Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Henderson
Construction Mechanic Constructionman Matt Adams, attached to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, traverses a mud-filled pit while participating in the endurance course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center (JWTC) aboard Camp Gonsalves in Okinawa, Japan on Feb. 17, 2017. JWTC exposes Marines and Sailors to training situations and environments unique to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region which sustain operational readiness and enhance forward deployed capabilities. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Adam Henderson/170217-N-WA189-538)
Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 took part in a jungle warfare training evolution at the Jungle Warfare Training Center (JWTC) on Okinawa Feb. 13-23.
Sixteen Seabees took to the Northern Training Area (NTA) at the remote JWTC on Camp Gonsalves to participate alongside Marines in the Basic Skills Course.
The rigorous 10-day course teaches the skills necessary to sustain combat operations in a jungle environment.
JWTC is a training camp run exclusively by Marine instructors to build confidence by introducing tough, team-building exercises to every service member who participates. For this particular course, the instructors pushed Seabees through a 3.4-mile jungle endurance course.
This was an excellent training opportunity for the Seabees of NMCB 5,. sSaid Construction Electrician 1st Class Yancey Barnes. Since the war died down we have been focused on construction and it feels good to get back into this mind set of war fighting capabilities and work with the Marines in this adventure.
The JWTC occupies 17,500 acres of jungle in the NTA. The hilly and rugged terrain, topped with single and double canopy forest has been challenging Marines and Sailors in the art of jungle warfare for more than 50 years.
The course focused on the practical application of skills such as first aid, communications, knot tying, rappelling, land navigation, and patrolling.
"The endurance course is an excellent team building exercise," said Gunnery Sgt. Rocky Bosman 2nd Battalion 5th Marine regiment. "It allows commanders to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their Sailors and Marines. Ultimately, it will provide a good indication of how well they will function under stress and physical exhaustion."
NMCB 5 is the forward deployed, Western Pacific NMCB, ready to support Major Combat Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. They provide general engineering and civil support to Navy, Marine Corps and joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, Calif., NMCB 5 has 14 detached sites deployed throughout the United States and Western Pacific area of operations.