Photo By Sgt. Tyler Main | The 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines celebrate the completion of exercise Lava Viper at the...... read more read more
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POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii – A pool table, deck of cards, chess set and a good meal were all 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines needed to celebrate a job well done at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii after their Lava Viper exercise ended Monday.
Over the last three weeks, the battalion completed block three out of four total training blocks required to deploy.
“The most important thing is rewarding these Marines after having been out in the field for three weeks,” said Maj. John W. Black, battalion executive officer. “At the end of the day, they definitely deserve a little something.”
They certainly had their fill of intensity during their training on the Big Island.
According to Black, the Marines did an outstanding job during the training and are set up for a success going into their last training block at Enhanced Mojave Viper in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
“The Marines have become extremely proficient in individual and platoon level skills including fire-support coordination training, counter [improvised explosive device] training, cultural training and driver training,” Black said. “The Marines demonstrated an exemplary tireless work ethic throughout the training.”
The driver training qualified Marines to drive tactical vehicles on deployment, the cultural training taught Marines the customs and courtesies of the Afghan culture and counter IED training provided Marines repetition in identifying and reacting to IEDs.
As a reward, the Marines were invited to warriors’ night. Warriors’ nights are celebrations at the end of a long training exercise to reward Marines’ hard work.
“The warriors night is a small token of appreciation for a lot of hard work,” Black said. “It’s also an opportunity for the Marines to come together and break bread, eat and be cohesive like a band of brothers.”
According to a group of Marines playing the card game “spoons,” this was the perfect way to end the hard three-week exercise.
The battalion will have two weeks back in garrison before heading to Twentynine Palms, Calif. to complete their final pre-deployment assessment. Shortly afterward, the battalion will look forward to a successful deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2011 15:12 |
| Story ID: | 64834 |
| Location: | POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 436 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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