HAWTHORNE, Nev. -- Marines from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, “took to the hills” Sept. 17 for a weeklong training exercise that stretched, intermittently, all the way from the densely forested mountains above Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., to the rocky and sparsely vegetated high desert region of Hawthorne, Nev.
Marines from all five 1/3 companies: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Headquarters & Service, and Weapons arrived by helicopter or bus to predesignated drop-off locations, at which point they all experienced a common theme — pain.
“Whether you’re a Marine straight out of SOI (School of Infantry) or a combat tested veteran with years of experience, all Marines know that when you’re in a training environment and you debark off that helo or bus that the first thing your going to experience is a punishing hump (forced march),” said Sgt. Damian Haug, platoon sergeant, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1/3, and a native of Fargo, N.D.
Indeed, Haug’s words seemed to fit Charlie Company’s situation like a prophecy, as their commanding officer, Capt. Jared Spurlock of Pocatello, Idaho; and company gunnery sergeant, Gunnery Sgt. Paul Davis, of Laurens, S.C.; both Iraq veterans, led the Marines on a blistering pace with full gear and weapons that one Marine — Lance Cpl. Brandon Denzmarrs of Makena, Hawaii on the island of Maui, described only half-jokingly as a “death march.”
“That was the hardest humps I’ve ever been on in my life,” said Denzmarrs, a 1/3 assaultman. “Our packs were heavy, the high altitude made it hard to breath, the trail was both dusty and rocky, we were going uphill the entire time, and we never stopped until we got to our destination. They said it was only three miles, but until the day I die, I will never believe that. The mountains can play tricks on your mind — I guess.”
Which is exactly the reason, according to Spurlock, that 1/3 chose the harsh mountainous environments of Bridgeport and Hawthorne to train Marines for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
“These Marines are out here training hard, earning their paychecks,” said Spurlock. “Afghanistan is not a golf course. The hills are steep, the weather is cold, the terrain is rugged, and the air is thin where we are headed. The training may be hard as we gear up for deployment, but it is necessary. We are getting our Marines exposed to these conditions so that they can get their minds mentally prepared and their bodies physically prepared for the rigors they will face in mountain combat. We, as leaders, are setting up 1/3’s Marines for success.”
Many of 1/3’s Marines, approximately 40 percent of the battalion, have served on the front lines of Fallujah and throughout Iraq, while others are deploying to Afghanistan for their second and third tours. Still, for Charlie Company, the vast number of their Marines, roughly 80 percent, joined the company straight out of SOI.
“No matter how outstanding and realistic the training, and this is some of the best and hardest I’ve seen in over twenty years in the Marine Corps, there is still only so much you can learn from books and training evolutions,” said 1st Sgt. Gerard Calvin, first sergeant, Charlie Company, 1/3, and a native of Richmond, Va., who already has two combat tours to Afghanistan under his belt. “Combat vets, regardless of rank, are invaluable as leaders when passing on their knowledge to the other Marines who haven’t seen action yet. Like I always tell the Marines, it’s not about you, it’s about the Marine to the left and right of you.”
Those words of wisdom resonate especially strong with Lance Cpl. Justin Snyder, a 1/3 fire-team leader with 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company. Snyder was a squad automatic weapon operator with 1/3 when the Marines first stormed Fallujah, in what has become, arguably, the most famous Marine Corps battle since Hue City during the Vietnam War. During the intense fighting, shrapnel, most likely from a hand grenade, tore into Snyder’s legs. It was days before the Las Vegas native told anyone of his wounds for fear of being taken off the frontlines. He was later awarded the Purple Heart.
“Vets from Fallujah, other parts of Iraq, and also Afghanistan, take what we learned, both good and bad, and pass it on to the guys,” said Snyder. “There is a lot to live up to being a Fallujah vet. We lost a lot of good Marines over there. I’m a reference point now, and it’s my responsibility to teach these guys what I know. But as much as these new Marines out of SOI are learning here, I’m learning too. This training, other than actual combat, is as good as it gets.”
During their weeklong field operation in the mountains, which officially ended late last night at 11:59 p.m., constant training in a variety of courses were conducted, including lane training, which involves steep earth and high-altitude movements, cliff assault climbing, rappelling, gorge and river crossings and knot-tying techniques. Also on tap during the evolution on a continuous basis were patrolling exercises, tactics, security, defensive and offensive maneuvers, communications, resupply techniques and terrain land navigation.
“Spending this week in the mountains conducting field ops is helping us gel as a platoon, a company, and a battalion,” said 1st Lt. Kevin Frost, platoon commander, 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1/3, and a native of Zeeland, Mich., who, like many of those in 1/3, has previously served a combat tour in Iraq. “In the very short term, it is preparing us for the FEX (Battalion Field Exercise), but more importantly, it is giving the Marines an appreciation for the mountainous terrain and conditions that we will be facing in Afghanistan.”
According to Snyder, even more vital than the skills and knowledge of mountain warfare that the Marines are learning here, are the tight bonds and friendships the Marines are forming with one another.
“You’ve got to have that strong bond and deep feeling of trust in the guy next to you,” said Snyder. “He holds your life in his hands just as much as you do his, so you gotta be tight. Camaraderie and a SAW are the two most important things in close combat as far as I’m concerned, from the perspective of a ‘grunt’ on the ground taking rounds.”
With one minute of sleep on the schedule, the Marines began their FEX evolution “this morning” at midnight, a culminating event involving the entire battalion where Marines put together everything they have learned in the mountains since arriving at the MCMWTC in Bridgeport on Sept. 13. The FEX is scheduled to last four days, after which the Marines of 1/3 will be able to rest their heads on a warm rack instead of the cold ground, before spending a day cleaning gear and getting ready to depart, Wednesday, for more time in the field during a Combined Arms Exercise at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
According to Pfc. Benjamin Rodgers, a machine gunner with Weapons Company and a native of Avon Lake, Ohio, (and at 27 considered affectionately by the Marines in his platoon as the “old man”), the Marines of 1/3, despite the youthful make up of the battalion in terms of age, are a special breed.
“These Marines from 1/3 are not shying away from anything,” said Rodgers. “You figure most 18 to 19-year olds are kids, but these Marines are grown men, out here working their butts off and doing the things men do.”