• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

1st Bn, 1st Marines preps for helo raids in Yuma

US Marine Corps News

5/6/2010
By Cpl. Pete Zrioka, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Marines of 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, participated in a helicopter-borne raid in the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range in California May 3, 2010.

Here supporting the current Weapons and Tactics Instructor course, the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-based unit is also training for a deployment early next year with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Landing in four separate sites via MV-22 Osprey, CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Super Stallion aircraft, rifle Companies B and C, along with the Weapons Company attacked a simulated insurgent camp at Blue Mountain Airfield.

“Training with birds allows us to get out of the whole Iraq/Humvee mentality and more into expeditionary, big picture type of training,” said Pfc. Shea Boland, a team leader with Company B.

After unloading from their transport, Company C spearheaded the attack, pushing toward the camp, eliminating simulated opposition along the way, as Company B followed from the right.

Battery G, 1st Bn., 11th Marines, provided M-777 howitzer artillery support from approximately 4 miles away, pounding away at the targeted area, while AH-1W Cobras circled overhead, attacking the camp.

The exercise builds better integration with the aviation and ground forces, said 1st Lt. Jason Fraser, Company C commander. “We learn what works for them; they learn what works for us,” said Fraser.

The battalion’s participation also gives pilot students at WTI an actual presence to work with, opposed to just a platoon that was once the norm for the course.

As the WTI students benefit from the battalion’s support, the course’s ongoing aviation training also provides an opportunity for 1/1 to complete predeployment requirements prior to attaching to the 13th MEU early next year, since battalions scheduled for the MEU do not receive priority for training at Twentynine Palms, Calif.

“We got the opportunity to come here and we jumped on it,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shelby Lasater, battalion gunner. “Not only do we become more flexible within the battalion by all the companies being helicopter certified, but we’ll probably be the only West Coast battalion with all (predeployment) training done prior to chopping to the MEU.”