MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER, BRIDGEPORT, Calif. -- Collectively, there are thousands of years of active duty experience among the 900-plus Marines from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, assigned to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, who are currently conducting training exercises at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
But perhaps no Marine here, with the exception of instructors or former instructors, has seen more of Bridgeport’s rugged training landscape than Sgt. Jason Butler, 1/3 assistant operations chief and a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, who is making his fifth appearance at MCMWTC. This training site is considered by many to be the toughest proving ground outside of actual combat in the Marine Corps.
“I first came out here from Camp Pendleton in ‘97 with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, as a young pfc,” said Butler. “It turned my world upside down that first time. I had no impact, no idea. Now I’m considered an old vet at Bridgeport. I know these mountains. Not enough to conquer them, no man can do that, but enough to survive them and to help others survive them.”
This pre-deployment exercise marks the third time Butler has trained in Bridgeport with a battalion. He also attended the Mountain Leaders Course and the infamous Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape Course here as well.
“Having a seasoned Marine in Bridgeport with experience in the mountains like Sergeant Butler gives us insight into what works and doesn’t work out here,” said Capt. Jer Garcia, 1/3 assistant operations officer and a native of Honolulu. “In fact, he is considered so valuable by the command that we’ve got him in the Command Operating Center filling the COP (command operational picture) billet. What that means, basically, is that Sergeant Butler knows what’s going on with all facets of this training, from tracking where the troop movements are taking place to what and how many supplies they need to accomplish the training mission. We needed someone who understands the big picture out here, and he fits that bill perfectly.”
If Butler understands the “big picture,” then it might be safe to say his wife, Melody, understands the “big screen.”
“My wife appeared in two episodes of “Lost” last season,” said Butler. “She’s trying to break into acting and has also been in several commercials. I’m so proud of her because she does it all while raising our two daughters, Madison, who is nine years old, and Macy, who is seven years old, while at the same time running her own business.”
It seems like Madison may take after her mother, while, according to Butler, Macy appears to be more a “chip off the old block.”
“Madison recently appeared in a television commercial that aired locally in Hawaii,” he said. “But Macy says she wants to join the Marines when she’s older.
“We’ll see.”
For Butler, the most difficult aspect of being a Marine is not the rigors of an arduous training regime, but rather, the long periods of separation from his family.
“The deployments are getting better now, since my girls are old enough to understand why Daddy has to go — but it’s still hard. What makes it all worth it is knowing that I’m doing my part to ensure that my children are able to grow up in a country that is free, where they can be anything they want to be,” said Butler. “When I was a little kid, I didn’t want to be an astronaut, fireman, policeman or pro football player like all my friends. I wanted to be a doctor. That hasn’t happened yet, but I haven’t given up on that dream. I feel like I’ve learned so much about first aid and treating and evacuating injured Marines here that I could kind of qualify as a ‘Mountain Medicine Man.’ I just want my daughters to be able to have their dreams come true.”
Part of Butler’s motivation in joining the Marine Corps instead of going straight to college and medical school was the deep sense of responsibility he felt in carrying on his family’s legacy of serving the Corps.
“My great-grandfather was a Marine and served in China during the Boxer Rebellion and in World War I. My grandfather was in the Corps in the Pacific during World War II, and my father did three tours in Vietnam as a Marine,” said Butler, now himself a fourth-generation Marine. “I never felt like it made me better than anyone else. I mean, a Marine is a Marine, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t give me a sense of pride.”
That sense of pride carried by Butler, whether accomplishing a task his superiors place in front of him, or helping a younger Marine become a better Marine, is something that doesn’t go unnoticed by those who serve with him, or by the promotion board for that matter. Butler was selected to pick up staff sergeant on Sept. 21, and will most likely pin on his new rank either Saturday, or when 1/3 returns to Kaneohe Bay.
“Having any Marine, no matter what their rank, like Sergeant Butler, is a great asset. But the fact that he is an NCO, and soon to be Staff NCO, helps me out dramatically here, because he’s endured the conditions in Bridgeport, and he knows how important small-unit leadership is in a mountain environment,” said Gunnery Sgt. Steven Brunner, company gunnery sergeant for 1/3’s Headquarters & Service Company and native of St. Petersburg, Fla. “His experience in this environment provides us with a source of knowledge for all Marines here, from officer to Staff NCO to junior Marines.”
If anyone should know how vital it is to have a Marine like Butler with experience in the harsh environment that is Bridgeport, it is Brunner. As a sergeant, he served here as a sergeant instructor, teaching mountain operations at MLC from 1992 to 1997, and then as a staff sergeant and gunnery sergeant. He did another tour here from 2001 to 2004, finally departing as the chief instructor for the entire training facility before making a permanent change of station move to Hawaii and 1/3.
But even those who are deployed to Bridgeport for the first time have gained from Butler’s tutelage.
“Myself and the majority of the Marines, especially the lance corporals and below, have never been here before,” said Lance Cpl. Ivan Barnes, a 1/3 machine gunner from Altus, Okla. “It’s all new to us, and there is so much to learn. It helps having someone like Sergeant Butler around to show us the ropes.”
There is another reason Barnes is glad to be serving with Butler.
“Sergeant Butler is a big, strong guy, and you know when he is telling you something that he means business,” said Barnes. “But every now and then, when he is correcting us or guiding us, he’ll crack a smile and ease the tension. The Marines under him really appreciate his approach. He gives us respect, and we respect him even more for it. I hope I can be that kind of sergeant someday.”