CLB-1 trains for war at 29 Palms

By Lance Cpl. Jacob A. Singsank

8/25/2009

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – What better place is there for Marines to conduct predeployment training than an area with similar terrain and temperatures they'll be facing while deployed to the Middle East?

About 800 service members with Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, got to do just that when they participated in the month long Enhanced Mojave Viper combat training at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., this month.

"The Mojave Viper training is extremely beneficial to the CLB-1 Marines," said 1st Lt. Michael D. Murray, executive officer with Motor Transport Company, CLB-1, CLR-1, 1st MLG. "The land here is similar to the terrain we'll be deploying to in support of Operation Enduring Freedom."

Murray, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. stated that CLB-1 is taking part in Mojave Viper for Marines to train for combat logistics patrols and to be able to react and initiate immediate reaction drills to any enemy situation.

Motor Transport Company Marines conducted convoy training in which they encountered simulated small-arms fire, blocked and unblocked ambush attacks, and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle egress. Helicopter Support Team also conducted training to hone their skills, in which landing support Marines attached external loads to a helicopter. The Marines in the battalion worked together with other infantry units at Mojave Viper to prepare for missions they'll conduct while in Afghanistan.

"The mission for the HST is to send resources to forward units in an expedient manner," said Staff Sgt. Amanda G. Soliz, platoon commander with Landing Support Platoon, Motor Transport Co., CLB-1, CLR-1, 1st MLG. "We can deliver gear quicker than a convoy could."

Combat Logistics Battalion 1 Marines delivered vital supplies to include food, ammunition, water and ice to units training at Twentynine Palms. "We deliver ice for morale and welfare," said Soliz, 29, from Seguin, Texas.

"Due to the extreme temperatures, it helps prevent heat injuries."

While Motor Transport Company and Helicopter Support Teams were sharpening their skills for delivering gear, combat engineers were learning more ways to use explosives.

"By understanding the capabilities of explosives, Marines will be able to better employ them," said Sgt. Patrick T. Johnson, combat engineer with Engineer Company, CLB-1, CLR-1, 1st MLG, 23, from Roscoe, Ill. "We're experimenting with different charges and explosives to increase our knowledge of each charge and demolition."

Combat engineers provide a wide variety of support toward war efforts. Other than building structures and moving earth, they use explosives for a variety of jobs ranging from destroying unexploded ordanance to blowing up bridges.

"We're out here doing other aspects of the engineering job field," said Cpl. Jessica L. Duncan, combat engineer with CLB-1. "We're only taught the basics at engineer school."

Engineer Co. not only expanded the knowledge of the Marines in the unit, but the junior Marines who will someday teach the next generation of the Marine Corps.

"We get to teach the junior Marines how to make different types of charges so they can use alternate explosives when they're deployed," said Duncan, 20, from Westland Michigan.

Along with the knowledge some Marines have from prior deployments, they gained new tools to use while in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We have a lot of experience in the company," said Murray. "A majority of the noncommissioned officers are leading the Marines in preparation for the combat deployment."

Murray feels the unit could deploy right now and effectively complete the mission.