POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, ISLAND OF HAWAII, Hawaii -- Combat Service Support Group 3's Engineer Company went through a plethora of Human Aid Disaster Relief (HADR) scenarios as training continued during the Hawaii Combined Arms Exercise here Feb. 3 on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Marines and Corpsmen were forced to deal with situations that involved people in need of medical care and food, along with "attackers" that were thrown into the mixture.
Gunnery Sgt. Michael Bowen, a combat engineer with Engineer Co., said that it was the first time these Marines had actually performed an HADR operation.
"This is allowing the Marines to get a feel for something that they have a good chance of dealing with in real-life situations," said Bowen. "It will always be different when it really happens, but now at least they can practice properly for the real thing."
Bowen played the part of a refugee during the training. He said he believed his Marines displayed good control and situational awareness, and they enjoyed the valuable learning experience.
"My intentions were to train these Marines to have the ability to do their own job, but be able to perform others as well," said 1st Lt. Gary Humphries, commander of Engineer Co., who was also out in the field during the HADR. "The Marines are learning what it's like to help out in bad situations, and to be able to make the decisions needed for the benefit of everyone."
During the HADR, Marines disguised as civilians approached the camp, either begging for food or medical attention. Most cooperated, but a select few became violent. When that situation occurred, the Marines brought the aggressors to the ground, then removed them to a detained area.
Military police were also on hand to display proper maneuvers for stopping aggressors.
The Marines of Engineer Co. will continue these HADR training scenarios throughout the HCAX to improve their performance.