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thedrifter
02-08-07, 08:36 AM
CAMP SCHWAB, Japan (February 9, 2007) -- During the Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla., reconnaissance Marines and corpsmen swim close to 68,000 yards in what is arguably the most intense water training they will receive in their Marine Corps and Navy careers.

To ready for this course, 14 Marines with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, spent the past two weeks undergoing a pre-dive course.

Gunnery Sgt. Kris A. Rossignol, the training chief for 3rd Recon Bn., said the combatant diver course is important since a reconnaissance Marine's initial training only touches the basics of combatant diving and does not make the Marines dive qualified.

"The pre-dive course is here to wear them out and put them in shape physically and mentally, which will make them successful," he said.

From Jan. 29-Feb. 9, the Marines ran and did water aerobic exercises, such as treading water with two oxygen tanks, during the early-morning hours of each day.

In the afternoons, they often conducted open-water finning, or swimming with fins, in the Pacific Ocean. While finning more than 2,000 meters, the Marines wore load bearing vests with simulated ammunition and M-16A2 service rifles slung across their backs.

Rossignol said preparation is always a key element in the high-tempo reconnaissance field.

"As recon Marines, we need to go in once and complete our mission. Due to our high number of deployments and busy training schedule, we don't have the time to send these Marines and sailors to any school more than once. They need the best training before going so they can come out successful."

The course also included the fundamentals of dive medicine, dive tables and basic dive principles.

"They all need to know how to take care of another Marine if something goes wrong during the course and in real-world operations," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew O. Warner, a special amphibious reconnaissance corpsman with 3rd Recon Bn. "The classroom instruction just gave them a basic understanding of what recon corpsmen know."

Sgt. Hamid R. Razzazan, a team leader with the battalion, said the training also builds character.

"These guys are in the pool during the early-morning hours knowing that by the end of the day, they will be exhausted," Razzazan said. "This training not only helps them physically, but it also builds their confidence. To be able to think things through while in the water will make them know they can accomplish more than they think."

The Marines who participated in the strenuous training knew the course would be a challenge, explained Lance Cpl. Alexander E. Tice.

"For two weeks, we received a great challenge from good instructors," Tice said. "We all had a terrific time. Being in the water all day made us all really tired, but we definitely got the confidence we needed in order to be successful at the MCCDC."

Ellie