Photo By Cpl. Bridgette Rodriguez | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Caleb Harhen, a fire support Marine with 5th Air Naval...... read more read more
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CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA- One may fall in fear, only to rise again. On the morning of November 19, 2024, U.S. Marines from 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group gathered in the shadow of an imposingly tall concrete tower. These Marines would be conducting Helicopter Rope Suspension Techniques training to develop the skills necessary for inserting into and extracting from contested landing zones.
“This type of training builds confidence in a Marine’s ability to conquer fears,” explained Capt. Matthew Fernandez, a 5th ANGLICO detachment team leader acting as the officer-in-charge for the HRST training evolution. The fear of heights is very common even among Marines. However, Marines are set apart by their ability to show courage in the face of uncertainty. Capt. Fernandez further highlighted how HRST training puts Marines on the spot, within inches of that fear, ensuring that they learn to trust their gear and the HRST master directing them. HRST masters are responsible for the safe and proper execution of helicopter rope insertion and extraction operations. Rehearsing and preparing to use alternate insertion methods in a contested environment was identified as a necessary skill for 5th ANGLICO Marines.
Admitting to the presence of that encroaching sense of nervousness that accompanies the perch from atop the soaring grey tower, Cpl. Caleb Harhen shared that his main challenge for the training was a serious fear of heights. But he leaned on the expertise and confidence of fellow Marines, as well as another, unexpected source of motivation. “My father was an 0311 infantryman,” Harhen shared. “Sometimes with me being a fires support Marine, he dogs on me a bit.” The differences in occupational specialty inspired many good-natured but competitive jokes between Cpl Harhen and his father. Thinking of those moments spurred him to take the leap and to prove that mastering fast rope and rappel techniques was not just a goal but an accomplishment that he looks forward to sharing with his father. Cpl. Harhen is a fires support Marine currently serving in 5th ANGLICO, III MIG.
Cpl. Harhen is not the only Marine who draws strength and courage from past generations of men and women who have earned the title of Marine. Perhaps while leaping without hesitation from a concrete ledge over five stories high into open air, feeling the wind sway the thickly corded rope between his gloves, he felt the fall. The gravity waited just a moment before pulling him down, controlled only by Harhen’s grip on the rope and the voice of his father steeling his nerve s. The Marine Corps tradition is deeply rooted in honoring those who came before us in everything that we do, and it is for them, as well as the American people that we fight for today, that 5th ANGLICO Marines continue to leap . We train to fight, and we fight to win, because that is the legacy that we inherit. Fear never slowed us down, and it never will.
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2024 22:17 |
| Story ID: | 486245 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fear In The Fall Is Courage In The Climb, by 2LT Joshua Wolek, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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