MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Calif. -- In the mountains, the temperatures vary hourly, from hot to cold, depending on the time of day. The terrain can work against Marines; the thin air and peaks tire them and provide cover and concealment for the enemy. Communications can become spotty and they never know what is exactly waiting behind the next peak or hill.
These are among the many lessons the Marines of 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment learned after spending more than a week training at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center as of June 21.
Mountain Warfare is a different experience for the Marines who have spent countless hours training for urban and desert combat zones and even have an Iraq tour or two under their belt.
“We probably spent weeks, training practically every day for six months for MOUT (Military Operation, Urban Terrain) before we deployed to Iraq,” said fire team leader Lance Cpl. Malcolm Miller, while scanning the trees and peaks in front of him from his security position. “A lot of it (the MOUT training) can’t be used out here. In Iraq it was MOUT, MOUT, MOUT…here it’s mountains, mountains, mountains.”
During their time in the mountains, the Marines conducted improvised explosive device and land navigation training as well as frequent patrols that occasionally resulted in shootouts with mock enemy aggressors.
During the patrols the Marines experienced first hand the physical effects of the terrain.
“Elevation is a factor out here that takes time to get used to,” said 2nd Lt. Jake Jackson, who functioned as the 3rd platoon commander during the training. “The inclines kill you, it can take an hour or so to cover 300 meters.” Jackson is one of 49 second lieutenants from The Basic School in Quantico, Va., who are participating in the exercise while waiting for their military occupational schools to begin.
One ‘gut check’ moment during the weeklong training occurred when the Marines found themselves ambushed by mock aggressors during their longest patrol to date, June 20.
The Marines began the patrol under the training scenario that they were searching for a band of insurgents who had been launching attacks to discredit the local government.
The Marines spent the next five hours scouring the mountains, climbing and navigating steep, rocky mountain peaks along the way to the landing zone that would serve as their final destination.
During the patrol the grunts had to overcome basic problems from spotty radio communication and frequently finding themselves out of breath due to the terrain and elevation.
“Out here you need to take breaks more often but in smaller intervals,” said Miller. “You need to conserve energy; use what you need to overcome the mountains but save some energy for the fight.”
After spending hours patrolling, constantly changing squad formations to adjust to the terrain, the Marines made it to the flat, open landing zone that would serve as their end point; only to be promptly ambushed by the mock aggressors who fired upon the Marines with machine gun and small arms fire from a concealed position on a hill.
The infantrymen quickly returned fire and utilized boulders in the area to take cover and provided support fire for a squad of Marines who maneuvered up the hill and eliminated the aggressors.
“It’s hard to see the enemy sometimes, hill fighting is all about the high ground,” said Jackson. “(During the firefight) the Marines, due to the terrain, had to run straight up the hill to get the enemy who was fleeing, it was one of those individual gut check moments.”
During the shootout, the Marines found themselves relying more on their sense of hearing than sight to assess the situation and locate the enemy.
“You can’t see over a hill,” said Miller. “Guys get cut off (from the rest of the platoon due to the terrain) and you often can’t physically see the enemy. You need to listen to find out where people are.”
Jackson explained the main concept the Marines had gained from the mountain training.
“This is the perfect place to train for Afghanistan as the terrain is so similar,” he said. “Out here, sometimes you have to climb the peaks even though you are tired. You can either let the terrain dictate your movements or not.”
The Marines of 1st Bn., 25th Marines, will continue to conduct mountain warfare training throughout the rest of exercise Javelin Thrust 2010, which is slated to end June 24th.
Javelin Thrust is an annual exercise conducted by Marine Forces Reserve in several different locations in the Southwest. This year, more than 4,500 Marines from ground combat, logistical and air wing 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.