HAWTHORNE ARMY DEPOT, Nev. -- The final exercise of Javelin Thrust 2010 kicked off June 21 with a combat lifesaver’s test for Marines at training area 101 on Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev.
In the final exercise, units are forced to react to several scenarios created by the exercise controllers. The units do not have any information on the scenarios, but are expected to react using all their assets within the Marine Air Ground Task Force to successfully respond to different situations, such as mass casualties and attacks on their headquarters.
At 9 a.m., Lance Cpl. Ronald Akeo was refueling his Humvee 70 meters behind the gate at Area 101.
“Booom!” a simulated bomb exploded.
“Incoming!” Marines yelled.
The bomb injured seven Marines and set one truck on fire at the refueling station.
“When I saw those Marines down, I just ran over there to go help,” said Akeo, a certified combat lifesaver.
Approximately 15 Marines who were on site ran to aid the casualties. The Marines dragged the injured 30 meters through the sand to cover between two 20 foot walls of a bunker as the others kept their weapons aiming forward, looking out for any threats as they moved to cover.
“We have to engage the enemy from where we have good cover and concealment, so we can see the enemy and hold our ground,” said Lance Cpl. Fredy Rodriguez, a pump operator with 6th Engineer Support Battalion.
In between the walls, Cpl. Moises Parra, a motor transportation operator, directed five Marines to provide security and one to run and notify the Combat Operation Center.
“You, get on that hill,” shouted Parra as he pointed to the bunker. “You, get on that one. Stay low. You’re using the prone. We just got attacked.”
Behind Parra, Sgt. Jesus Pinonmolina, an administrative clerk with 6th ESB, wrapped a bandage around the head of a Marine who had imitation blood on the side of his face.
“Uuurrh,” groaned the injured Marine. “Help me. Uurrrh. Help me.”
Pinonmolina initiated a conversation with the wounded Marine, asking him about his hometown as he wrapped up his head.
“It’s best to try and keep their mind off it so that they don’t focus on the pain,” said Molina.
Meanwhile Gunnery Sgt. Tim Wilson, operations chief with Combat Engineers Platoon, Combat Logistics Battalion 41, reassured the injured Marines.
“You’re all good,” he said to the wounded. “Everybody is going to get out of here.”
The Marines continued to talk to the wounded while they waited an ambulance.
“Any word on that corpsman yet?” asked Wilson.
Five minutes later, a convoy of an ambulance and two vehicles of Marines approached the site. The Marines jumped out and established a cordon around the refueling site.
The Marines treating the injured passed on the information they acquired from the injured Marines to the medics. They helped the corpsmen place the Marines with the most serious injuries onto a stretcher and lift them into the back of the ambulance.
“Get him on the back of that ambulance,” yelled Wilson to the corpsmen about a Marine with a severe head wound. “He’s priority.”
Another ambulance arrived to get the rest of the injured Marines.
Simultaneously, three radio operators walked up to the casualties to contribute their communication capabilities to the situation. They reported the injuries back to the Battalion Aid Station.
“I can send information about the injured to the BAS so by the time they get there, they (BAS) are ready for them,” said Lance Cpl. Jose AyalaPerez, a radio operator from 6th Engineer Support Battalion.
With the assistance of the radio operators, the medical personnel, and additional Marines to reinforce security, the Marines who witnessed the explosion worked together to get the casualties proper medical attention.
This first scenario challenged Marines from different units to work together to save lives.
“I learned about my reactions and how to work together as a team,” said Rodriguez, a Los Angeles native.
The Marines have to maintain that teamwork throughout the final exercise. They will be faced with raids, roadside bombs, and other scenarios that will require several units to come together as a successful Marine Air Ground Task Force.
Javelin Thrust is an annual exercise conducted by MARFORRES in several different locations in the Southwest. This year, more than 4,500 Marines from ground combat, logistical and aviation units are participating in the training, which resembles a Marine Air Ground Task Force operating in Afghanistan, in terms of both terrain and mission objectives.