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ARTP 13-2 commences

29 Aug 2013 | Sgt. Anthony Kirby Marine Corps Installations Pacific

Marines with Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, will begin artillery relocation training Aug. 26 in support of Artillery Relocation Training Program 13-2 at the Ojojihara Maneuver Area, Sendai, Japan.

The battery training includes using artillery and small-arms live-fire, along with basic field training to enhance combat readiness and to increase its ability to provide indirect fires in support of infantry units.

The ARTP promotes regional stability and security by allowing units stationed on Okinawa to maintain their ability to support III Marine Expeditionary Force’s role in the U.S-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. ARTP also helps sustain unit proficiency in all weapons systems used by artillery units.

“My overarching goal for Battery C, the battalion and all the augments going up there is to get better,” said Lt. Col. Jason P. Brown, the commanding officer of 3rd Bn., 12th Marines. “We’re pretty good now, but we can always grow and get better.”

Japan’s weather and climate will play a significant role in the training and especially during the live-fire portion according to Lance Cpl. Walter D. Sweet Jr., a field artillery cannoneer with the battalion.

“There is a big difference between the dry heat of Afghanistan, the volcanic rocks in Hawaii and the hills and jungles of Japan,” said Sweet. “This difference adds a new, challenging element to the training.”

The Marines of the battalion understand the importance of the training and how much the Marine Corps and government of Japan have invested into it, according to Brown.

“This really is the (goal) of 3rd Bn., 12th Marines, when it comes to fulfilling our obligation to the defense of Japan and the defense of U.S. interests in the Pacific,” said Brown. “From here on out, every moment is a moment to train and get better.”

The battalion is scheduled to return to Okinawa in mid-September, and during the weeks of training they plan to grow as an artillery unit and continue to build the battalion as a team, according to Brown. 

“At the end of this training, I hope the Marines can look back and say, ‘I got better personally, and I got better professionally,’” said Brown.