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January–April 2014 Engineer 33 arrived safely at Camp Lejeune, ready to begin training the next day. The training schedule for the week split 2d Platoon into two sections. The frst section would work with the Marine MGB platoon for 2 days and then train with the IRB platoon for another 2 days. Training for the second section mirrored that schedule. On the frst day, physical training was conducted at 0500. Soldiers and Marines formed up side by side to quickly march 3 miles to the endurance course, which is a 4-mile route through a swamp with mud pits and obstacles to tra- verse. After completing the grueling course and getting a quick shower, the platoon split into sections to train with the two Marine platoons. The 502d cannot train with the MGB regularly because it is not a part of the unit inventory at Fort Knox. Since training on the MGB usually consists of an annual trip to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, any extra hands-on time is invaluable in keeping Soldier skills up to standard. The main event, however, was training on the IRB. At Fort Knox, there is only one good location—the Ohio River— to train with the IRB. While the fast current and a small boat slip make the river an ideal location for raft operations training, it is simply too wide and busy with civilian traffc to use for bridge operations training. At Camp Lejeune, the distance from the boat slip at Engineer Point to the other side of the waterway is 1,000 feet—the longest distance the Marine Corps expects to bridge. The seven interior bays that the Army platoon brought with them were needed to help bridge the span because the equipment organic to the Marine Bridge Company can only span about 800 feet. Soldiers and Marines worked hand in hand to drop the bays into the water, where the Marine bridge erection boats maneuvered them. After about 2 hours of intense labor, the full enclosure was complete and vehicles began to move across the bridge. Normally, a 2-hour construction time would be too long for a bridge of this size, but the Soldiers and Marines had to get acclimated to the techniques used by their counter- parts. This is the main reason that more units should cross- train with other Services and units at different posts. Not only would units be able to take advantage of training areas and opportunities not normally available to them, but they would also get to learn how different people operate. "Train as you fght" has become the mantra for the U.S. military, and Soldiers do not fght exclusively alongside other Army personnel. Soldiers and Marines need more training time together in garrison to work together more effectively while overseas. Training at Camp Lejeune was an invaluable experience for the Soldiers of the 502d MRBC. It gave them valuable insight into the way Marines work and let Soldiers have hands-on experience with a newer type of bridge erection boat. Training like this could easily shave minutes from a joint bridge build. At a build site that is sus- ceptible to direct and indirect fre, those few min- utes could mean the difference between life and death. Cutting the amount of time that Soldiers and Marines are exposed on the water is an extremely important factor in the success of any bridging mission. The 502d MRBC is excited to continue the rela- tionship formed during Hurricane Sandy disaster relief operations last year and is planning another bridge exercise with the Marine Bridge Company. This will enable further cross-training as Marines from the MGB platoon get experience working on the Army's dry support bridge. First Lieutenan a platoon leader with the 502d MRBC, 19th Engineer Battalion. He holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering Soldiers and Marines haul a piece of an MGB during training. Soldiers and Marines prepare to start the Marine Corps endurance course. EN Crimmins.1.indd 36 3/12/2014 1:15:14 PM