BRIDGEPORT, calif. -- U.S. Marines with Echo Company, 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division will conduct ground reconnaissance support and mountaineering aboard Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., from 22 July to 30 July, 2020.
Upon arrival, the Marines of 4th Recon are introduced to pre-environmental training which includes mountain health, weather and leadership challenges. Marines will also receive classes on coping with the physical and mental struggles they may encounter while training aboard MWTC. The intent of these classes is to challenge individual Marines and the unit as a whole by providing critical skills necessary to surpass obstacles they will face while training in a mountainous environment. 4th Recon will obtain classes on knotting a rope, rappelling and crossing a one-rope bridge, among others. The Marines will then demonstrate what they have learned through practical application.
Within the rigorous mountains of Bridgeport, 4th Recon Marines will learn survival skills such as creating a shelter, building a fire, and cleaning and preparing animals. These field events will not only harden the Marines’ warrior mindset, but is a necessity in their redeployment. Survival skills such as these are critical to maintaining unit readiness to go, fight, and win when the nation calls.
For the Marines of 4th Recon, completing this training will emphasize just how important mental and physical discipline is to any Marine operating in the extreme conditions similar to those found aboard MWTC. The Marines will be tested on their leadership skills and communication with each other, which will develop the unit into a more effective team as a whole. The mountainous terrain will push the Marines past perceived limits, and condition their bodies to a climate many of their adversaries have already acclimated to. It is imperative that all Marines with Marine Forces Reserve remain ready to answer the irrational call to service, for whenever it may come.