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thedrifter
02-13-04, 05:48 AM
ANTILLEAN ANTI-TERRORISM

U.S., Dutch Marines join forces to train in Curacao

Submitted by: Marine Forces South
Story Identification Number: 200421294236
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Mike Dougherty



CURACAO, Netherlands Antilles --(February 12, 2004) -- The many facets of the Global War on Terror has carried Marines to various parts of the planet, from Afghanistan to the Philippines to the Horn of Africa. This year, it took a group of reservists to the Caribbean island of Curacao, where they trained to combat the gathering threat of Narco-Terrorism.


Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment left their Marine Corps Reserve Center in Moundsville, W.Va. to travel to Curacao to train alongside their Royal Dutch Marine counterparts.


Curacao, an island in the Dutch Antilles, lies approximately 40 miles east of Aruba and 35 miles north of Venezuela. Its location, coupled with the volume of shipping and tourism it enjoys make it a common thoroughfare for drug trafficking, according to 1stLt. Koen Postma, a platoon commander with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. Narco-terrorists have battled with local police and amongst themselves, and the military is preparing itself in the event the Dutch government calls it to action to contain the violence.


The West Virginia-based Marines teamed up with the Netherlands Marines' 31st Infantry Company for the two-week annual training evolution. "This is the best annual training that I've ever done, and this is the best place I've been in my 17 years in the Marine Corps," said Staff Sergeant Julian Galford, Kilo Company Gunnery Sgt. Scheduled events covered a broad range of activities, including boat operations, patrolling, rappelling, mountaineering, some liberty and a final field training exercise with a counter drug scenario, he said.


The majority of the first three days were spent in the water, according to Cpl. Jody Ickes, an infantryman from Berlin, PA. The Marines conducted a swim qualification, which consisted of a number of surface strokes plus a lap underwater, followed by a simulated rescue and a 50-meter relay with a rifle.


The following day they hit the water again, this time in inflatable boats to practice beach assaults. This gave the Marines an appreciation for amphibious operations, said Capt. Greg Hamilton, platoon commander and San Diego native. "We don't get to do a lot of that in West Virginia...and you can't beat the water down here. It's crystal clear," he said.


For many of the Marines, the next day was their most memorable, when the Dutch Marines took them not only into the water, but under its surface. The entire platoon participated in an introductory scuba diving program, and dove to a sunken tugboat resting close to shore in 20 feet of water. Lance Cpl. Elliot Danish of Newport News, Va, was one of the Marines who considered this the highlight of the time spent there-- seeing bright coral, schools of fish and moray eels around the wreck, now an artificial reef. Danish never would have tried diving had it not been for the unit expedition, he said, but he's glad he did it. "It was more than I expected...it felt like outer space, gliding along."


For other Marines, the high point came the following week when they climbed the "Christoffelberg" which at 372 meters is the highest point on the island. The Marines took a rock trail up the mountain, which to some was like an hour climbing steep stairs with a pack. But once they reached the top, it was worth every step, said Lance Cpl. Timothy Beck, a fire team leader from Portage, Pa. "We could see the whole island, and we could see Venezuela and Bonaire," he said.


Two more days of live fire and patrolling prepared them for the field training exercise, where they returned to the island's higher terrain and phased into their counter drug mission. The exercise scenario, written by the Dutch Marines, tasked the U.S. Marines to locate and destroy cells of a narco-terrorist organization funneling drug profits to "Al Qaeda" terrorists.


The Dutch played the role of aggressors, harassing the Americans and attempting to disrupt their patrolling activities. Members of Kilo co. were ultimately able to locate and destroy the enemy in a surprise attack at its headquarters by "taking the least likely avenue of approach," said Hamilton. A team of three Marines fought their way several kilometers through extremely rugged terrain, with sharp cactus and dense thorns restricting their movement.


The terrain is difficult to navigate, work and survive in with the dense prickly bushes, and it's easy to get stuck in them, said Postma. In addition to this, the Marines faced additional hazards in the form of the midday heat, and a tree called the Manzanilla that when wet, will release a liquid from its leaves that causes blistering. "If it won't poke you, it'll poison you," said Lance Cpl. James Hazlett of Pittsburgh.


The final training event in the two-week drill was a team competition called the Nassau Run, and was by far the greatest challenge the Dutch Marines provided, according to Sgt. Michael Crivellaro of Pittsburgh. This consisted of six separate events spread throughout the middle of the island. Teams had to run from one challenge to the next. The first was a 200-meter swim, and the second event a "load carry" run up a small mountain where the eight-man teams had to carry five-gallon water cans to the top. Once there, they rappelled down the backside one by one.


When the team was assembled at the bay below, they boarded rubber craft and paddled to a concrete pillar some 60 meters offshore. There, they endured the "cat crawl," as they traversed the gap from the pillar to the pier by crawling a single rope on their stomachs. For every team member that fell in the water, four minutes was added to the team' s time, said Crivellaro. The sixth and final challenge was perhaps the easiest for the infantry platoon. It took them to the pistol range, where they fired five shots at a 10-inch circle at 15 yards. Once that was completed, they were within sight of the finish line, and thoroughly exhausted. " I haven't hurt this bad since boot camp," said Lance Cpl. Patrick Burgess of Pittsburgh, after crossing the finish line.


Overall, the time spent training with the Dutch helped both groups increase their tactical proficiency and prepared them for the task of combating terrorism. "The things we've done here, I think they definitely carry over to the war on terrorism. They've already linked al Qaeda to selling drugs, and that's the scenario right now. We're interdicting these terrorist cells that are working in cooperation with druglords - it's going on in the Middle East as we speak, so it' s definitely got some real world aspects to it that the Marines can take away from it," said Hamilton.



[img]http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200421210915/$file/catcrawl7042-low.jpg[/umg]

CURACAO, Netherlands Antilles --Lance Cpl. Justin McCrory of Kilo Co., 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment traverses a single rope for 60 meters over water in the fifth event of the Nassau Run, a test of endurance and teamwork. McCrory and other Marines took part in Dutch Bilat I, and trained with their counterparts from the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. Photo by: Cpl. Andrew Williams

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/CD7B96E7AAB60F4185256E380050CE2F?opendocument


Sempers,

Roger
:marine: