CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan (Sept. 2, 2010) -- Marines and Sailors staged tactical vehicles in front of Peralta Hall, August 30. The vehicles will support the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s patrol of the Pacific-Asia region.
Humvee’s, Fast Attack Vehicles, Light Armored Vehicles, 7-ton trucks and military ambulances are being prepared for future movement to the point of embarkation.
“With our detailed embarkation, we’re usually able to move all vehicles and cargo from the respective camps to White Beach and onto the ships in a short amount of time,” said Capt. Yong Yun, Embark Officer with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Like any deployment, a lot of work goes into the embark process and getting ready to leave.
After vehicles and cargo are staged, an embark officer will place everything in convoy order and label the vehicles by priority, based on commander’s intent.
“During unload of the ships, priority-one vehicles and cargo will be the first to hit the beach,” said Staff Sgt. James McCurry, embark chief for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
McCurry added that the ships will be loaded in preparation for possible humanitarian and disaster relief assistance. The MEU did three real-world operations last year.
“This means that the first things to come off ship would be forklifts, food, water purification systems, as well as fuel and communication assets to stay in contact with the ship,” McCurry said.
After things have been placed in proper order, embark officers and assistants will conduct their inspections to make sure everything is secure and that each vehicle has a full tank of gas. Then, the unit will convoy down to the ships. Additional cargo will also be trucked to the ships via 7-ton trucks and commercial tractor trailers.
After arriving at the pier, all gear and cargo is inspected once more before being embarked on the ship. About 300 Marines, including drivers and a guard force, ensure the whole process happens successfully.