Marines hone efficient embarkation abilities

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan -- Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 concluded its annual mobility exercise at Camp Foster Oct. 19.

The squadron's annual exercise simulates a contingency deployment and is designed to improve support to operations including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Readiness was the focus of the exercise, and all Marines with MWSS-172, a part of Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, played a role in its effectiveness.

The exercise used a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario to focus on individual and equipment readiness and prepare the squadron to rapidly deploy its capabilities in support of the MAW.

"The exercise really could be split into two separate parts. The first part was a validation of the personnel readiness of the entire squadron and made sure we were all ready to deploy. The second part simulated packing and marking all of the equipment and containers that we would embark in support of the MAW," said Capt. Mark Wlaschin, a logistics officer with the squadron. "The exercise was important because it was an in your face reminder for all of us as to why we are forward deployed to Okinawa and helped ensure that our squadron's personnel and equipment are ready to deploy."

After validating individual Marines' predeployment training requirements, the Marines staged, assessed and checked the equipment to make sure it was deployable. The embarkation Marines set a goal of 96 hours to have the equipment ready and met their goal, as all of the squadron's equipment was staged and ready to deploy.

"It's important that we complete this process as fast as possible to support the mission as soon as possible," said Sgt. Henry L. Iraheta, an embarkation specialist with the squadron. "Embarkation is a team effort, and having everyone on the same page is extremely important whether we are training or preparing for the real thing."

The exercise proved its importance as the embarkation Marines demonstrated their expertise by preparing all of the squadron's equipment for embarkation and deployment.

"Through these exercises, we always learn new and valuable lessons," said Lance Cpl. Forrest A. Rader, an embarkation specialist with the squadron. "This exercise employs and confirms our capabilities and better prepares us for whatever the future holds for the squadron."