Staff Non-commissioned Officer's sharpen teamwork skills at Career Course on Okinawa

Photo By Lance Cpl. Andrew Avitt | Staff Sgt. James R. Ellsworth, Career Course student at the Staff Non-commissioned Officer's Academy, Camp Hansen, Marine Corps Bases Japan, waits for Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Vidal, another student, to turn the corner, while defending his fighting position inside of the kill house during military operations in urban terrain training at the Central Training Area's Combat Town, May 28.  

OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JAPAN

06.12.2009

Story by Lance Cpl. Thomas Provost 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

OKINAWA, Japan - The town was silent. A platoon of Marines, maneuvering to assault, stealthily advanced on the seemingly peaceful town. All that could be heard was a gentle breeze blowing across the main road.

Shots rang out of nowhere as a platoon comprised of staff sergeants were showered with rounds. Not real rounds, but simulation paint rounds from a group of role-playing enemy combatants waiting and hiding inside several buildings.

The platoon of staff sergeants were from the Career Course (Class 4-09), Staff Non-commissioned Officer's Academy, Camp Hansen, Marine Corps Bases Japan, who were conducting military operations in urban terrain training May 28, at the central training area's combat town. The training was part of a refresher course to help students focus on working as a team in combat situations.

Besides being a refresher course, SNCOA faculty and staff members feel the training gives Marines who have never been in combat a small taste of what to expect. With the security platoon protecting their rear and flanks, the assault platoon began their advance to rid the town of its enemy occupiers.

"Depending on the military occupational specialty of the student, not many of the staff sergeants have had the opportunity to deploy or do teamwork training in a combat scenario in many years," said Gunnery Sgt. Stacey C. Judge, an instructor advisor at the academy, and a native of Brooklyn, N.Y.

During the training, the platoon was also separated into squads and some of the Marines were given the billets of platoon commander or squad leader to ensure the students knew who was in charge of who and what.

With a distinct command structure in place, the foundation of teamwork was laid which gave the students an advantage to defeat the role players who were from the Special Reaction Team, Provost Marshals Office, Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler.

"They figured out how to work together to complete the mission at hand," said Gunnery Sgt. Joshua P. Adkins, chief instructor at the academy and native of Lake Wales, Fla. "Everything in life teaches you team work, from when you played sports in high school until now. It's also very important in the Marine Corps, especially in combat. You have to be able to rely on the Marine to the left and to the right of you that they will do their job, if someone doesn't, then someone can end up dead."

It was a hard and drawn out fight, but the career course staff sergeants cleared all enemy-occupied structures and eventually cornered the remaining SRT defenders in the bell tower of a church.

While the training taught the Marines how to use teamwork and other skills learned during the career course, the staff sergeants are expected to return to their units with a new set of tools that can be used help educate and prepare their Marines.

• Date Taken: 06.12.2009
• Date Posted: 06.16.2009 20:20
• Story ID: 35186
• Location: OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JP