Marine Corps Base Hawaii -- Marines with third platoon, Bravo Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, based out of Okinawa, Japan, participated in submarine operations and amphibious reconnaissance training Jan. 31, 2015 in the Kaneohe Bay area near Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
The purpose of the training was to prepare and rehearse submarine insertion techniques for the sub commander’s course, a naval course meant to teach commanders and executive officers how to command submarines.
Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Dare, the operations chief for third platoon, Bravo Co., 3rd Recon. Bn., said the objective of the training was to successfully insert three reconnaissance teams from a submarine, any distance from a shoreline, into enemy territory and to be able to recover those teams.
“It gives recon teams another method of insertion that’s clandestine and provides more options to get a team into enemy territory,” Dare said. “This training and the preparation is extreme, to say the least. There are so many different entities you have to call and gain relationships with. You have to ask for things from people you don’t know. It takes a lot of time, frequent calls and a lot of patience.”
Sgt. Raphael De Hoyos, the assistant team leader with third plt., Bravo Co., 3rd Recon. Bn., said the training was also meant to train the newer members of the platoon.
“We knew that the new guys needed to learn some new things,” De Hoyos said. “While we were taught things in our basic course, we had to show them how we operate. We knew they were going to be a little hesitant, maybe even a little scared, at first, but our expectations were to make them better and more confident in the water, and more confident operating the boats we were in.”
De Hoyos said his expectations have definitely been met so far and the Marines were coming together as a unit. He also said that while the Marines were successful, there would always be room for improvement.
“We want to make sure that, through us and through this training, that the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion would be able to come back out here,” De Hoyos said. “We wanted to be more efficient so future Marines can learn from our mistakes. That way, they (could) build up from there and continue with better training.”
Dare said the Marines function well as a whole and he hopes they continue to develop their relationships.
“They haven’t had a lot of time together as a platoon, and, to be perfectly honest, it’s kind of amazing how well they’ve all gotten along and how well they work together,” Dare said. “You can’t ask for more than just liking the people you work with, it makes your job a whole lot better.”
Dare said the Marines are expected to work together to develop standard operating procedures for submarine operations.
“Since we’ve been at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, these types of skills have been put by the wayside — they haven’t been necessary for the last decade or so,” Dare said. “We’re trying to rebuild and develop those skills and understand them better. The Marines are able to work through the pressure, but that’s part of their training. Their training is meant to put them into stressful situations to see how they do when that happens. You actually want to make it as stressful as possible (now). So when the time comes and they actually have to do this in combat, it’s not a problem for them, it’s just everyday work.”
Dare said all of the Marines rise to the occasion and are excited about all the training they have been doing, Dare said. He also said he’d like to strengthen their mindset so, when the time comes for them to go to combat, they’ll be ready.
“It’s (my) job to make sure they understand what is expected of them,” Dare said. “They need to understand there’s no such thing as enough — they could never be too good at their job. The bottom line is, somebody’s life could be resting upon whether or not you are good at that skill. The minute you think you’re good enough, you should probably stop doing this job.”