Before the
deployment: Camp Pendleton Marines train in a variety of
climates and locales for a WestPac deployment, including desert
training at Twentynine Palms
and Fort Irwin, CA,
cold weather training at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training
Center at Bridgeport, CA (image right), and amphibious training
at Camp Pendleton, CA (images below).
Life
aboard ship: For Marines, life aboard ship is very cramped.
Long lines are commonplace for chow, haircuts, the bank, and
more. Field days (thorough cleaning) are conducted regularly to
insure cleanliness and also to give Marines something to do. On
regular deployments, the fleet may stay out to sea for three
weeks or longer between port visits, though port stops are often
more frequent. But there are positives as well. There are places
on the ship for Marines to "hang out" and observe the ocean.
Sharks, dolphins, flying fish, and sometimes even whales near
Japan can be observed. At night, in the middle of the ocean a
thousand miles from land, you will probably never again see so
many stars. If you look closely, you can even see satellites
cruising across the sky. And of course, the ship takes you to very
interesting places, including Hawaii, the Philippines, Korea,
Hong Kong, Thailand, Guam and other places.
Rough
seas: Rough seas are often encountered, and sometimes the
fleet must outmaneuver typhoons and severe storms. The smaller
the ship, the more your ride will be up-and-down and
side-to-side. During rough seas, chow lines are considerably
shorter. There's a reason why there are windshield wipers on
this destroyer (image left).
Korea:
Training is often conducted in South Korea in areas near Pusan
and Pohang. Team Spirit is a large-scale annual exercise that
involves joint training with Korean military forces, including
these ROK (Republic of Korea) Marines (image right). These
exercises are a major irritant to North Korea. Except for a few
student protestors, the Korean people are very thankful for the
Americans' presence. South Koreans are very friendly, and will
often give food and even money to Marines and troops on training
exercises.
MEUSOC
