MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- The Lava Dogs of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, went on the road again for their second blistering hump in two weeks, this time trumping the 15-mile trek they completed on Nov. 4 with a 17-mile excursion, Nov. 18, around Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.The latest hump was further and faster than the first and was geared to push the Marines to the limit of their physical capabilities as they prepare to embark on their upcoming combat deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.“Humping 17 miles in full combat gear at a forced pace is no joke,” said Cpl. Pete Jarzabek, a 1/3 rifleman and team leader with Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon, 2nd Squad. “I served in Afghanistan previously with 3/3 (3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment), and I can tell you that these training humps are extremely necessary to get ready for the patrols we’re going to be doing in country.”“I know first hand from experience that we’re going to be humping in the mountains of Afghanistan,” added the New Haven, Conn. native. “From what I saw out here today, the Marines of 1/3 are ready. They are in shape and they are motivated.”The latest hump was part of 1/3’s continued sustainment training package, which they have adhered to religiously since returning from their six-week pre-deployment training evolution at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twenynine Palms, Calif.“You can do all the training you want, but if you don’t keep it fresh, then you can lose it,” commented Jarzabek, as he inspected his swollen and sore feet immediately following the hump. “That goes for both the mental and physical aspects of being a Marine infantryman. The more we hurt now, the less we’ll hurt later in combat.”According to Master Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Craig, 1/3 operations chief, the sustainment training the battalion has undergone since returning to Hawaii from California has been vital.“What we learned in California is only as good as how well we sustain it here,” said the Buffalo, N.Y. native. “That’s why were pushing these Marines so hard. If we let it slip here, then we’ll let it slip there (in Afghanistan); 1/3 doesn’t slip.”Capt. Eric Thompson, company commander, Weapons Company, 1/3, spoke in a similar vein regarding the battalion’s sustainment training regime, calling it absolutely critical.“Everyday the Marines are training,” said the San Diego native. “We are not only maintaining our skills, we are improving upon them. From weapons drills, to snipers training at high and low angles, to night driving exercises, 1/3 is focusing on the fundamentals.” According to Sgt. Michael Chambers, a 1/3 rifleman and Charlie Company platoon sergeant for 3rd Platoon, he has yet to see a Marine complain about the heavy sustainment training load that the Lava Dogs are bearing.“A busy Marine is a happy Marine,” commented the Lexington, S.C. native. “You can’t get enough training. You can’t sit there and get lackadaisical and say, ‘Hey, we’re at the peak right now, we know we’re good enough.’ You just can’t say that, because you’re never good enough. There’s always room for improvement. We are PTing (physical training) these guys two hours a day, every day. We’re working on the fundamentals of being a grunt. And, of course, we’re humping.”Chambers, who was recently awarded the Bronze Star with combat “V” for his actions during the battle for Fallujah, said he is proud to be leading his men into combat once again.“These Marines are ready to go get some,” exclaimed Chambers. “They’re ready to go put their name, and their lives, on the line. I’m proud to be serving with them.”Another Fallujah veteran, Sgt. Jared Nielson, a 1/3 rifleman and squad leader for Alpha Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad, and a native of Spring City, Utah, said he was proud of the way the Marines performed on the hump on Friday.“Their feet are hurting; their backs are hurting; their shoulders are hurting — everything that can hurt is hurting right now,” noted Nielson, as he methodically cleaned his weapon immediately following the hump. “But every last one of them sucked it up and pushed through the pain. I’m proud of all my Marines. It motivates me to see them working so hard.”Some Marines commented that they thought the 17-mile hump was easier than the one two weeks ago, even though the hump on Friday was longer and at a faster pace.“The reason it felt easier is not because the actual hump was easier, because it wasn’t,” observed Lance Cpl. Jack Sandel, a 1/3 rifleman and team leader with Alpha Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Squad. “The reason it was easier is because the Lava Dogs are getting stronger, both physically and mentally, every single day,” pointed out the Paonia, Colo. native.Lance Cpl. Jeff Gilbert, from Wilmington, N.C., and Pfc. Dan Breen, from Boston, both 1/3 riflemen with Alpha Company, said they couldn’t agree more.“Yeah, they’re getting easier, but only because we hump so much,” said Gilbert. “We need to be in shape to climb those mountains in Afghanistan, so everybody knows how serious it is to be ready.”“That hump was like a blur,” added Breen. “My mind just went blank. I just put one foot in front of the other. That’s all you can do. We’re all used to it by now. We can all take it. We know what’s at stake.”Perhaps nobody in the battalion knows what’s at stake as well as the man who will be leading the Lava Dogs into battle — 1/3 Commanding Officer Lt. Col. James Bierman.“Sustainment training is important,” said the Virginia Military Institute graduate. “We’re all very focused right now.”