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The whine of helicopter rotors pierce the air. The blades on two
CH-53E “Super Stallion” helicopters pick up speed as they circle and
prepare to touch down on the empty field; a small Landing Zone (LZ)
marked by an orange rectangle. Rotor-wash sends dust and leaves
flying towards onlookers gathered near a chain-link fence. Within
seconds, armed Marines rush down the exit ramp and squad leaders
yell orders to rapidly set up a security perimeter.
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October 14, 2016 - Two UH-1Y helicopters with Marine Aviation
Weapons and Tactics Squadron One land to offload personnel to render
aid and provide disaster relief to displaced civilians,
role-players, at Kiwanis Park in Yuma, Ariz. during a Humanitarian
Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) Exercise, part of the Weapons and
Tactics Instructor Course 1-17. The training exercise enabled
ground, aviation and support Marines and sailors to work as a team
to practice deploying medical personnel, supplies, and extract
personnel and people displaced from their communities. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Oliver Cachola)
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The sound of chaos erupts from the heart of Yuma at Kiwanis Park.
But, this is not a combat operation. Complete with medical
equipment, role-players and simulated casualties, students of
Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 1-17, hosted by Marine
Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), converge to
test their skills in a Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief
(HA/DR) exercise October 14, 2016.
Fifteen minutes earlier,
these Marines were gearing up on the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma,
Arizona, flight line. Donning heavy tactical vests, helmets,
backpacks and rifles in the Sonoran heat, they quickly file into the
helicopters. The droning of steel slicing the air drowns out all
sound as they lift off the ground and speed away towards the park.
With the support of the City of Yuma, the biannual HA/DR is a
unique exercise that evaluates the student's ability to enforce
security and render aid to displaced civilians in an area impacted
by conflict and natural disasters. The wild card is, like in
real-world operations, the students don't know what to expect in a
constantly changing environment.
“I was thinking it wouldn't
look like this,” said Pfc. Samuel Carter, an automatic rifleman with
Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based out of Marine
Corps Base Hawaii. “I figured it would be a small town, not an open
field.”
Presented with very little cover and concealment, the
Marines of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and Marines of 3rd Low
Altitude Air Defense Battalion, based out of Marine Corps Base Camp
Pendleton, California, reinforce the Entry Control Point (ECP), a
single gate joining a chain-link fence, against a small mob of
role-players acting as angry protestors. The Marines must gauge
their reactions carefully under the watchful eyes of the evaluators
roaming the area between the gate and the LZ.
Throughout the
exercise, students are graded on how they handle physical security,
force resupply, extraction, on-site medical care, the role-players
and food distribution within a civilian setting.
“This
really tests my Marines' ability to process the shoot-no-shoot
scenarios,” said Capt. Marcus Carlstrom, the company commander of
Fox Company. “It's easy to train guys to shoot when you're doing
offensive or dynamic operations, but when you're in a scenario where
there's local civilians, women and children, non-combatants in the
area … It really tests that Marine's decision-making process.”
Through the myriad of tasks and coordination, one thing is
constant: the mob at the ECP is getting louder, larger and more
intense.
Within 20 minutes, two protesters have already been
subdued and detained for jumping the fence and trying to steal a
“supply drop” of water by diverting the attention of the guards in
different directions. Moments later, a dozen protestors suddenly
push through the perimeter, linking arms to brace against the
aggressive Marine security detail.
As the protestors attempt
to advance, chaos erupts: fists, limbs, gear, guns and reflective
belts tumble in a giant cloud of dust; a desperate melee to prevent
the role-players from crossing the berm. Amid the anarchy, the
Marines maintain control, and one-by-one the protestors are detained
or flee.
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October 14, 2016 - Marines with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment,
based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, subdue role-players at
Kiwanis Park in Yuma, Ariz., during a Humanitarian
Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) Exercise hosted by Marine
Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One Weapons during the Weapons
and Tactics Instructor Course 1-17 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Oliver Cachola)
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All is quiet by the time darkness falls. The Marines are
exhausted, the gate is vacant of dissenters and it appears
the students finally have a moment of peace.
The
stillness is short-lived as a horde of role-players, acting
as civilians with minor to serious injuries, violently crash
against the ECP. All available Marines and sailors suddenly
find themselves handling a mass-casualty situation. The
medical tent is filled in minutes with the most grievous
wounds.
Sentries bark for the rest of
the role-players to stay back, as the Corpsmen prepare to
medically evacuate those they can save. The Marines and
sailors guide able-bodied casualties towards the dark
tree-line, and place them into small groups.
A CH-53E
looms overhead. All available hands deftly grab the
casualties on stretchers. They shuffle, in two groups of
ten, across the dark field towards the exit ramp of the
waiting helicopters. With haste, the Marines secure the
injured inside of the dimly lit cargo bay.
In the
blink of an eye, the aircraft disappears into the night sky.
Altogether, WTI students and instructors completed
various tasks and exercises as part of certification and
preparation for real-world incidents that they may encounter
throughout their career. In turn, WTI graduates will return
to their units and teach what they have learned during the
seven-week course. This ensures that the Marines are
prepared for contingencies in any clime or place.
By U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christian Oliver Cachola
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
The U.S. Marines
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