MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Another quiet night descends on Iwakuni. A station Provost Marshal’s Office vehicle slowly patrols the streets of family housing. Station residents sleep peacefully in their beds and children, heavy eyed and yawning, cuddle up next to their parents as the PMO vehicle passes by their window.
Without warning, the sound of gunshots ring out through the streets breaking the silence of the night. Startled and confused, the military police officer wildly looks around and sees a window light up with gunfire as two more shots ring out within a house a few yards down. The screams of a hysterical woman fill the house as the military police officer races over.
The situation: a man walks in on his wife cheating on him. He shoots the lover dead and holds his wife hostage in the master bedroom. The military police officer calls for backup and is told to wait for the station’s Special Reaction Team to come on scene.
The SRT is assembled and reaches the site within minutes. After being briefed on the situation, they consider their options and agree on a plan of action. The house stands in front of them surrounded by an eerie silence.
They approach their objective with caution. Within seconds, the team kicks the door down and pours in through the front door. In moments, the team clears the house and approach the master bedroom.
The husband yells and curses the team and threatens to kill his sobbing wife. Exhausting all options, two SRT members glide into the room and are shot dead by the husband. A third member follows behind his fallen comrades, takes aim and kills the shooter.
These are the type of scenarios the station’s SRT covered during a training session at Building 906 here Feb. 10.
Approximately six SRT members participated in the training that covered procedures in room clearing and suspect handling.
“This training is beneficial to the team because this is most likely what they are going to have to do when a situation falls on them,” said Staff. Sgt. Bryce Good, the SRT commander. “They are going to have to move together as a unit. They are going to have to learn each other’s mannerisms. They are going to have to flow as one.”
SRT is a specialized element within military law enforcement called on to respond to any high risk situations aboard a military base or compound. The team’s equivalent is the civilian police department’s special weapons and tactics team, or SWAT team.
All SRT members are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. SRT members are all PMO Marines. SRT members are required to have a minimum sharpshooter pistol qualification and an expert rifle qualification. Members are also required to have a first class score in both the physical fitness test and combat fitness test.
“They all went through a vigorous process to be on this team,” said Good. “They all wanted it. I hand selected all of them. They’re motivated and they want to be here, and because of that, it’s probably the best team I’ve ever worked with.”
The team ran through a variety of scenarios during the day’s training that covered situations in which team members were shot down or unexpected changes in intelligence happened. The team members were expected to respond smoothly with minimal casualties.
“This training is really good for all the guys to train together and get a feel of working together,” said Lance Cpl. Michael Gallo, a point man for the SRT. “You can (sit) in classes all you want learning about how to clear rooms, but when you actually get out here and do it, you really get a good sense of all that comes with a mission.”
The SRT members are new and are just starting to work together.
Gallo said the hardest part of the day’s training was learning each other’s mannerisms and meshing together as a team. He added, once that was done, he felt everything ran smoothly. Every member of the team found something challenging to overcome during the training.
“It’s challenging to maintain all your adrenalin levels,” said Cpl. Jairo Javier, assistant SRT leader. “As soon as you jump in, you have a million things running through your mind at the same time, so it’s easy to forget all the things that you’ve been told. That’s why this training is so important, because it becomes muscle memory, and you don’t have to think about it. It just comes to you instantly.”
Javier said he believes it’s important the station has an SRT available to tackle any high risk threat that could arise.
As another quiet night falls on station residents, many can sleep peacefully knowing the station’s SRT is on call to provide them with a blanket of security. The station’s 911 force for the nation’s 911 force in readiness.