Photo By Sgt. Brennan Beauton | U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 25th Marines fast rope during rappel tower training...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, Japan – U S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 25th Marines trained for upcoming missions on the Camp Schwab rappel tower March 3.
The rappel tower provided Marines with a safe and effective way to simulate fast roping out of an aircraft.
“The tower allows units to improve their capabilities and helps foster confidence in Marines whether they are forward deployed, or in garrison,” said Sgt. Gregory Spears, a range safety specialist with Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific-Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, and a native of Smith Station, Alabama. “It enhances their mission readiness," he said.
The Marines practiced variants of fast roping with and without gear. They utilized the lockout method, in which the Marine must stop halfway down the rope by utilizing a brake with their feet, and the rope is then shaken and pulled to simulate bad weather, or an unstable rope.
The Marines also practiced the speed stick method, where three or more Marines slide down the rope in rapid succession.
“The training’s purpose in a real-life scenario would be, if we have to fast rope into a landing zone where a helicopter cannot land,” said Staff Sgt. Stephen L. Schanz, an infantry unit leader with 1st Battalion, 25th Marines. “We have to be able to train in order to complete the mission and we have to meet that standard. We cannot properly train without the facilities provided to us by range control.”
According to Spears, MCIPAC provides these types of facilities for all units to keep Marines ready to fight.
“It’s important that MCIPAC provides these opportunities and facilities so that units can come out here and train then apply it, whether it be, insertions, exertions, extractions or something as simple as the annual requirement of rifle ranges, MCIPAC will have it.”
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2020 06:03 |
| Story ID: | 364423 |
| Location: | CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 110 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ranges of MCIPAC: Camp Schwab rappel tower, by Sgt Brennan Beauton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
