SEKIYAMA TRAINING AREA, NIIGATA PREFECTURE, Japan -- Marines with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force service members with 2nd Infantry Regiment, 12th Brigade, brought Exercise Forest Light 14-2 to a close March 8 at Sekiyama Training Area, Niigata prefecture, Japan.
Forest Light 14-2 was a two-week long, bilateral exercise between the JGSDF and U.S. Marine Corps, focusing on cold-weather training and enhancing interoperability between the two forces.
The participating Marines of Company I, 3rd Bn., 1st Marines, are currently assigned to 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, under the unit deployment program.
During the closing ceremony, U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Bradford W. Tippett, the commanding officer of the battalion, addressed the units and congratulated them on a job well done.
“Each member of the (JGSDF) 2nd Infantry Regiment, and 3rd Bn., 1st Marines, should be proud of the work that went into planning and executing this exercise,” said Tippett. “I saw a great deal of hard work and open minds these past two weeks. I am confident in saying that each of you gave your best effort, and as a result our training was successful.”
The Marines, also known as the “Thundering Third,” trained with their JGSDF counterparts to improve their mission readiness in cold-weather environments in a bilateral setting.
“From the time that we come into the Marine Corps, we are trained to fight in any clime and place,” said U.S. Marine Sgt. Kertis Grimmer, a squad leader with the company. “Coming here, and doing this kind of training with a force that is comfortable working in this environment, readies us to be able to fight in every clime and place.”
During the exercise, the Marines learned valuable techniques such as how to ski during combat patrols, successfully search and rescue a person trapped in the snow, and build snow-survival shelters, according to Capt. David T. Fenbert, the commanding officer of the company.
Throughout the training, Marines and JGSDF members were able to bond and learn from each other’s cultural differences and overcome communication hurdles, according to Tippett.
As the ceremony came to an end, Tippett left the Marines and JGSDF members with positive words on the exercise and a hopeful look to the future.
“Men, you did a great job these past two weeks,” said Tippett. “You trained hard. You shared openly with one another. In the end, we are all stepping away from Sekiyama Training Area as better service memb