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Marines delayed not stopped by Typhoon Etau... CARAT returns home

Marine Corps News

Release Date: 8/13/2003

Story by Cpl. John F. Silwanus

WHITE BEACH, Okinawa, Japan(Aug. 15, 2003) -- With nothing stopping them--not even Typhoon Etau, which packed winds of 113 knots--the nearly 450 Marines and Sailors of Landing Force Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training returned here Friday after a two-month tour to four Southeast Asian countries.

Delayed two days and forced to 'steer clear' of the powerful punch of Etau, the USS Harpers' Ferry, USS Vincennes and USS Safeguard pulled into sunny Okinawa weather, offloading vehicles, gear and servicemembers-who were happy to be home.

"It feels really good to be back on solid ground again," said Cpl. Ryan T. Preston, armor, Combat Service Support Element, LF CARAT. "It was frustrating waiting in the South China Sea until the typhoon hit Okinawa. I don't know how the crew survived last year, because many of the Marines were ready to come home after finishing training in Malaysia."

CARAT demonstrated U.S. commitment in Southeast Asia while it improved operational readiness, interoperability and the capabilities of U.S. forces. The exercise promoted cooperation with other countries, and continued to build lasting, working relationships, which will add to security and stability in the region.

Servicemembers who participated in CARAT got an opportunity to cross train with their Bruneian, Thai, Malay and Singaporean counterparts while gaining valuable experience in jungle survival/training, planning and operations.

"We took full advantage of the opportunity to both closely work with, and to step back and observe and learn from our host nation counterparts," Lt. Col. Timothy T. Armstrong, commanding officer, CARAT, said. "We took this exercise as a chance to showcase to our counterparts n Thailand, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia, that as Marines we take pride in our levels of conditioning, discipline and high standards. It is my hope that the countries that we trained with noticed that, as a landing force, this is what we brought to the table."