JUNGLE [CONTINUED FROM PAGE 57] The thing that has students at the
JOTC consistently tied up in knots, however, is, in fact, knots. “We teach them a total of 13 diff erent knots,” Bermudez says. “That seems to be the biggest challenge for most of the sol- diers who come through.” “Getting wet and rappelling —
that’s what we would consider the fun stuff ,” Jones explains. “It’s the more technical aspects that are going to challenge our soldiers the most.”
Every jungle is diff erent
Since the pivot was announced, Jones has noticed a renewed emphasis on instructor exchanges with allies in the Asia-Pacifi c region — which former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter called “the single, most conse- quential region for America’s future.” “Most of our partner nations, especially around the Ring of Fire, have a jungle school,” Jones says. “They love training with us, and we love training with them.” Since 2014, the Army has conducted “Pa- cifi c Pathways” exercises, which deploy soldiers to countries such as Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines. While contribut- ing to the development of strategic relationships, such exchanges also allow troops to train in a variety of diff erent environments.
“When I go to other schools in other countries, I have to remind myself that I’m not in my jungle anymore,” Bermudez says. In Ma- laysia, he had to contend with thick secondary and triple canopy as well
70 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2017
Jungle warfare training can occur in multiple locations across the Pacific, often in joint exercises with Asia-Pacific partner nations. U.S. troops learn survival strategies that include, from left, reading a compass at Andersen AFB, Guam; tucking into a live scorpion while training with Thai forces; start- ing fires with bamboo under the supervision of Philippine reconnaissance instructors; and patrolling the jungle alongside Malaysian soldiers.
as abundant wildlife. In Guam, it was spiders and heat. “Australia is known for having … nine of the 13 most dan- gerous snakes on the planet,” he says. “And there’s this bird — I can’t even pronounce the name.” “A cassowary bird!” Muirheive interjects. “It’s like a turkey on ste- roids. It has velociraptor claws that can disembowel men.” At some point during his train-
ing, Bermudez encountered a boa constrictor — in his sleeping area. That wouldn’t have happened in “his” jungle. The JOTC is rooted in what Muirheive calls “a pretty friendly jungle.” The centipedes are aggressive, and if you don’t like spiders or you’ve never come across a mongoose before, you might be in for a surprise, but there are no poi- sonous animals. The JWTC, on the other hand, harbors four diff erent varieties of venomous snake. Leptospirosis, a nasty bacterial infection, also can present a risk to students. Ferg- erson off ers reassurance, though, saying, “Marines are issued doxy- cycline as a preventative measure against possible leptospirosis, and the snakes are docile if left alone.” JWTC instructor Sgt. Preston
Davidson, USMC, adds banana spi- ders and poison sumac to the list of hazards at Camp Gonsalves in Japan,
along with what he calls “the obvi- ous” — weather and terrain. “Most [of ] our injuries are rolled ankles and slips and falls and the occasional bug bite,” says section leader Sgt. Casey E. Cliff , USMC. “Our most serious injuries are heat- related due to poor hydration and diet while training.” Fergerson takes the big-picture
approach. “The greatest challenge units face is adapting to the jungle environment,” he says. “Engage- ments in the jungle take place at extremely close range, negating fi re support, meaning unit leaders have to be tactically profi cient in maneu- vering units in restricted terrain. With the vegetation and terrain, you are lucky to have observation beyond 50 meters. You can walk within 5 meters of a camoufl aged enemy and never know he was there.” For servicemembers accustomed
to operating in desert or mountain terrain, training in these jungle con- ditions presents both a challenge and an opportunity. According to Jones, it also provides a new appreciation for what troops went through in World War II and Vietnam. “It unquestionably does,” he says.
— Christina Wood is a freelance writer based in Florida. Her last feature for Military Offi cer was “Easy Targets No More,” December 2016.
PHOTOS: SENIOR AIRMAN JOSHUA SMOOT, USAF; GUNNERY SGT. ISMAEL PENA, USMC; CPL. CODEY UNDERWOOD, USMC; LANCE CPL. JACOB BARBER, USMC
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