MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif., – When Marines head into battle, they move in fast and hard against the enemy, and sometimes the quickest way to receive supplies is by a quick drop-off from a CH-53E Super Stallion.

The Marines and sailors of Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 44, and a CH-53E Super Stallion, with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-772, polished their skills in both day and night exercises utilizing the exterior rigging in the mountainous terrain of Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center July 19.

Instead of using real equipment for the training, the Marines used a concrete block to practice hooking up and lifting equipment.

Since they were lifting concrete, they could focus on the basics and not have to worry about the straps getting caught on parts of the equipment. But there are still dangers with this training, said Capt. Sean M. Tremblay, the landing support officer with Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 44 and a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

“The two biggest worries we have is electrocution from the buildup of static electricity and being hit in the head by the wheels or the tires,” said Cpl. Walter Broadhurst, a non-commissioned officer in charge of Support Company, CLB-44 and a native of Charlotte, N.C.

As the training began, the Marines stayed focused and intent on using the training to the fullest extent.

“There may be a lot of us here for this training, but we are all learning how to work everything because when we are deployed, we might not have this many Marines to help us,” said Lance Cpl. Jaimie Rosa, a landing support specialist with Support Company, CLB-44 and a native of Augusta, Ga. “So we have to be familiar enough with the equipment and protocols so we could perform this short-staffed,” Rosa added.

After the day exercises were completed, the Marines immediately grabbed chemical lights and started marking the landing pad for night training.

During night training, the Marines usually attach the chemlights to stakes and shove them into the ground. But because of where they were training, they had to get a little creative to secure the lights onto the ground, Tremblay said.

Despite most of the Marines having never trained in a mountainous environment, and a few Marines that were cross-training from another occupational field, the training went off better than expected.

“The Marines have been performing amazingly, wbove what I have ever seen before, and we have some cross-training Marines under the helicopter with us,” Broadhurst said. “This is as close to a perfect exercise as you could get.”