MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- Marines in the Advanced Infantryman’s Course battled fatigue from hauling tires and overcoming obstacles in their final class competition held Dec. 1, 2014 at Landing Zone 216.
The competition was held just before they graduated Dec. 2 and tested their skills working together as a team. The class of 21 Marines, including infantrymen from California, was the final group to complete the six-week course for this year.
“In the course you learn about patrolling, defensive and offensive maneuvers,” said Staff Sgt. Garrett Sanders, AIC chief instructor, School of Infantry West — Detachment Hawaii. “We talk about and work with machine guns, employing call for fire and more.”
For the final competition, the class split into two squads. Each squad chose one person to flip a heavy tire while the rest of the group performed stationary exercises. The group needed to continue the exercises until their chosen Marine moved the tire to the other side of the field.
The squads also ran in formation between the stationary exercises, sprinting around several buildings near the competition field. During the final leg of the contest, a fire team of Marines had to complete several crunches and box jumps on top of stacked tires. The team of four had to be the first to finish a circuit of exercises, including pistol-belt carries and drags, in order to win.
“The tire jumps and doing the (firefighter’s) carry at the end were the hardest part of the competition,” said Cpl. Willie Stevens, of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, which is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.
“We had to do those, in addition to a water jug carry and tire carry, so it was pretty exhausting.”
The Marines shouted their support for their teammates and growled as they physically exerted themselves for each task. By the end of the competition, the AIC class members were dripping in sweat and stopped only to get a quick drink of water.
“This class in particular had unusually high amount of good work ethic as a team,” said Sgt. Jason Carbone, AIC instructor, SOI West — Det. Hawaii. “Even as things became more difficult, (they did well). Their task organization was unbelievably good, and they were always seeking more knowledge at every opportunity.”
Both Carbone and Sanders said the graduating class did better than average for most AIC classes. The two said the class’s overall knowledge for their jobs was high from the very beginning.
“We do have to drop people when we run the course, sometimes two to five per class,” Sanders said. “But in this course we had the fewest drops we’ve had all year.”
The group trained in several spaces including Kahuku Training Area and Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility. The visiting Marines also delved into exploring Oahu firsthand by touring several of the Pearl Harbor historic sites.
Although the AIC instructors covered a wide range of topics, the course’s main goal is to train better squad leaders who can help build up the skills of their home units.
“Everything they learn here is based on knowledge they should have some basics in prior to taking the course,” said Staff Sgt. David Reigelsperger, the AIC staff noncommissioned officer in charge, SOI West — Det. Hawaii. “This course takes what they know to the next level, and we’re refining that knowledge.”
The course starts taking on new Marines ready to lead when it re-opens January 2015.