3/12 puts steel on target despite heavy rains and marsh-like conditions... Success in the mess
Marine Corps News
Release Date: 8/13/2003
Story by Lance Cpl. Chris Korhonen
CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa, Japan (Aug. 15, 2003) -- With the training in the mud and rain done, the Marines India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, returned home and looked back at their accomplishments during their month of training at the Ojojihara Maneuvering Area, Japan.
During July, India Battery Marines fine-tuned their skills by firing artillery, setting up advanced scouting parties, convoy operations, patrols and land navigation. After the field training portion was complete, they participated in three different community relations projects and three home visits.
According to 1st Lt. Chad Morton, executive officer, India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, the Marines did a good job of carrying out their objectives.
"We completed sustainment training, fired artillery rounds, trained members of the gun line and completed the mission given to us to fire artillery safely in the Ojojihara Maneuver Area," Morton said.
The training was not without obstacles because a majority of the training days were rainy with limited visibility. Even though the conditions were not the most favorable, it was still a valuable learning experience for the Marines.
"It was good training not only for the guns but for the motor transportation drivers. They played a big part in the operation because they were responsible for getting the Howitzers from position to position safely in the rain, and that was not an easy task," Morton said.
Gunnery Sgt. Timmothy A. Doran, motor transportation chief, India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, agreed his Marines did a good job in the bad weather and the conditions it caused.
" For a lot of Marines, it was their first field operation. The terrain was rough, with about two feet of mud in some areas, but the 7-tons never got stuck, although some of the guns did," Doran said.
"It was really important to look at the performance of the 7-tons and to evaluate their off-road capabilities. (The trucks') performance even impressed the battery commander," Doran added.
The weather, combined with the terrain and the mud, started to take a toll on the Marines. Many of the Marines were constantly wet and dirty, which led to emersion foot for many, Morton explained.
Morale was also a big focus for the officers and staff noncommissioned officers of India Battery. One way the Marines were kept motivated in the poor weather was through a daily game plan for the battery. One of those was a combat simulation, Morton said.
"We conducted convoy operations in the weather when we could not fire. We simulated a combat environment where, when we moved, we were in support of a maneuver element. We had to fight through the different conditions whether it be rain or mud, to get fire-capable so we could fire rounds in support of the maneuver element," Morton said.
As with most training exercises, it's not just one person, or one group that can get the job done, according to Doran.
"We're the wheels of the battery. The only way the guns can accomplish the mission is with motor transportation, but it's a team effort. You can't have one without the other," Doran said.
Morton agrees it was a group effort that made the exercise a success.
"You have to shoot, you have to move and you have to communicate. Motor transportation did there job and obviously the guns and the fire direction did their job," Morton said. "Overall it was a team effort to complete the operation as it always is in artillery."
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