Only a drill
17 December 2010
Marines use local airport for evacuation exercise
By NEIL YOUNG/The Daily News
Published: Friday, December 17, 2010 12:41 AM MST
BULLHEAD CITY — Approximately 60 U.S. Marines participated in an exercise at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport Thursday. It was a mock rescue of civilians, or “non-combatants,” being evacuated from a hot spot somewhere overseas.
There are several Marine Expeditionary units scattered around the world, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice in cases of civil unrest, war or natural disasters.
In September, Marines boarded and took control of a German-owned commercial vessel that had been captured by pirates, along the east coast of Africa.
“Marine Expeditionary Units are capable of various amphibious and tactical operations, as required by the needs of the mission,” said 1st Lt. Roy Crockett, there to ensure the safety and smooth operation of the exercise. “This is a continuation of a bigger exercise that’s been going on from the beginning of this month to train in other operations, in addition to non-combatant evacuations,” Crockett said.
There are several Marine Expeditionary units scattered around the world, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice in cases of civil unrest, war or natural disasters.
In September, Marines boarded and took control of a German-owned commercial vessel that had been captured by pirates, along the east coast of Africa.
“Marine Expeditionary Units are capable of various amphibious and tactical operations, as required by the needs of the mission,” said 1st Lt. Roy Crockett, there to ensure the safety and smooth operation of the exercise. “This is a continuation of a bigger exercise that’s been going on from the beginning of this month to train in other operations, in addition to non-combatant evacuations,” Crockett said.
The exercise in Laughlin was “not to train. This is to evaluate their performance,” he emphasized.
To assist in the exercise, 38 members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Training and Experimentation Group arrived Tuesday night from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. They slept on the floor of the airport’s terminal. The Marines awoke Wednesday, ready to play their roles as non-combatants, until bad weather intervened. The rescue team was unable to take off from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, requiring the exercise to be postponed until Thursday.
The exercise took just over two hours, beginning with the landing of Marine’s C-130 military transport and ending with its departure.
Evacuees played different roles, including mothers with infants, and a sight-impaired man with a service dog. The babies were dolls, and a stuffed toy served as a stand-in for a real canine. Babies, dogs and some unruly civilians provided a simulation of what the rescue team could encounter in a real-life situation. Other “glitches:” Two of the evacuees had no ID, which required verification, and one of the evacuees was unaccounted for. A sweep of the terminal revealed he was sleeping in a back room.
David Gaines, airport director, said the exercise benefitted his security unit. “Part of our ongoing training includes responding to different real-world scenarios and this exercise gives us an opportunity to go over some of the ground rules that we need apply to situations that are unusual from a security standpoint.”
The exercise was scheduled during the airport’s holiday down time. Currently, its commercial flights consist solely of guests flown in to vacation at Laughlin resorts.
To assist in the exercise, 38 members of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Training and Experimentation Group arrived Tuesday night from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. They slept on the floor of the airport’s terminal. The Marines awoke Wednesday, ready to play their roles as non-combatants, until bad weather intervened. The rescue team was unable to take off from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, requiring the exercise to be postponed until Thursday.
The exercise took just over two hours, beginning with the landing of Marine’s C-130 military transport and ending with its departure.
Evacuees played different roles, including mothers with infants, and a sight-impaired man with a service dog. The babies were dolls, and a stuffed toy served as a stand-in for a real canine. Babies, dogs and some unruly civilians provided a simulation of what the rescue team could encounter in a real-life situation. Other “glitches:” Two of the evacuees had no ID, which required verification, and one of the evacuees was unaccounted for. A sweep of the terminal revealed he was sleeping in a back room.
David Gaines, airport director, said the exercise benefitted his security unit. “Part of our ongoing training includes responding to different real-world scenarios and this exercise gives us an opportunity to go over some of the ground rules that we need apply to situations that are unusual from a security standpoint.”
The exercise was scheduled during the airport’s holiday down time. Currently, its commercial flights consist solely of guests flown in to vacation at Laughlin resorts.
