Photo Information

Sgt. Andrew Rodriguez, a squad leader with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, leads a squad of Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, during a training exercise at Gun Point One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 3, 2012. Rodriguez was one of several infantry Marines to assist in CLR-25’s training exercise due to his knowledge on the subjects covered during the duration of the event. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado)

Photo by Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado

Combat Logistics Regiment 25 calls on infantry Marines for guidance

5 Apr 2012 | Pfc. Franklin E. Mercado 2nd Marine Logistics Group

Marines and sailors work together on a combined front to defend their country, but not often do entities from two of the Marine Corps’ largest assets come together in a training environment.

The latter can no longer be said about 2nd Marine Logistics Group and 2nd Marine Division.

During Combat Logistics Regiment 25’s latest training exercise at Gun Point One aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., April 3, they called upon the help of infantrymen across 2nd MarDiv.

One of the Marines who served as an instructor was Sgt. Andrew Rodriguez, a squad leader with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment.

He employed his knowledge of weapon systems and patrolling to better asses classes for a platoon of logistics Marines left to him during the events.

“It was motivating,” Rodriguez said. “Being asked for my service to teach their Marines is phenomenal, because it shows that they want to learn.”

Rodriguez was also adamant about the squads willingness to learn from the infantrymen and their combat experiences.

“If you sweat and bleed now, you don’t have too sweat and bleed later,” he said. “This is potentially saving lives down range, because at one point in time all these Marines will end up deploying to a combat theater.”

Those experiences are part of the reason the unit contacted the infantry Marines. 2nd Lt. Jose Perez, a Marine with the regiment’s operations section, used a source to get the riflemen to join them in the regiments training.

“They are the resident experts,” Perez said. “They know what they’re doing. It’s their job and what they practice. We have other jobs we fill that are absolutely necessary but are not the same jobs.”

The exercise left a good impression on Perez, leading him to recommend it abroad.

“I would absolutely recommend this,” he said. “I think we learned a lot from each other. We are all Marines but we do different things on a day-to-day basis. The [infantry Marines] understand we have our own jobs and it’s important, but they were also able to see that we are willing to go out there and put in the effort toward things they do.”