MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina -- Marines with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, conducted an intentional water jump exercise during wet silk training aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 24.
Twenty recon Marines completed an intentional water jump as part of wet silk training, which is a bi-annual requirement to better prepare them for future operations requiring them to dive. The training was designed to test the Marines’ ability to jump out of aircraft while wearing tactical flotation support systems, parachutes and swimming fins.
To prepare for the intentional water jump the Marines had to go through a qualification in which they had to demonstrate the ability to remove their equipment in the water. As a safety factor they also had to swim underneath a canopy, create an air pocket and show that they can trace the seam of the canopy to escape. The qualification simulated a parachute falling on top of a Marine in the water.
“With different environments, you have different capabilities of inserting that team into the mission itself,” said Staff Sgt. George Gordon, a parachute rigger. ”This is a way of building up their capability to have that flexibility to insert through whatever means necessary.”
After qualifying for the water jump, the Marines prepare their gear and board an aircraft to travel to the location where they will begin their training. The objective of the training was for the recon Marines to perform an intentional water jump into a body of water, recover a boat full of cargo and use it to perform an insert capability to go towards the beach.
When the Marines complete the training, the instructors know that they will have the ability to perform in any combat operation safely and effectively. The instructors, who guided the Marines during their training also aided them in their missions and helped them complete their objectives.
“The training went well,” said Cpl. Samuel Herzog, a Reconnaissance Marine participating in the training. “The support personnel who helped us conduct the training were greatly appreciated and they brought us one step closer to 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Commander’s readiness expectations of 2nd Recon Battalion by completing part of our mission essential task list.”