Cpl. Trawick Thompson, data network specialist, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, posts security as his company is attacked by Weapons Company Marines during 2/7's final exercise at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., April 14. The battalion participated in the month-long Mountain Exercise cold weather package, part of the Center's formal schools training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi)
Editors note: This is the second in a three-part series written from the perspective of a combat correspondent new to cold weather and high altitude training.
Our first few days were spent acclimating to the elevation. I had a really bad headache the entire first day. I talked to a hospital corpsman, also known as “doc,” about it. Apparently my brain was expanding because of the decrease in air pressure.
The third day here, it snowed. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of white powder.
The snow melted by the next day. It showed us how quickly the weather can change up here.
Lance Cpl. Bryan Avitia, admin clerk, Headquarters and Service Co., 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment looks out over the mountains he will soon be spending the night on at the Mountain Warfare Training Center March 29. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi)
I thought I would be hearing Marines complaining about it left and right, but instead most were laughing about it or making jokes. Talk about Marine Corps spirit.
We spent our acclimation period doing hikes and taking environmental training classes up in the mountains. All this led up to our first day in the field.
I hiked up to Summit Meadows with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, the hardest hike I have ever been on. We carried a full combat load, plus snow gear and weapons.
At first, everyone was excited to get to the snowy hilltops. The beginning was all dirt and actually hot.
We were climbing 9,300 feet above sea level. We didn’t hit snow until 8,000 ft.
By that point I was exhausted. All that went through my head was “right foot, left foot, right foot…” This was worse than the Reaper at recruit training. West Coast Marines always brag about the Reaper. Well now 2/7 Marines can brag about Bridgeport. And so can I.
After the 8,000-ft. mark, the surrounding area was snowy and the trail a combination of mud and ice. Each step held the potential of a fall.
Thankfully we stopped to put our snow shoes on. With the teeth at the bottom of the shoe gripping the slick surface beneath us, the only thing we had to worry about was making it to the top.
Headquarters and Service, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment Marines cross a river during a hike at the Mountain Warfare Training Center March, 30. The hike helped Marines acclimate to the high elevations of the training center. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi)
Eventually, we made it to Summit Meadows.
I spent the night with Golf Company before I was transferred to Fox Company at Grouse Meadows.
The Marines of Fox Company had developed an intricate system of trenches in between their tent areas for faster movement through the deep snow.
Their defensive positions were set behind a treeline. When I first arrived, I didn’t see it right away. It took me a minute before I spotted a tent hiding behind the towering trees.
My first day with Co. F, I went out to see a medical evacuation. In the middle of the untouched snow stood a helicopter with Army written on the side. Surrounding it was a crowd of Marines, some from Fox Company, the majority from Weapons Company.
The soldiers gave a quick run-through of the procedures before letting some of the Marines do it themselves.
The helo blasted particles of ice from the ground into my face. It was hard to keep watching, but we all did. How often do you get a chance to see a helo lift off with a hurricane of snow beneath it?
Most days in the field consisted of skiing and melting snow for water, with classes on anchoring or avalanche training in between. But everything was taught in the snow.
Melting snow made me appreciate the ready supply of water at Twentynine Palms. It took a long time to melt a small amount. And even when you did, there were small particles in there that gave the water a piney taste.
An MV-22 Osprey conducts a resuply for 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, as they complete their final training exercise at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif. The battalion took part in the center's Mountain Exercise unit training program, completing the cold weather package after a month of training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi)
I tried to get used to the taste. That didn’t work. I looked around and saw Marines using t-shirts to filter out the particles as they poured the boiled water into their Nalgene bottles. The particles were gone, but the taste was still there.
The skiing sounded like fun. I went out thinking it would be an easy day. I didn’t know how hard it was to ski. I ate snow on a daily basis. I guess that’s faster than trying to melt it.
The weather was always cold. In the mornings, I didn’t want to leave my tent. At night I couldn’t wait to get in my happy suit.
There were a couple of hours of warmth in the afternoon, but as it passed, the chill set in.
Four days after arriving at Grouse Meadows, we packed back up and headed back up to Summit Meadows.
Word from the lance corporal underground said that we would have our tents taken away and forced to make ice shelters.
I am convinced I will freeze to death.
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Marine Couple Overcomes Combat Wounds Together
September 10th, 2012 // By Sgt. Heather GoldenWhen you’ve practically lost yourself to a wartime attack, been set on fire, clawed yourself free of wreckage without all your limbs intact, your face, arms, legs, even your eyelids are burned away, and you [Read more...]
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Journey Through the Snow (Part 3)
May 1st, 2012 // By Lance Cpl. Ali AzimiOn the last leg of our training, we had to leave Grouse Meadows and head up to Summit, almost 1,000 feet higher in elevation. We filled in the trenches and holes where our tents used [Read more...]
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Journey Through the Snow (Part I)
April 16th, 2012 // By Lance Cpl. Ali AzimiI’m not an infantryman. I’ve never been part of a grunt unit. But, I’ll be spending the next month with them in the wilds of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I’ve been attached to 2nd Battalion, [Read more...]