thedrifter
12-19-08, 07:49 AM
CAMP GONSALVES, Okinawa (December 19, 2008) -- Despite the current battles being fought on the concrete streets of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan, historically 80 percent of all conflicts involving the Marine Corps have been in tropical or jungle environments, according to 1st Lt. Mark R. Patridge, the assistant director of the Jungle Warfare Training Center at Camp Gonsalves. Although the battlefield appears to be evolving into an urban and desert setting, one place is dedicated to training America's military in jungle warfare.
The Jungle Warfare Training Center is the last of its kind.
It is the only military installation in the Department of Defense specializing in jungle warfare.
"It's a unique place because of the terrain and great training opportunities for Marines who come here because they learn skills they may find themselves using if deployed," said Patridge. "This isn't training for military personnel that might find themselves in a prisoner of war situation. We teach basic fundamentals so that if you go on a patrol in the jungle you have the basic tricks and tools of the trade to survive," he said.
The center was established in 1958 to train American forces in counter-guerilla tactics.
The school was renamed the Northern Training Area during the Vietnam War and the surrounding jungle was later designated Camp Gonsalves in 1986.
In 1998, the NTA was renamed the Jungle Warfare Training Center and it is currently surrounded by approximately 18,000 acres of single and double canopy jungle.
The center is divided into 10 areas that can facilitate the training of 1,000 personnel. It also has 23 helicopter landing zones throughout the area.
According to the staff, the center trains approximately 3,000 personnel annually to include infantry battalions from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's battalion landing team, air and logistical support units and various other units.
The center offers two courses in jungle warfare.
One of the courses is the Jungle Skills Course. The six-day course focuses on basic jungle combat skills like land navigation, patrolling and field skills for infantry and non-infantry units of 60 to 200 Marines.
The other is the Jungle Survival Course. This seven-day course focuses on starting fires, building traps, snares and shelters and preparing wild game captured in the jungle using materials found in the environment.
Despite its land size, JWTC's can only house 52 Marines and three corpsmen as part of its staff. It currently operates with only half those numbers.
About two-thirds of the center's personnel rotate every six months while the other third remain to pass on their knowledge to incoming Marines.
"We have people who get assigned here from units in 3rd Marine Division, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Base because no one gets permanent change of station orders here, only temporary duty for about six months," said Lance Cpl. Benjamin S. Burkett, a motor transportation chief at JWTC. "They can come from any military occupational specialty because there is no job training for instructing here at this center."
The center is currently developing a new course called the Jungle Leaders Course focusing on smaller elements such as squad and platoon level operations.
The center has a long standing history of training military personnel.
For more information or to train at JWTC call 622-2238.
The Jungle Warfare Training Center is the last of its kind.
It is the only military installation in the Department of Defense specializing in jungle warfare.
"It's a unique place because of the terrain and great training opportunities for Marines who come here because they learn skills they may find themselves using if deployed," said Patridge. "This isn't training for military personnel that might find themselves in a prisoner of war situation. We teach basic fundamentals so that if you go on a patrol in the jungle you have the basic tricks and tools of the trade to survive," he said.
The center was established in 1958 to train American forces in counter-guerilla tactics.
The school was renamed the Northern Training Area during the Vietnam War and the surrounding jungle was later designated Camp Gonsalves in 1986.
In 1998, the NTA was renamed the Jungle Warfare Training Center and it is currently surrounded by approximately 18,000 acres of single and double canopy jungle.
The center is divided into 10 areas that can facilitate the training of 1,000 personnel. It also has 23 helicopter landing zones throughout the area.
According to the staff, the center trains approximately 3,000 personnel annually to include infantry battalions from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's battalion landing team, air and logistical support units and various other units.
The center offers two courses in jungle warfare.
One of the courses is the Jungle Skills Course. The six-day course focuses on basic jungle combat skills like land navigation, patrolling and field skills for infantry and non-infantry units of 60 to 200 Marines.
The other is the Jungle Survival Course. This seven-day course focuses on starting fires, building traps, snares and shelters and preparing wild game captured in the jungle using materials found in the environment.
Despite its land size, JWTC's can only house 52 Marines and three corpsmen as part of its staff. It currently operates with only half those numbers.
About two-thirds of the center's personnel rotate every six months while the other third remain to pass on their knowledge to incoming Marines.
"We have people who get assigned here from units in 3rd Marine Division, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Corps Base because no one gets permanent change of station orders here, only temporary duty for about six months," said Lance Cpl. Benjamin S. Burkett, a motor transportation chief at JWTC. "They can come from any military occupational specialty because there is no job training for instructing here at this center."
The center is currently developing a new course called the Jungle Leaders Course focusing on smaller elements such as squad and platoon level operations.
The center has a long standing history of training military personnel.
For more information or to train at JWTC call 622-2238.