Essex (LHD 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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M NAUTICAL N T I S i KEEPS 13TH MEU(SOC) ON THE cumNG EDGE ARABIAN GULF — Elements of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Ca- pable) conducted sustainment training in the Arabian Gulf re- gion during Exercise Nautical Mantis. We wanted to prepare for potential contingency operations and to improve our overall readi- ness, said Col. John C. Garrett, 13th MEU(SOC) Commanding Officer. Every opportunity to train is valuable. This was a great opportu- nity to exercise our helicopterbome and surfacebome ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship movements, said Major Kirk Rice, Operations Officer for Bat- talion Landing Team 3 1. We wanted to minimize the number of people ashore, Maj. Rice stated. Many of these people ashore belonged to the infantry. BLT 3 1 traveled ovedand 40 ki- lometers by vehicle to get to its training site. The training was in keeping with the United States current doctrine of projecting Naval power from the sea and also maintaining a presence in the GulfRegion. We took the chance to review the fundamentals of pa- trolling, immediate action, heli- copter egress maneuvers, and safe weapons carriage, said Lance Corporal Adrian Aguilera, a fire team leader with 2nd Pla- toon, Company K, BLT 3 1. These are things you have to keep practicing or else even the basics can be confusing, the 19- year-old Los Angeles native said. Weapons Company, BLT 3 1 , conducted live fire gun drills and fired 81 nrni mortars to keep their skills sharp. We have to do these gun drills to keep the cob- webs out of our gun routines should we be called upon to de- liver mortar rounds with a quick- ness, said Corporal Mike Blahota, a Weapons Company squad leader from Matewan, New Jersey. The Marines also V

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fired .50 caliber machine guns. Getting supplies to and from ships fell on the shoulders of the MEU Service Support Group 13 and Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 1 6 1 (Rein). External helicopter support lifts were employed during the exercise, lifting more than 20,000 lbs. of food, water and equipment to sustain the Marines ashore.