Marines offload, train in Chilean desert
CIFUNCHO, Chile (June 9, 2007) -- Almost three weeks into their deployment, the Marines of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force 24 are still discovering just how surprising, yet familiar, Chile’s landscape and climate can be.
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June 9, 2007; Submitted on: 06/08/2007 02:15:51 PM ; Story ID#: 200768141551
By Maj. Dan Huvane, Marine Forces Reserve
Comprised of elements of 24th Marine Regiment and attached augments from the Reserve Component, SPMAGTF 24 concluded training exercises this week with Detachment Miller of Chile’s Infanteria de Marina, or Marine Corps, in the rugged desert of the country’s northern region. Unlike the previous week’s training – spent on bases in the more populous region of central Chile – the live-fire exercises conducted here closely resembled training in the Corps’ own desert ranges in Twentynine Palms, Calif., except that here the Pacific Ocean is just a few miles away.
One crucial training evolution was the amphibious offload at Cifuncho, as Marines and their vehicles, packed with gear needed for the entire training cycle, landed on the beach by Landing Craft Unit from the decks of the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52). Once each serial was assembled and accounted for, it was led into the red mountains in order to set up the regiment’s Combat Operations Center and begin training in a tactical environment.
“From our standpoint, it went very well,” said Gunnery Sgt. Aaron R. Vasquez of Belton, Mo., Logistics Chief for SPMAGTF 24. “Especially considering most of these guys have never been on a ship before. The time dispersion of the serials hampered the overall setup, but then the Marines stepped up and accomplished the mission.”
The grunts of SPMAGTF 24 took advantage of Cifuncho’s vast expanses with live-fire exercises, conducting squad and platoon attacks in the barren desert. Comprised of Marines from F Company of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, and Security Detachment, Headquarters Company, 24th Marine Regiment, the ground combat element made the most of their training time as a cohesive unit.
“I thought it was one of the best squad rush live-fire trainings I ever took part in, especially considering how we were put together” said Lance Cpl. Marcus A. Ruiz of Milwaukee, Wis., a rifleman with F Co., 2/24.
“We got a lot of leadership experience out of it,” said Lance Cpl. Cal Servi of Racine, Wis., also of 2/24. “Any time you’re five feet away from your buddy and your life is in his hands, it’s good to know things go as well as they did here, and that the communication is there.”
The Marines incorporated Chilean Marines into the training, instructing and supervising their counterparts on crew-served weapons, the .50-caliber M2 machine gun and the Mk-19 grenade launcher. This allowed some trigger-pullers who don’t usually work closely with infantry assault tactics on a hot range to gain such experience.
“It’s good to train with a line company, and getting the chance to work heavy guns in with a squad attack is neat” said Lance Cpl. Chris Davenport of Topeka, Kan., a tow gunner by specialty with HQ Co., 24th Marines. “Being on heavy guns, knowing you’re operating something that can destroy a lot, it’s a neat feeling knowing (the infantrymen) trust you enough when their lives are in your hands.”
In addition to fire and movement, the Marines and sailors fostered a stronger bond with Chile’s Corps through professional exchanges. Navy Capt. Matthew Gratton, 24th Marine Regiment Surgeon, spoke at the Chilean field hospital about his experiences directing a trauma unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Gratton is the EMS Medical Director for Kansas City, Mo., and currently also Interim Chairman of the Emergency Department at Truman Medical Center there. Col. Michael Fogel, Staff Judge Advocate for 24th Marines, attended Gratton’s lecture and was impressed.
“The Chileans were very interested in it,” said Fogel, a Staff Attorney at the Jackson County Family Court. “Capt. Gratton went through a lot of the new procedures that he used in Iraq when dealing with casualties, and others that are brand new since he returned. He was able to apply a lot of his civilian trauma experience to deal with the variety of casualties experienced over there. The Chileans had a keen interest in that, with their ongoing peacekeeping obligations in Haiti.”
It is the first time that the 24th Marine Regiment has deployed as a regimental headquarters outside the United States since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and their performance on this exercise will play a large role in determining the unit’s operational readiness for future missions. The Marines are operating as the landing force for Partnership of the Americas 2007, an annual exercise conducted in South America in support of regional security and cooperation among nations of the Western Hemisphere.