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THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 2012
Don’t litter, or don’t drive
Officers share knowledge with NROTC students
LANCE CPL. SCOTT W. WHITING
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott W. Whiting
A group of midshipmen listen intently as 1st Lt. Brian Coleman, an infantry officer, discusses various aspects of the military with them during a dinner and military occupational specialty mixer aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River July 26. The midshipmen enjoyed a relaxing dinner after a long week of training aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. LANCE CPL. SCOTT W. WHITING Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
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idshipmen in the Naval Reser ve Officer Training Corps wrapped up their week-long, educationpacked stay aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune July 26. The NROTC students took part in a dinner and a military occupational specialty mixer aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River and the opportunity to ask officers of various rates and occupations any lingering questions they had about jobs interesting them. Some midshipmen took advantage of the chance to ask officers all kinds of questions
about different jobs. Questions like ‘how is the job,’ ‘how does the job work day-to-day,’ ‘is it enjoyable,’ and ‘how long is the training’ were all commonly asked questions among the curious midshipmen. Others, who were not as curious, were just happy to have a relaxing meal and a break from Marine Week, which they pushed through since July 22. After a week of repelling, flying in helicopters, shooting and exercising, it was calming to enjoy good food and talk among friends. “It feels good to be able to sit back and enjoy a good meal after a long week of training,” said Midshipman Blake Wilson. “A lot of us had questions too, and it’s generous of the officers to take some time out of their evening to come talk to us.” On the contrast, the of-
Anyone driving on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune should think twice before they decide to throw that empty water bottle out the window. MCB Camp Lejeune has severe punishments for those who choose not to wait until they find a trash can. According to Base Order 5560.2N, a first offense for littering will result in a six month driving ban aboard the base. A second offense will land the offender an indefinite driving suspension aboard MCB Camp Lejeune. “Anyone who litters will also come see me,” said Sgt. Maj. Ernest Hoopii, sergeant major of Marine Corps Installations East – MCB Camp Lejeune. “Littering hurts us all,” he continued. “It’s an eyesore. It’s a direct insult to our base’s service members and civilians who work to keep Camp Lejeune clean. In addition, littering is also a hazard to wildlife and everyday livelihood.” Littering is counter-productive, Hoopii said. It takes manpower and money to clean up the mess that could have been prevented by simply throwing trash in the trash can. “Cleaning up the mess pulls Marines out of work and is an unnecessary expense,” Hoopii said. He hopes the strict consequences for littering will cause Marines to think twice about throwing something out of their car, resulting in a cleaner, more professional-looking Camp Lejeune.
Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott W. Whiting
A Marine officer and a midshipman converse about the pros and cons of different jobs in the military during a dinner and military occupational specialty mixer aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River July 26. ficers were more than happy for the midshipmen’s Marine to be there and give advice to Week of Career Orientation some of the future commis- and Training for Midshipmen sioned officers of the Navy and by Friday, they were on and Marine Corps. their way to Norfolk, Va., for The dinner was the last event Surface Warfare Week.
Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott W. Whiting
Littering anywhere on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune will land an offender a six-month driving suspension, with a second offense meaning an indefinite suspension.
Firefighters preview robot sidekick for HAZMAT LANCE CPL. NIK S. PHONGSISATTANAK Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Firefighters risk their lives to save others on a daily basis. They rush into collapsing buildings with smoldering hot temperatures, leaking chemicals and poisonous gases. In some cases, these conditions become too extreme and dangerous for a human to face alone. Firefighters from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defense specialists with 2nd Marine Division were given the opportunity to test out the Talon robot during a demonstration at the fire department training area aboard MCB Camp Lejeune July 30 and 31. The Talon was fitted with CBRN and explosives addons to meet the practical functions in a hazardous material environment. The tray-mounted detection capabilities included devices such as a joint-chemical agent, radiation detector and a non-invasive temperature probe. “The (Talon) can go in and detect chemical threats or other hazards before anyone is exposed to it,” said Steven W. Roberson, a regional product manager with QinetiQ. “Ninety percent of the time the system can take care of the hazard by itself with an operator working outside of the hot-zone, to find and mitigate threats. Additionally, if you have to commit a team down range to this, the platform then becomes a safety observer and a risk management tool for commanders because they can observe their team while they’re operating.” Commanders can communicate with a response team through a public address system mounted on the robot; four cameras provide live feedback to the operator’s laptop controller, offering another set of eyes. Commanders can alert teams to hazards or threats they spot on the monitor while they operate. The Talon is also capable of picking items up, and turning valves or circuit breakers with its manipulator arm. The arm is capable of picking up a 65-pound load,
n the robot pick up a 95but Roberson said he has seen pound artillery round. “If someone is down and there here is a medical emergenalties back to a safer area,” cy, the robot can drag the casualties n pull a fully dressed firesaid Roberson. “This robot can fighter, but it is dependent on the surface. You can also bot.” deploy a fire hose with the robot.” These robotic systems are a necessity because it is life-saving equipment, continued ued Roberson. It can save lives whether it’s operating thee detection instruments or observing rescuers. “I would not be talking to you today if it was not for the Talon robot,” said Roberson. “On my last tour to Iraq I lost five (Talons) to (improvised explosive devices).” The popularity of robotics has grown, spreading from m o their use on assembly lines to the frontlines of warzones. The Talon robot is currently tly used by departments across the mercountry. North Carolina’s emergency response team has four Talons. Around the country in New forMexico, Washington and Califor8 ronia there are approximately 18 partbots operating in their fire departments and police department bomb n. squads, according to Roberson. uld take up to an A hazmat team set up could hour, but these robots can bee sent down range in less
than five minutes, said Donald Topliff, a firefighter with Fire Department Station 6, Camp Geiger. They could possibly correct the situation long before you can have a hazmat team ready to go down range. “The fewer personnel you need to go down range, the
Photo by Lance Cpl. Nik S. Phongsisattanak
A firefighter from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune practices controlling the Talon robot during a demonstration at the fire department training area aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune July 30 and 31.
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