Jane Wayne Day Smash Hit With Marine Wives
(November 23, 2010) |
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| | CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER, TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif.
(MCN - 11/17/2010) — Wives of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Marines and sailors got a chance to walk in their husbands' boots Nov. 17, 2010, when they geared up and participated in the unit's Jane Wayne Day aboard the Combat Center and its training areas. |
Wives with 2nd
Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment's Jane Wayne Day
fire off rounds at the Indoor Simulated
Marksmanship Trainer during their trip there
Wednesday. The day is meant to build camaraderie
amongst spouses within the battalion. |
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The spouses rode in amphibious assault
vehicles, wore flak jackets and helmets, ate Meals,
Ready-to-Eat, learned about and fired real weapons, and
experienced many other aspects of their husbands' lives they
may not have known about, said Gunnery Sgt. Shawn Hanson,
the company gunnery sergeant for Company E, 2nd Bn., 7th
Marines. Throughout the course of the day, the women
traveled to Combat Center Ranges 105 and 205A for
demonstrations and force-on-force training.
“Jane Wayne Day is good for [spouses] to see what you do,”
said Hanson, a Memphis, Tenn., native, whose wife, Tracy,
attended. “They get to see how it is and where we disappear
to. It's not some
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magical place over the mountains.” |
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Hanson added any day is a good day when putting rounds down
range with friends.
“It's always fun to shoot weapons,” he said. “The wives get
a chance to build camaraderie that the Marines have when
we're running the ranges.”
Everything during Jane Wayne Day was not a walk in the park.
Some wives found MRE's foul, while others realized the depthof the physical strain of training for military
operations on urban terrain after their
force-on-force exercise at Combat Center Range
205A.
Participants testified to the fact they whole-heartedly
enjoyed the festivities of the day.
“This is my first Jane Wayne Day at Twentynine Palms, and I
loved every bit,” said Laura McKenzie, wife of Capt. Richard
McKenzie, the commanding officer of Co. E. “We got to ride
in an AAV. That was a lot of fun, too.”
McKenzie said she was grateful for the chance to get out and
roll around in the dirt with a few people she might not have
had a chance to meet otherwise.
“It's so nice of Marines to take time to do this for us,”
said the Kalamazoo, Mich., native. “Another great part about
having this set up is we get a chance to meet all the other
wives, too.”
Tiffany Stephens, who is married to Sgt. Patrick Stephens, a
rifleman with Company E, said she was excited she finally
got to enjoy her first, real Jane Wayne Day.
“Today hasn't been as scary as I expected it to be,” said
the Austin, Texas, native. “Last year I was pregnant, and
didn't get to participate in a lot of the stuff. But, now
that I'm out here it's been a lot of fun getting the whole
experience.”
The new friends in the battalion will have another chance to
bond this weekend during the unit's Marine Corps Ball
celebration.
Some of the spouses were concerned the timing of the event
was too close to the ball. However, others felt the marks
left over on their bodies after the day were badges of honor
to show off when the time came. |
Article and photo By USMC LCpl. M. C. Nerl
Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command 29 Palms
Copyright 2010 | |
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
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