US marines participate in jungle communications course

Marines stationed on Okinawa have participated in a jungle communications course held at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, Camp Gonsalves, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Marine Corps Installations Pacific.

During the four-day course, marines from units ranging from infantry to field radio communicators have participated in classroom instruction, radio programming and land navigation.

The training centre chief instructor Staff sergeant David Cole said the marines had to programme radios, effectively set up antennas, and set up communications with the operations centre.

"These Marines experienced exhaustion (during this training)," Cole added.

The course has been designed to train participants with communications equipment, as well as provide communications Marines simulated combat experience in a jungle environment.

"This course is designed to bridge the gap between communications and combat," Cole further said.

"Rather this course was designed to prepare the Marines for missions in our particular area of operation, which has quite a bit of jungle."

Began on 23 January, the course involved operation of communications equipment in jungle environments, as well as basic combat techniques.

The 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment radio operator lance corporal Alec Wiedenbeck said, "Everything is harder to do in thick jungle; from setting up communications to maintaining it (but this course has prepared me for it)."

Image: Marines conducting mission during Jungle Communications Course. Photo: Photo by Lance Cpl. Peter Sanders.