CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan -- Winding through dense jungle, twisting ravines and traversing near-vertical hills, a jungle endurance course is an invaluable training tool for service members in the Asia-Pacific region.

Marines and sailors with 9th Engineer Support Battalion are scheduled to complete the first of two loops of an endurance course at Camp Hansen in November, allowing service members across Okinawa to begin incorporating the challenges of the course into their daily training.

The Camp Hansen Camp Guard began construction on the route in July, turning over work to 9th ESB, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

This allowed the battalion to finish clearing the route and installing safety infrastructure to aid in crossing trail hazards.

“The two loops, which we call the north and south loops, will be opened at separate times,” said Maj. Andrew A. Merz, the coordinator for the construction of the endurance course and the officer in charge of Camp Hansen Camp Operations. “The southern loop is a mile-long portion of the course and is slated to be opened in November to the Marines. It includes several hills and creeks that Marines will have to conquer to complete the course.”

The two-mile northern loop is slated to open Jan. 1, 2014.

“The two courses are connected together in the center, creating a figure eight,” said Merz. “Both portions of the course are a good workout and have fantastic scenery for people to enjoy as they go through.”

The route was cleared exclusively through the use of hand tools, requiring exhaustive work to remove stumps and other obstacles in the dense undergrowth.

“This course has taken a lot of manpower just to get this far,” said Merz. “This land used to be part of the Central Training Area but was turned over to Camp Hansen.”

The Marines are focusing their full efforts on finishing the construction and expanding the training opportunities on the camp.

“We plan on working (hard) to get this course completed as soon as possible, so the Marines can start enjoying it,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua J. Evans, a platoon sergeant with Company A, 9th ESB. “This course will be an excellent addition to Camp Hansen that I’m sure people will enjoy.”

The battalion is also investigating the possibility of adding a land-navigation course and patrolling routes to the training area to further challenge participating units.

Camp operations is planning to publish an order explaining requirements and restrictions related to use of the training area following completion of construction.

For now, the course is expected to be open during daylight hours to groups of four or larger with no reservation required. This will allow commands to utilize the course for unit physical training and core-competency-skills training.

“This course may be short, but after going through just the north loop without all of the extra features, which will make it safer and more challenging, it was a good workout,” said Evans. “I can’t wait until we complete it, so I can have another opportunity to enjoy the challenges it brings.”
A section of the course is currently opened for patrol training and can be reserved for use by contacting Camp Hansen Camp Operations at 623-4649.