MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- The Marines of Security Cooperation Task Force Africa Partnership Station 2011 are well-prepared for the fact that the Atlantic Ocean can be as unforgiving as it is majestic.
The swim qualification that took place aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune recently was only one of many pre-deployment requirements that SCTF APS-11 Marines have completed to ensure operational readiness for their upcoming deployment along the western coast of Africa.
The course of instruction taught in the newly updated Marine Corps Water Survival Training Program employs various water survival skills to provide Marines with the ability to survive in water with a reduced sense of fear and higher level of self confidence. This annual training obligation is mandatory for all Marines, regardless of deployment status or rank.
“It’s important for all Marines to stay abreast of this training to be ready for what could possibly occur,” said 1st Sgt. Edwin Maldonado, senior enlisted advisor for the SCTF. Maldonado recently renewed his water survival training at the Area 5 pool aboard the base.
“It ties back to our amphibious and naval roots and has helped Marines who have fallen overboard in the past,” he added.
On November 23, 1995, Lance Cpl. Zachary Mayo fell through the railing of USS America’s open-air platform. One hundred miles from land or any semblance of another United States naval vessel, Mayo spent 36 hours staying afloat using the techniques he had learned during combat water survival training before being discovered by nearby Pakistani fisherman.
The water survival skills Mayo employed are important to the APS-11 task force specifically, as the SCTF Marines will soon be engaging in partnered amphibious training and theater force assistance exercises with several African partner nations over the course of their deployment.
Though water survival training will not be a part of the military-to-military exchange, the skills are paramount to the inherently amphibious nature of Marines, who have been called upon time and time again to operate in aquatic environments.