MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171 conducted a Back In The Saddle training brief at the Sakura Theater here Jan. 19 to remind Marines and sailors of daily safety precautions.
After Marines and sailors took their seats in the theater, opening comments were made by Lt. Col. Michael R. Coletta, H&HS commanding officer, and Sgt. Maj. Peter W. Ferral, H&HS sergeant major.
“Hopefully every Marine leaves here asking the right questions,” said Coletta. “What am I doing in work and off-duty? What is the chance something will go wrong and have I taken the proper steps in order to mitigate that risk? If we can get everyone to evaluate what they do on and off duty, then I’d say we succeeded.”
Presenters, aided by power point slides, talked to Marines and sailors about topics concerning the safety of station residents and dangers of going off station.
“Effectively getting this information out is something we strive to do,” said Coletta. “We have to keep putting that message out there for it to sink in. You can’t just talk about this once a year and forget about it. This is something that needs to be brought up in individual shops on a regular basis for personnel rotating in and out of here.”
After learning about traffic safety and vehicle regulations for Japan, Terrence J. Riley, H&HS substance abuse counseling officer, briefed Marines and sailors about the consequences of alcohol abuse.
“If we start out making responsible decisions, that’s going to follow us through our career, but the same can be said for if we start out making irresponsible decisions,” said Riley. “I tried to incorporate everything that could happen to a person because of alcohol abuse.”
While every presenter focused on a certain subject, the common theme was preparing Marines and sailors to be able to think about their own choices.
“As long as I got their attention and they walk away thinking about something they weren’t thinking about before, then I consider that mission accomplished,” said Riley.
The audience applauded after every presenter, and service members were given the chance to participate in presentations.
“These briefs are important for unit cohesion so all the Marines understand the importance of SACO and everything else going on within the station,” said Pfc. Justin Coverdale, Provost Marshal’s Office correction specialist. “Everyone who spoke did exceptionally well today, and I hope all the Marines take home as much as I am.”
The briefs gave both H&HS and MWSS-171 the opportunity to have all their Marines and sailors in one location so recent policy changes and information about the coming year could be shared in an efficient way.