Photo By Keith Hayes | Miliatry spouses and civilians familiarize themselves with semi-automatic pistols...... read more read more
Thirteen spouses and, for the first time ever, Civilian Marines, gathered at Sorenson Field aboard MCLB Barstow to take part in Jane Wayne Day, Oct. 12.
Once a year Jane Wayne Day gives military dependents of active duty service members a taste of what daily life is like for their significant other aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California.
The first event was the modified Combat Fitness Test.
“The Combat Fitness Test was modified for the participants, but it was still a physical challenge that most people would have difficulty completing,” CWO3 Jose Maynes, Uniformed Readiness Coordinator, and organizer of the event, said.
The CFT required participants to lift 15-pound ammunition cans over their heads as many times as they could in a specified time period. That was followed by a quarter-mile “movement to contact” run around the Sorenson Field track. Next, the “maneuver under fire” activities including, among other events, a body drag, a fireman carry, a grenade toss (using dummy grenades), and concluding with a sprint to the finish carrying two ammo cans.
Blanca Crouch, the wife of Sgt. Benjamin J. Crouch with base supply, took part in the Jane Wayne Day activities “because I wanted to do something with my husband.” Crouch said he was surprised by the news that his wife had signed up. “But then I was happy about it,” he said. “I helped her to get ready by having her lift weights in the living room.”
The group also participated in live-fire activities at the base pistol range, firing a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun at a silhouette target. Each “Jane” had a Marine as a partner, in some cases their active duty husbands, to teach them proper stance and firing position, as well as range safety.
Stephanie Gray, an analyst with the Manpower Department, was proud of the grouping of her shots on target.
“I enjoy shooting. That’s one of the reasons I signed up for Jane Wayne Day,” she said. “I knew the physical demands were going to be pretty intense for us, but I wanted to see what it’s like to be a Marine.”
“The Highest Shooter Award went to Maribel Gonzalez of base supply,” Maynes said. “She scored 178 out of 180 possible points with 18 rounds fired.”
Lunch was served at the range in the form of military MREs, Meals Ready to Eat, for those who didn’t bring a box lunch with them.
After the range, the Jane Wayne participants went to the Yermo Annex to tour the Lt. Col. Robert Lindsley Stables, home of the last remaining Mounted Color Guard in the Marine Corps.
Then it was on to a tour of Production Plant Barstow and participation in a demonstration at the Vehicle Test Track area of the Marine Depot Maintenance Command facility. Each of the participants took a ride in a Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, around the hardened concrete oval track designed to handle the 68-ton weight of an Abrams Main Battle Tank.
At the end of Jane Wayne Day, Alma Martinez, the wife of Sgt. Maj. Sergio MartinezRuiz, picked up the Gung Ho Award as the most inspiring participant.
“She kept the others going and was an enthusiastic supporter for the other women to help them complete each task,” Maynes said.
“Jane Wayne Day helps build community among the personnel who live and work aboard MCLB Barstow,” he concluded. “Families are of major importance to our morale and spirit and Jane Wayne Day helps bridge the gap by providing the non-military member a better appreciation of our mission.
| Date Taken: | 10.25.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 10.25.2018 12:06 |
| Story ID: | 297676 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 626 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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