Photo By Lance Cpl. Nicholas Guevara | Light Armored Vehicle crewmen with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd...... read more read more
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An icy wind whistled down mountains and over the Southern California desert. A squad of Light Armored Vehicles hummed on a moonless night. Wearing multiple warming layers, the vehicle occupants scanned the horizon with night vision goggles for enemy movement.
Marines with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, participated in a deployment for training exercise to assist Soldiers with 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in their ability to defend, engage and capture an open objective at the National Training Center Fort Irwin, California Feb. 9-17, 2018.
“We were the opposition force for the Army to do offensive-type training,” said Cpl. Julian Calva, a squad leader with 2nd LAR. “The main thing we gained from this exercise is crew mentality; some of that was not only built here, but we can continue building that mentality when we return home.”
Marines needed to adapt to new ways to conceal themselves, as they moved under the cover of night at slow speeds to prevent dust clouds from giving away their positions.
“We would use night vision goggles to maneuver around at night,” said Calva. “When we stopped our vehicles for the night, we would deploy camouflage netting over them to hide ourselves in the rocky landscape.”
The Marines used new communication equipment to overcome unique challenges the desert environment posed to radio communication.
“We procured different types of antenna systems that help us talk with a high frequency while we are on the move,” said Lt. Col. Mark Liston, the battalion commander for 2nd LAR.
While using the new communication equipment, they noticed similarities between their communication systems and 11th ACR’s systems.
“We learned that we have a similar radio system, but that they are different in the way they talk to each other,” Liston said. “They use different wavelengths to communicate so we have continued to refine those skills in our after-action reports.”
The defensive, operational support 2nd LAR provided will prove to be invaluable during 11th ACR’s upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. 2nd LAR returns to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina with more knowledge on how to operate in a desert environment, while also looking forward to future joint-operations in the next year.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2018 08:32 |
| Story ID: | 267862 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 268 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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