CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan -- As dirt is catapulted over their heads, Marines level out trails along a winding, obstacle-filled path carved through the Okinawa jungle.
Marines assigned to Camp Hansen Operations added finishing touches, including signs and trail maintenance, to the Medal of Honor Endurance Course Oct. 8 at Camp Hansen.
“The purpose of the course is to have an additional type of physical training atmosphere on the camp instead of just running on the road or doing the (obstacle) course,” said Gunnery Sgt. Angel Guzman, from Chula Vista, California, currently serving as the operations chief with Camp Hansen Operations, Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Installations Pacific-Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler Japan. “It’s high intensity tactical training; you get a full-body workout.”
The construction of the course began in July 2013, and now consists of various exercise stations along the length of the trail with descriptions of Medal of Honor recipients from the Battle of Okinawa.
“The overall theme of the course is going to be the Medal of Honor Endurance Course,” said Sgt. Daniel Carroll, the administrative chief for Camp Hansen Operations. “This way, units and squads can gather, reflect and read the citations from battles on Okinawa.”
The three mile course upholds unit readiness and the Marine Corps tradition to fight in every clime and place, according to Lance Cpl. Jean Melendez, an intelligence specialist currently assigned to Camp Hansen Operations.
“The infantry Marines use it for patrolling exercises,” said Melendez, from Caguas, Puerto Rico. “The course really helps deploying units (complete) jungle warfare training and overcome obstacles.”
The Marines who built the course are in a constant battle with the jungle, fighting the overgrowth weekly using hatchets, picks, and shovels.
“The most difficult part is maintaining the course, and then clearing out all the areas that keep growing,” said Carroll. “The vegetation is unrelenting in the summer, so it keeps growing back.”
Although maintaining the course can be cumbersome, it offers the Marines who run the course a new avenue to step outside their comfort zone.
“The most rewarding part is that Marines can utilize the course to do something other than the normal physical training,” said Carroll, from Cinnaminson, New Jersey. “Marines currently here, and Marines to come, are able to run through a jungle environment with natural obstacles.”
An official opening ceremony is slated for the end of October, according to Carroll.
The endurance course is open daily from 6-8:30 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. without a reservation. After hours, the course can be reserved at the Camp Operations Office, Building 2860 on Camp Hansen.