Modern day Spartans: 2/6 Marines prepare for future conflicts

Photo By Sgt. Justin Updegraff | Marines from 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division completed their Agoge combat training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., August 2014. The Agoge, originally used to train the next generation of ancient Spartan warriors, immerses the Marines in a simulated combat environment, where every hour is dedicated to training for the art of war. The battalion spent several days conducting mock offensive and defensive operations in the field. During the week and a half of training, Marine advisers ran the unit’s personnel through a series of combat simulations. In the training’s culminating event, the Marines conducted helicopter insertion and extraction drills and assaulted enemy positions. The live-fire operation allowed the unit to test its ability to use combined-arms warfare and fire-and-maneuver tactics.  

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

08.15.2014

Story by Lance Cpl. Dalton Precht 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The Marines of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, tapped into an ancient warrior ethos during their recent Agoge training at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The unit took to the field for nearly two weeks, developing leadership and combat skills, during offensive and defense operations during the early August rains.

“The Agoge training is an annual training we do for our team leaders,” said Sgt. Jeremy Pittman, Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines. “The Agoge training was derived from the Greeks and Spartans [who] attended [it] for training and education. We took that concept and applied it here to our training.”

The Agoge, originally used to train the young Spartan warriors, immersed the Marines in a simulated combat environment, where every hour was dedicated to training for the art of war.
“Our team leaders are learning the basics … the responsibilities of what it takes to lead,” said Pittman.

During the training, Marine team leaders were assigned missions and given the opportunity to lead their men through a series of scenarios that included helicopter born raids, live-fire exercises, and combined-arms assaults.

“A lot of the Marines that are out here are new to this kind of training and have just came into the unit over the past few months,” said Pittman. “This training is good for them, and they seem really eager and ready to go. You can tell they are soaking it in by the way they incorporate [lessons] into the scenarios.”

Lance Cpl. Max Chianese, a team leader with the battalion, served as a team leader during the patrol section of the training and took part in the live-fire exercises.

“We practically did our bread and butter, which is fire and movement,” said Chianese. “Utilizing combined arms, [we] put the enemy in a no win situation.”

The battalion’s Marines assaulted mock enemy positions, suppressing their targets with grenade and rocket attacks during their offensive.

“We performed buddy rushes to the enemy objective after suppressing them with AT-4s and 40mm grenades,” said Chianese. “Once we reached the objective, we made sure to do our dead checks and [verify] the enemy was terminated.”

“We ran into some situations where our leadership abilities were tested, but we pulled through and completed the task at hand,” he continued. “A lot of Marines learned the push you have to have to get the job done.”

• Date Taken: 08.15.2014
• Date Posted: 08.15.2014 18:03
• Story ID: 139525
• Location: MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US