment," Ervin said. "I thought that my (non commissioned officers) and staff NCO's did a great job leading Marines and getting them the experience on the equipment. It was great to see small unit leadership."
Graham said he hopes the experience will also be a catalyst for future training.
"One of the important things about this mission is that it opens up communication between us and Camp Kawakami," he said. "We came together and did them this favor. In the future, we would like to go up there again and do field training in the kind of wooded, jungle environment that they can't get here in Iwakuni."
Lance Cpl. Justin S. Basset, HE operator, said he's looking forward to future training.
"I'd like to get a chance to beautify the area a little more," he said. "It was great training. There was a lot of mud out there whipping me around in the dozer. We don't get a chance to do a lot of dirt work that often."