MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The Marines of Combat Logistics Company 36 here are scheduled to participate in Exercise Dragon Fire 2010 at the base of Mount Fuji in mid-July.
Exercise Dragon Fire is a 10-day exercise designed to familiarize Marines with weapon systems, convoy operations, military operations in urban terrain, land navigation and patrolling.
Whether in garrison or combat, it is CLC- 36’s responsibility to ensure III Marine Expeditionary Force units aboard the air station, and other locations as directed by the 3rd Marine Logistics Group commanding general, are provided with sustained combat logistics through intermediate maintenance and supply support.
While they strive to be experts in their field to attain mission accomplishment, their main focus is always combat effectiveness. Due to location, the Marines have difficulty performing training needed to achieve this.
“We don’t get to do (this training) every day, but we do send out a lot of individual augments to Afghanistan. So we want to make sure that the majority of the Marines get familiarized and trained with the weapons,” said Gunnery Sgt. Kent Sabido, CLC-36 operations chief.
Last year’s exercise focused mainly on weapons familiarization. This year, MOUT and convoy operations will be incorporated into the training evolution for the first time.
“If we only focus on everyone just being riflemen then we aren’t doing (the Marines) justice,” said Sabido. “We try to train them as much as we can by giving them familiarization and different scenarios and different ideas of what actually happens in Afghanistan.”
Sabido said they fill several IA billets for Afghanistan each year, and he wants his Marines to have the opportunity to prepare and become confident in their skills.
During the exercise, CLC-36 will also work to improve small-unit leadership and company camaraderie.
“Any field operation usually brings all levels of leadership, all the way down to privates, closer together and able to get to know each other a little bit more because we’re around each other more often,” said Sgt. Curtis L. Krueger, CLC-36 data chief.
Krueger said the exercise is the perfect opportunity for the new commanding officer, Maj. Dustin R. Thorn, to get to know his Marines and what they’re capable of.
The conclusion of the exercise will be a 3,776-meter ascent to the top of Mount Fuji, the highest and most prominent mountain in Japan.
“(The exercise) will be good for (the Marines) because it’ll familiarize them with some of the weapons they don’t use very often that they should know how to use. It’ll just give us a better combat mindset,” said Krueger.
“It’s important for Marines to be ready for combat. That’s our main purpose as Marines. We’re riflemen first.”