MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay -- At the conclusion of this year's Korean Integrated Training Program, the Marines from Headquarters Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, returned to their warm homes, satisfied with the training gained and the relationships built during the past month spent near the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea.
"We had a great time," said 1st Sgt. Tony Sammartino, Headquarters Co. first sergeant. "The training was top-notch, and the Marines put in everything they had."
During the past four weeks, the Marines of Headquarters Co. established base camps at several field locations, where they had to bring up and maintain communications among all of them throughout the exercise.
"During this exercise, we dealt with some unusual combinations of connections, but we were still able to keep communications running smoothly for most of the exercise, which means we have accomplished our mission," said Cpl. Jayson B. Schemenauer, Public Key Infrastructure chief for Headquarters Co.
While the communications Marines kept things up-and-running at the command centers, other Marines from Headquarters Co. trained with the Republic of Korea Marines during a Mountain Warfare Ropes Course and conducted Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) training together at Rodriguez Range.
"The MOUT training we got was extensive, not just for the Korean Marines who haven't ever done this sort of training before, but for our Marines as well, as we learned a lot from the LAR [Light Armored Reconnaissance] Marines who taught with us," said Cpl. Nathan Royster, embarkations NCO and MOUT instructor for 3rd Marines.
Extensive combat training with foreign military is not always easy, but the Marines of Headquarters Company claim there were times when they would forget they were dealing with people who didn't speak English, because they seemed to understand their body language and a few key words very well.
"I really enjoyed working with the ROK Marines, because they really respect us as U.S. Marines, and they try to emulate everything we do," said Lance Cpl. Joshua Sticklen, intelligence analyst and MOUT instructor for Headquarters Co. "It feels good knowing someone is looking up to you."
Most of the Marines had a chance to visit the Joint Security Area, and the Demilitarized Zone, as they trained in very close proximity to the only land connection between North and South Korea.
"It was a sobering moment," said Sticklen. "I never realized how much they [North Koreans] hate us."
With an average daily low of zero degrees centigrade, South Korea was not only a culture shock, but also a climate shock for the tropically acclimatized Marines of Hawaii.
"I don't miss the weather there one bit," said Sticklen. "When the pilot announced our arrival in Hawaii, everyone on the plane cheered, knowing they wouldn't be shivering when they departed the plane. It's good