Photo By Cpl. Mark Stroud | Marines with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine...... read more read more
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CAMP GONSALVES, Japan - The water was deep, and the Marines were in full combat load: helmets, weighted flaks and rifles. Even so, they still had to cross the body of water.
The Marines made the crossing safely using a rope system and several pieces of their military-issued individual equipment.
Marines with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, attended a tactical water-crossing course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center on Camp Gonsalves Aug. 24 in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.
The class was designed to give the Marines the tools needed to safely cross canals and rivers.
“[River crossing] is important, especially in the area where we are going [because] there are a lot of canal systems,” said Staff Sgt. David R. Stegall Jr., a platoon sergeant with 3/3. “We want to have the ability and the flexibility of crossing any waterway we want without being forced to use bridges.”
The class was introduced at JWTC in response to drownings in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.
“On our last deployment, a squad was attempting to cross a river and an [Afghan National Army] counterpart and a Marine drowned in the river while attempting to cross it, which led us to seek training on how to properly cross waterways safely,” said Stegall.
The ability to cross waterways is important for foot patrols as it allows them to avoid choke points such as bridges, which are likely locations for improvised explosive devices, added Stegall.
The training evolution familiarized Marines with a method of river crossing using a device designed by an instructor with the JWTC.
“We were looking for a way to float a Marine with body armor, a heavy combat load and items we did not want to get wet,” said Lt. Col. Trent Blackson, commanding officer, JWTC.
Cpl. Caleb R. Smith, an instructor at JWTC, thought of the idea himself, Blackson explained.
“He used items that are commonly available to every Marine, such as [a military-issued foam sleeping mat] and waterproofing bag,” said Blackson. “He thought about it, tested it out, and it worked like a champ.”
Smith said he thought of the device, which consists of gear issued to every Marine, while swimming recreationally with his friends.
“We came up with our own little concoction called the Smith seat and, [it] is two waterproofing bags buckled together with a [military-issued foam sleeping mat] inside of them,” said Smith. “Me and a couple of buddies were snorkeling, and we used our waterproofing bags as a buoy, and that’s how I came up with the idea.”
The Smith seat features built-in redundancy to ensure the safe crossing of Marines.
“The [military-issued foam sleeping mat] works as a precaution in case the bag were to puncture; it would still be able to hold the Marine afloat,” said Smith.
The device is required for Marines, who are loaded with gear and protective equipment that could make swimming difficult.
“I think I’m a good swimmer, but if you put an extra 70 to 100 pounds on me with a rifle, I become a lot more cumbersome,” said Smith. “That’s a lot more weight you have to swim across [a waterway], even for the best of swimmers.”
The Marines use the device as a flotation aid, along with a series of ropes to ensure that a swimmer who falls off the device, or begins to struggle, can be rapidly pulled back to shore, according to Smith.
“We always make sure that the first man across is the safety swimmer, that is the best swimmer, and another Marine will belay him and [the belay man] will make sure that if [the scout swimmer] falls off or starts drowning, he can be pulled back quickly,” said Smith.
With these tactics, it is important that each squad have a strong swimmer, according to Blackson.
“We made a recommendation that there needs to be a competent swimmer in each squad to be the scout swimmer … who crosses first to set up safety line,” said Blackson. “The suggestion was that if they don’t have a strong swimmer they need to [consider reorganizing] to put a strong swimmer in each squad.”
There are some limitations in the types of waterways that can be crossed using this method.
“What we tell them is to not cross [turbulent waters], but to find another crossing spot,” said Blackson.
The Marines who attended the course were selected because they were small-unit leaders who could teach the techniques to their Marines.
“They were picked because most of them are squad leaders and because they come from different companies within the battalion,” said Blackson. “This is ‘train the trainers.’ They are going to go back and train Marines throughout the battalion on how to do this safely when they get to Afghanistan in a couple of months.”
The course is available to units looking to add tactical water-crossing abilities to their expeditionary capabilities.
“Any unit that wants training on stream crossing can contact us at JWTC and set that up,” said Blackson. “What we hope to do is save Marines’ lives. We want to protect Marines and our Afghan partners.”
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.01.2011 01:39 |
| Story ID: | 76268 |
| Location: | CAMP GONSALVES, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 746 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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