MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- Marines with 1st Brigade Headquarters Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade departed Camp Francis at Marine Corps Air Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Aug. 12, in the first of two convoys carrying the gear that filled out the camp and the combat operations center during Large Scale Exercise 2014.
LSE-14 is a bilateral training exercise conducted by 1st MEB to build U.S. and Canadian forces’ joint capabilities through live, simulated, and constructive military training activities from Aug. 8-14.
As the exercise came to an end, the Marines of 1st BHG, Combat Service Support Company, Motor Transportation and Engineers, began to wrap up last-minute logistics and started loading their trucks to return to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Motor Transportation’s responsibilities during the last part of the exercise consisted of physically carrying all gear used to support Camp Francis.
“We are packing up all extra gear and loading it up onto the trucks, getting it ready to take it back to [Camp] Pendleton,” said Sgt. Richard Love, a motor transportation operator with 1st BHG, 1st MEB. “We’re going to drop [the gear] off, bring the trucks back and get ready for the complete tear down of the entire exercise.”
Getting the trucks ready and moving back to Camp Pendleton is a joint effort.
“While the engineers tear [the camp] down, the heavy equipment operators load the gear up to the vehicles as supply inventories it all to make sure we’re taking the correct stuff back,” said Love.
The process of tearing down the camp, packing up and moving will take no longer than three days, added Love.
“Once the [gear] is loaded, it’s [Motor Transportation’s] job to secure it properly and make sure it’s road-worthy,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Caverly, a motor transportation office with 1st BHG, 1st MEB.
Before departing the camp, vehicles and their cargo need to be inspected by road masters.
“[Road masters] are usually motor transportations operations chiefs, who have a lot of convoy experience,” said Caverly. “It’s their job to process our request to go off base; they ensure we’ve done our operational risk management, manifests, and inspect that the cargo has been loaded safely.”
Caverly also said that it is important to take into consideration the civilian traffic on the road and make sure all movements are being performed in the safest way possible.
The movement will continue throughout the next few days with one last convoy leaving Camp Francis by the end of the week, closing yet another successful training event for the MEB.