Courtesy Photo | Service Members pose for a photo after military free fall operations in Mont...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – A Marine Raider and two parachute riggers with Marine Forces Special Operations Command provided support to the joint force in the 80th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France, June 1-10, 2024.
The commemoration events were designed to honor and remember the sacrifice of more than 130,000 allied service members who participated in the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
MARSOC, approached by the joint force to provide both equipment and personnel support to the military free fall events, elected to send two parachute riggers with multiple parachutes to be utilized by the joint team and a Marine Raider, jump master qualified in tandem military free fall operations, to represent MARSOC in the multi-national event.
“I was both honored and thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to represent MARSOC and the United States in commemorating one of the most consequential moments in the history of warfare,” said the Marine Raider.
The Marine Raider, having extensive training as a critical skills operator, a member of the Marine Raider Regiment Air Cell, and a French speaker through the Marine Raider Regiment’s Foreign Language Program, had more than the requisite skills to be an asset to the team throughout the event.
Though originally only intended as a representative on the jumps, once it was made clear that the Marine Raider had a high level of proficiency in French, he also served as a liaison throughout the multi-day event between U.S. Forces and French military and civilian authorities.
“This once in a lifetime experience was truly a dream and something I will remember for the rest of my life,” said the Raider. “And for that, I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Marine Raider Regiment Foreign Language Program and the Marine Raider Regiment’s Air Cell for training and equipping me with the knowledge and skillset to go forward and operate in this capacity.”
“MARSOC is a pack leader in both tandem military free fall and foreign language proficiency in the special operations community,” he added. “And that is a testament to the knowledge, prowess, and professionalism of the staff running the respective programs. I also want to thank Naval Special Warfare and the Navy Parachute Team for extending the invitation to us. Without them, we would have been watching from the sidelines while everyone else made history.”
Throughout his time in France, the Marine Raider successfully conducted tandem jumps for VIPs, from the flooded farm fields of St. Mere Eglise, to the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, an iconic city in western Normandy. He also conducted numerous cultural exchanges, entirely in French, with French dignitaries and other key officials.
“This event, and others like it are exactly what our command’s operational language focus is all about,” said Ed Walsh, Marine Raider Regiment Foreign Language Program Manager. “This Raider took the academic foundation we taught him and applied it in a realistic, operational environment that resulted in a very successful outcome. That’s what true operational language is all about, and we’re extremely proud that he could highlight his skills in such an historic event.”
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.06.2024 12:45 |
| Story ID: | 480228 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 166 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Marine Raider, MARSOC support joint force for 80th D-Day Commemoration, by Cpl Henry Rodriguez II, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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