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MEU BLT preps for nighttime boat raids
Submitted by: Marine Corps Base Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 200692582018
Story by Lance Cpl. Bryan A. Peterson, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler
KIN BLUE, Okinawa (Sept. 22, 2006) --
More than 100 Marines and sailors with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's battalion landing team rehearsed boat landing raids Sept. 11 at Kin Blue.
The daytime rehearsals helped prepare the A Company Marines and sailors of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, for a difficult nighttime operation at Camp Schwab later that day, according to 1st Sgt. Tracy Offutt, the company first sergeant.
"We need to be able to sustain our capabilities in over-the-horizon small boat amphibious operations," Offutt said. "Practicing during the day will provide us the necessary time to work out any kinks we have before going out at night."
When the operation received the go ahead, the Marines and sailors quickly embarked on their combat rubber reconnaissance crafts and motored 500 meters from the beach.
After a quick roll call and gear check, the Zodiacs moved another 600 meters offshore and the troops prepared the assault.
A team of scout swimmers rode in the Zodiacs back to the 500-meter mark where they splashed off the side and swam to shore to clear the beach.
"Once the swimmers clear the area of any enemies or obstacles, (they) place a marker to indicate whether it is safe for the rest of the coxswains to approach or not," said Staff Sgt. Martin Buck, the chief coxswain for A Company.
The Marines and sailors have been practicing boat raids since February, making it often appear second nature, Offutt said.
With approximately half the company being new, the constant rehearsals have brought the Marines to a synchronized level where the new Marines can not be distinguished from the veterans, he said.
Boat raids are one of the stealthier methods of insertion, said Cpl. Martin Lambaria, a coxswain for the company.
"This is a great element of the BLT," he said. "It's another way to get the guys in the fight without the enemy knowing what's about to happen."
The boat raid training was part of the 31st MEU's overall Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise, which is designed to help the unit refine its tactics and perfect the rapid-response planning process.
This MEU-specific planning process enables the unit to launch a crisis response within six hours of notification.
According to unit leaders, this type of training also helps the MEU maintain its maritime capability to respond to any contingency in the Asia-Pacific region and in the Global War on Terrorism.
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