Marine Corps 'Devil Dogs' train with RED HORSE Airmen

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shaunlee Hostutler
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  As the Department of Defense moves towards more judicious fiscal spending, Kadena's 554th RED HORSE Squadron partnered with Engineer Operations Company Marines from Camp Foster's Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, battling budget woes by conducting joint training at Kadena's Silver Flag site.

The 554th RHS is a highly mobile and self-sufficient response force that specializes in rapid civil engineer deployment as well as heavy operational repairs. RED HORSE instructors hosted a week-long training camp for EOPS Marines, teaching various techniques in heavy equipment operation and rapid runway repair methods that are unique to the Air Force.

According to Major Lynn Moriarty, the 554th RHS DET-1 commander, joint training not only saves the Department of Defense money by combining efforts but also helps to build understanding and positive relations between sister services.

"In a fiscally constrained environment, this type of training enables us to support and develop the integration of joint operations between the Air Force and Marine Corps to better support future contingency or humanitarian missions across the Pacific," the commander said. "This training is the foundation from which we will build future successes."

Although U.S. Marines are commonly known as lean, mean, wrecking machines, the teams assigned to the RED HORSE camp proved to be more than a pack of destructive "Devil Dogs." Marine support squadron units, like the EOPS Company, are a key but often unsung logistical component in Marine aircraft wings, or MAWs.

Marine Staff Sgt. Frederick Henson, the company gunnery sergeant for MWSS-172, explained how his Marines are responsible for general engineering operations and construction projects at home station and in deployed environments.

"EOPS Marines provide the MAW with various capabilities from the construction and maintenance of airfields and landing zones to demolition operations, explosive and non-explosive obstacle removal, and airfield damage repairs," he said. "In a nutshell, without MWSS units, MAWs wouldn't be able to fly sorties of any kind and would thus be mission incapable."

The training provided by Kadena's RED HORSE Squadron not only saves Department of Defense dollars, it also provides Marines a unique opportunity.

"Airfield repair is one of the cornerstones of our mission at MWSS-172," the Marine staff sergeant continued. "The Marine Corps doesn't have a facility in the states where we can conduct rapid runway repair. Having the opportunity to train our young (non-commissioned officers) and junior Marines in rapid runway repair at the RED HORSE facility greatly improves our capabilities, making us a force multiplier within 1st Marine Aircraft Wing."

Tech. Sgt. Russell Jamieson, a RED HORSE cadre, said that while many of the junior Marines lacked experience, instructors at the squadron were impressed with their "go get 'em" attitude.

"The Marines came here with a lot of motivation and they were willing to learn our methods," the instructor said. "Although they didn't have much experience with certain areas, they picked up concepts relatively quickly and were able to apply those new skills immediately."

Sergeant Jamieson explained how he and other cadres would like to see Marines at the RED HORSE facility more often, emphasizing how training like this can help the DoD to successfully execute future missions.

"To ensure construction operations are accomplished effectively and with minimal adverse impact, joint training is a necessity," Sergeant Jamieson added. "It fosters a better working relationship and understanding between the services and is the best way we can become familiar with how our sister services operate."