WTI exercise Friday at Kiwanis Park
Yumans can keep their eyes on the skies or join the crowd of spectators as Marines engage in a training exercise Friday at Kiwanis Park and other locations throughout the area.
Marine Air Weapons and Tactics Squadron-1 (MAWTS-1) will conduct a foreign humanitarian assistance exercise as part of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course. About 240 students will take part in the exercise.
“It’s very common for the people who are currently at this school to have to go out there and be involved in things like earthquake relief, disaster response or in some cases, going into an embassy in a country that is experiencing some sort of instability,” said MAWTS-1 Commanding Officer Col. James Wellons at a press conference held at the squadron’s headquarters on Tuesday.
According to exercise coordinator Capt. Michael “Piper” Harper, five different aircraft will be used in Yuma, including the UH-1Y Huey and CH-53 Super Stallion.
At around 4 p.m. the first aircraft is scheduled to launch from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and will land a short time later at Kiwanis Park, 1791 S. Magnolia Ave. The park will serve as the primary site for the exercise. Aircraft will be taking off and landing in Yuma following the first landing until about 10:30 p.m.
Additional landing sites include Trinity Christian Center, 4309 W. 16th St., Crane Middle School, 4450 W. 32nd St., and Centennial Middle School, 2650 W. 20th St.
Without interfering with medical emergencies, aircraft will also be picking up “wounded” persons and transporting them to Yuma Regional Medical Center.
“There is no substitute for a realistic urban training environment such as an actual city,” Harper said. “It’s a great experience for our students since they are going to be called to do it potentially within the next few months once they deploy and once they graduate the course.”
Wellons noted that the exercise on Friday includes a non-combatant evacuation that will also occur in Twentynine Palms, Calif. The evacuation will serve to prepare the students for real-world incidents that require a quick reaction force to extract personnel from hostile situations.
For the exercise in Yuma, Marine students will develop a plan to insert security forces and medical personnel, deliver supplies and distribute food, provide onsite medical care, and call in additional Marines for reinforcements and extraction.
During the training roleplayers dressed as civilians will be on-site and will serve as individuals who are in need of aid or act as agitators. Harper added that they will be wearing reflective belts to distinguish them from other civilians in the area.
Community members are invited as spectators. For safety, Harper asks that those who come to watch the exercise follow the instructions and directions of local authorities and exercise personnel.
Also on-site will be United States Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign disaster assistance personnel, members of the Marine Expeditionary Firefighting and Rescue unit, as well as Yuma and military police.
Those participating in the exercise will adhere strictly to all Federal Aviation Administration regulations such as flying a minimum of 500 feet above any populated areas over the city except during takeoff and landing. In addition, they will stay in communication with airport traffic control at all times.
Commanders who are responsible for safety will be at each site and will work with local police.
Wellons said MAWTS-1 WTI training has been taking place in Yuma for over 30 years. The area, he noted, provides clear skies for the exercise and plenty of open areas.
“It’s a really wonderful place to train with a great, supportive and patriotic community,” Wellons said.