Visit to Rockhampton North Special School

U.S. Prepositioning Ships The Pvt. Franklin J. Phillips is one of 36 MSC Maritime Prepositioning Ships. Prepositioned in ocean areas around the world, these ships carry military gear and cargo, and can quickly deliver vital equipment, fuel, and supplies to support U.S. war fighters at contingency sites. MSC operates more than 120 noncombatant ships daily around the world. The crews of all MSC ships are civilian mariners who are federal civil service employees or employed by companies under contract to the U.S. Navy. At the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) sealift operations in mid-March 2003, the command operated more than 210 ships, including chartered cargo ships and government-owned ships activated from reduced operating status. More than 165 ships directly supported OIF operations by carrying the heavy volume of equipment for war fighters or replenishing U.S. Navy ships at sea. MSC supports all branches of the U.S. military by transporting combat equipment and supplies, providing underway fuel and supply replenishment for the Navy fleets at sea, and providing operating ships for undersea surveillance and oceanographic missions. US. Military Sealift Command (MSC) prepositioning ship MV Pvt. Franklin J. Phillips (T-AK-3004) carried more than 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters) of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force’s tanks, humvees, and other equipment for Exercise CROCODILE in Queensland. Once the cargo was ashore, gurneys, operating tables, and X-ray machines replaced the combat cargo as the Marines transformed the ship into a makeshift hospital to test the feasibility of using the ship as a hospital during a conflict. The test results will assist U.S. Navy and Marine Corps planners in developing future operational plans.

During the exercise, Australian Army Cpl. David Thomas, RAAF Sqn. Ldr. Phil Dorvall, and two

U.S. Marines, Sgt. Ira Inniss and LCpl. Carlos Ramos, spent time with the children of Rockhampton North Special School in Rockhampton.

RAAF Sqn. Ldr. Dorvall noted, “The Australian and U.S. military have a strong role in the community. The children were very curious as to why there were so many helicopters flying around the area and why there were military personnel wearing different uniforms in the local area. We wanted to give them a chance to meet some of the military personnel and explain to them what we do when we work together.” “I love working with kids because I have a daughter back home and I miss her dearly,” said Sgt. Inniss while sitting with a group of smiling children.

A second group of students that met the service members were 13 to18 years old. Sqn. Ldr. Dorvall told the children that the U.S. Marines “. . . are our allies and they are here to visit with you today and tell you all about what they do while they train with us in the bush.” He asked the students a question that excited them all. “Who would like to volunteer to have to have their face painted and wear the flak jacket?”

The service members applied camouflage paint to a student’s face while another student put on a Kevlar helmet and a flak jacket. Cpl. Thomas and LCpl. Ramos showed the students the MRE field rations consumed by the two allies. The Marines heated the MREs using a flameless heating device packed into each meal bag. The students then sampled several MREs.


Cathy Thinee, a special education teacher at the school, said, “The time the Marines took out of their schedule to pay us and our children a visit answered all of these children’s questions and made their presence even more real. This shows the Marines are such nice people, and now the students realize what kind of people do the jobs Marines must do. We . . . cannot express how much we appreciated this visit today.”

Conclusion
Exercise CROCODILE 2003 successfully integrated Australian and U.S. forces, enhancing interoperability through the wide range of demanding military and logistics activities. The lessons learned will enhance their preparedness for future operations. Both forces will incorporate these lessons in future such exercises. According to Lt.-Col. Plant, Exercise TALISMAN SABRE will replace Exercise CROCODILE in 2005, and “we’re actually in the planning process for TALISMAN SABRE now.”

Young Rockhampton children climb on top of an Australian Light Armored Vehicle during Open Day. Photo by Pte. Jodie Richter, RAR