thedrifter
06-19-07, 02:42 PM
Marines from 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, II Marine Expeditionary Force, took on the rappel tower here June 5 in preparation for a deployment to Iraq.
The morning began with a class covering how to tie the harness, hold the rope, stop descending, and other basic rappel techniques. One of the main focuses of the class was how to brake. The Marines were taught how to brake by positioning their arms either in the small of their back, at three o’clock, or at noon straight in front of them.
The class also covered how to be the belay person, the Marine who is at the bottom of the tower holding the rappel rope. If a Marine begins to descend too quickly, the belay man moves away from the wall forcing the rapeller to stop.
Even after the classes, several Marines were apprehensive about the rappel tower.
“This is my first time doing this,” said Pfc. Ryan Mcgregor, a fire support man, with the company. “I didn’t do this in boot camp.”
The Marines put on their harnesses and headed up to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower, many Marines became nervous as they got closer to the edge of the tower.
“I wasn’t nervous until I got up there, and then it hit me,” said Sgt. Brian Landrum, a fire support man with the company.
The first two rappels were slick runs, rappels without extra gear. Then the Marines added flack jackets and a pack weighing more than 25 pounds. The added weight was to give the Marines a better idea of what the situation would be like in combat.
“It was harder to stop with the extra gear,” Mcgregor said. “The extra weight made maintaining footing and balancing a challenge.”
The next portion of the tower involved rappelling from a skid, simulating rappelling from a helicopter. This portion of the training was particularly important to the company.
“This training is so we can support a recon unit, an Army unit or any other unit who is going in aerially,” said Capt. Justin Twigg, a helicopter rope suspension training master with the company. “We can go with them the first chance we have. So they don’t have to train us. Everyone will already know the basics.”
The final part of the rappel tower was the fast rope. The Marines were issued bright red leather gloves specifically for the fast rope. Then they were shown how to maintain three points with of contact on the rope with their boots, thighs and hands.
The Marines jumped from the tower to the rope in sticks of five Marines. One Marine jumped after the other about seven seconds apart to simulate aerial assaults. The Marines were instructed to spread their legs apart so they could easily absorb the impact of the fall. Then they would quickly move from the area of the rope, so the next Marine would not land on top of them.
The training the Marines received on the tower helped prepare the company for any possible aerial operations in Iraq.
“This training will prepare them for raids with special insertion,” Twigg said. “We can go in with a combat load and flack and be able to do it in a combat environment.”
The training also has another positive side effect. Outside of keeping the Marines alive it helps with their morale.
“This is good for the Marines and their confidence,” Lanrum said. “It’s really good for such a small unit, and it’s good for team building.”
The morning began with a class covering how to tie the harness, hold the rope, stop descending, and other basic rappel techniques. One of the main focuses of the class was how to brake. The Marines were taught how to brake by positioning their arms either in the small of their back, at three o’clock, or at noon straight in front of them.
The class also covered how to be the belay person, the Marine who is at the bottom of the tower holding the rappel rope. If a Marine begins to descend too quickly, the belay man moves away from the wall forcing the rapeller to stop.
Even after the classes, several Marines were apprehensive about the rappel tower.
“This is my first time doing this,” said Pfc. Ryan Mcgregor, a fire support man, with the company. “I didn’t do this in boot camp.”
The Marines put on their harnesses and headed up to the top of the tower. At the top of the tower, many Marines became nervous as they got closer to the edge of the tower.
“I wasn’t nervous until I got up there, and then it hit me,” said Sgt. Brian Landrum, a fire support man with the company.
The first two rappels were slick runs, rappels without extra gear. Then the Marines added flack jackets and a pack weighing more than 25 pounds. The added weight was to give the Marines a better idea of what the situation would be like in combat.
“It was harder to stop with the extra gear,” Mcgregor said. “The extra weight made maintaining footing and balancing a challenge.”
The next portion of the tower involved rappelling from a skid, simulating rappelling from a helicopter. This portion of the training was particularly important to the company.
“This training is so we can support a recon unit, an Army unit or any other unit who is going in aerially,” said Capt. Justin Twigg, a helicopter rope suspension training master with the company. “We can go with them the first chance we have. So they don’t have to train us. Everyone will already know the basics.”
The final part of the rappel tower was the fast rope. The Marines were issued bright red leather gloves specifically for the fast rope. Then they were shown how to maintain three points with of contact on the rope with their boots, thighs and hands.
The Marines jumped from the tower to the rope in sticks of five Marines. One Marine jumped after the other about seven seconds apart to simulate aerial assaults. The Marines were instructed to spread their legs apart so they could easily absorb the impact of the fall. Then they would quickly move from the area of the rope, so the next Marine would not land on top of them.
The training the Marines received on the tower helped prepare the company for any possible aerial operations in Iraq.
“This training will prepare them for raids with special insertion,” Twigg said. “We can go in with a combat load and flack and be able to do it in a combat environment.”
The training also has another positive side effect. Outside of keeping the Marines alive it helps with their morale.
“This is good for the Marines and their confidence,” Lanrum said. “It’s really good for such a small unit, and it’s good for team building.”