COMBINED ARMS TRAINING CENTER CAMP FUJI, Japan -- Marines and sailors assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni have very few chances to sharpen their weapon-handing skills and field training.
That was the main inspiration Gunnery Sgt. Rafael Miranda, Combat Logistics Company 36 training operations chief, had when scheduling the unit for a visit here for its annual exercise, Dragon Fire 2009.
Starting July 6, 68 Marines and sailors participated in a number of exercises at the base of Japan’s 12,388-foot active volcano, Mount Fuji, including “Table 2” field fire, crew-served weapons training, land navigation, night firing and a final training evolution to mountain’s summit.
“For some of the Marines, this was probably the only opportunity they had to go out and do movement-to-contact drills instead of just firing down a range for score,” said Miranda. “A lot of the weapons in our armory aren’t authorized for use in Iwakuni. Camp Fuji is the perfect place to go out there and get that training in. I mean, how often do you get to shoot a (.50 caliber machine gun)?”
The unit typically heads to the training ground with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171. This year, they went alone.
While there, the unit focused on building small-unit-leadership skills while enhancing weapons handling. Miranda said these are some of the unit’s most important missions.
“We had a lot of challenges while we were there, some things out of our control like the bad weather,” said Miranda. “We also had different shops getting together for the first time, so everyone had to get used to each other. That’s where small-unit leadership comes in.”
Although in Iwakuni the unit members reside in their respective sections, they combined for training purposes throughout their stay here.
Thus, new acquaintances were made between junior and senior leadership. Sgt. Christopher Repreza, a platoon sergeant during the exercise, said this tested his skills as a noncommissioned officer as he was tasked with becoming quickly familiar and comfortable with an entirely new set of Marines and sailors.
“It benefits us a lot to work with Marines outside our (military occupational specialty),” he said. “As an NCO, you’re expected to know your Marines. That is, know what their strengths and weaknesses are, know their personalities and know what type of leadership style they respond best to. When we’re all out there in the field and someone says, ‘here, you’re in charge of these Marines,’ you have to know what to do. In the beginning, everybody was just trying to get used to each other and it was difficult. We realized we had to learn to endure the training and endure each other. But toward the end, some Marines who hadn’t met before the exercise were already talking about getting together back in Iwakuni to practice these same skills in their downtime. The training was more of a good challenge than a hardship.”
This 15-day exercise came to a close July 21.