MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, Calif. -- A mock improvised explosive device (IED) detonates in the side of a cliff, spraying a group of Marines in a vehicle with black talcum powder, resulting in several simulated casualties.
A fire team of Marines attempts to extract their ‘wounded’ comrades only to be caught in the blast of a secondary IED, eliminating the team.
For Marines with 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, based out of Fort Devens, Mass., it’s not Afghanistan, its Nevada. But with the rocky, mountainous, desert-like terrain, it’s a small taste of the future environment the Marines may soon find themselves.
Lucky Boy Pass is located in an area of Nevada that could best be described as ‘the middle of nowhere.’ It is also the site for the ‘convoy course’ that the Marines from 1st Battalion, 25th Marines ran through June 16.
The convoy course is a seven-mile long route strung with mock IED scenarios resembling situations Marines may encounter in Afghanistan.
The course is conducted by counter-IED instructors from the Marine Corps Engineer Center at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, who conduct the course eight to ten times a year for visiting units, who are looking for realistic training to prepare for a deployment to Afghanistan -- a world away from the terrain Marines are accustomed to in Iraq.
“This is complex terrain out here,” said course instructor Mike LaBarge. “The mountains wreck havoc on equipment and personnel that guys in Iraq can’t even imagine.”
During the route, the Marines encountered three IED scenarios. The first was a ‘hoax’ IED, with the idea that Marines had interrupted an insurgent in the middle of setting up the device. The second scenario involved an actual detonating IED and the third involved another explosive with a secondary designed to take out responders. Each of the IED’s were carefully hidden in brush alongside roads or buried around rocks in the side of mountains.
In addition to honing their IED-spotting skills, the Marines also learned how to operate in a mountain environment. Mountains limit the movement of Marines, as well as exhausting them. Cliffs can be used to funnel troops into kill zones, provide cover and concealment for the enemy, and limit space for friendly aircraft to land. Artillery, mortar and close air support also have to be carefully managed as misplaced rounds can trigger rockslides, burying Marines.
Lance Cpl. Matt Campbell, a rifleman and vehicle commander for Weapons Company, 1st Bn., 25th Marines, said the training was a small taste of the kind of pre-deployment training he expects for a future Afghanistan deployment.
“It’s a tough environment out here,” said the Lowel, Mass., native. “We might be going to Afghanistan next year, so this is the place to go for training. You always train for where you’re going to go fight.”
In addition to the terrain and IED training, Campbell also explained the other benefits the Marines had received from the training.
“A lot of us have been to Iraq, but we also have a lot of new guys out here,” he said. “This was a great chance for our companies to work together, build as a team, develop our SOP’s (standard operating procedures) as well as working on the bond between all of us.”
LaBarge said the grunts performed well for Marines who do not have as much time to work together as their active-duty counterparts.
“The reserve guys often do well, considering the amount of time they have to work together,” he said. “I think it’s because of the fact that they can’t do this everyday, they put more effort into training.”
The IED training was conducted as part of exercise Javelin Thrust 2010.
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 will resemble a Marine Air Ground Task Force operating in Afghanistan, in terms of both terrain and mission objectives.