MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- All through history, warriors who were brothers in arms faced each other in competitions that tested their strength and abilities.
The Greeks faced off during their well-known Olympic Games. The Scottish warriors contended their skills during their annual Highland Games and Gatherings; and the Medieval knights of Europe would joust and face each other in sword tournaments.
Following the same tradition, Marines and sailors from squadrons who fall under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 12 gathered at the Penny Lake fields here for a field meet, which pitted them against each other in a friendly competition Nov. 10.
MAG-12 Headquarters, the Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 Vikings, the VMFA(AW)-242 Bats, the VMFA(AW)-224 Bengals and the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12 Marauders were all present at the competition.
“It’s a team-building event in celebration of the Marine Corps’ 235th birthday,” said Col. Stephen G. Nitzschke, MAG-12 commanding officer. “It’s an annual event that MAG-12 does to build esprit de corps and camaraderie.”
The squadrons gathered at the Building 1 parade deck here before the sun rose. After warming up and stretching in the cold morning, all five squadrons formed up for a short base run.
Their motivated shouts and cadences echoed through the station’s streets as they jogged behind the scarlet and gold Marine Corps colors.
Vehicles stopped and Marines in the street saluted their flag as the long formation jogged by.
After the short run, the squadrons reached their destination at Penny Lake where the field was set for their competition.
The field meet was comprised of a weapons disassembly and reassembly competition, soccer games, ultimate Frisbee and more.
“(These friendly competitions) help conduct the war mission better,” said Nitzschke. “If you know, trust and appreciate the people you work with, you are going to fight (alongside) them that much better.”
Although the competition between the squadrons was intensely felt, the camaraderie between them was equally apparent as they shouted friendly jeers at each other and laughed together.
“What happened here today was not just the spirit of competition, but Marines sharing their birthday and celebrating it in a motivating fashion,” said Sgt. Maj. Karl Villalino, MAG-12 sergeant major. With all the squadrons being warfighting units, the competition was a great way to enjoy themselves while strengthening their ties to accomplish whatever mission they might be faced with, he added.
The Marines and sailors fiercely faced each other as they raced through casualty relays and fought one another in own-the-bone competitions.
During the own-the-bone competition, two competitors, each representing his unit, would hold onto the handles of a bow shaped iron and try to wrestle it free from his opponent’s hand with one hand secured behind his back.
The overall competition reached its climax with the final event: the tug-of-war. The squadrons yelled wildly in support of their competing members and in derision of their opponents.
Although the Marauders came out victorious in the tug-of-war, it was the VMFA(AW)-242 Bats who took the trophy and honors for the overall competition.
“It was a great time to get to know each other,” said 1st Lt. Harold Hamilton, VMFA(AW)-242 intelligence officer. “I meet Marines, and I know they’ll know my face and I’ll know their face, and we’re that much closer now. It’s a good thing. We’re cemented now.”
Hamilton said it’s very seldom all the squadrons can come together like this because of the high deployment tempo, and he appreciates the opportunity to bond with them.
After the field meet was over, amid all the friendly jeering and laughter, Villalino called the squadrons to silence and one Marine stepped forward to lead them in the Marines’ Hymn.
The members of all five squadrons proudly stood at attention and sang each verse of the hymn as one voice.
After the last line of the hymn was sung, the Marines broke off in cheers and screams of happy birthday before they walked off the field to continue their day.
They walked away with a stronger bond between them and some already looking forward to next year’s competition.