More US troops arrive for military exercises in Luzon

By MARK LUOIE P. ROXAS And CELSO M. CAJUCOM, The Manila Times Central Luzon Bureau

PALAYAN CITY - At least 2,000 US Marines led by Col. Johnson Miller, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Okinawa, Japan, arrived on CH46E sea knight helicopters and met Thursday with 100 Philippine Marines who arrived on a C-130 transport plane at Fort Magsaysay's airstrip at 11 a.m.

A total 4,500 US Marine and Navy servicemen will participate in the 17-day military exercises with Philippine troops on talon vision and amphibious landing exercises in Nueva Ecija and Cavite.

Capt. Burrell Parmer, spokesman for the US contingent, said that US Marines and Navy men were flown here by batches from Okinawa and Sasebo in Japan.

Parmer said US military units involved in the Talon Vision and amphibious landing exercises include soldiers from the 31st Marine Expeditionary United of the US Marine Corps based in Okinawa and sailors from the Forward-Deployed Amphibious Ready Group of the Amphibious Squadron 11 of the Combined Task Force 76 of the US Navy. Some personnel of the task force have been deployed in Iraq.

Capt. Joselito Munar of the Philippine Air Force, spokesman for the Philippine contingent, said that US participating units are being joined by Armed Forces of the Philippines counterparts from the marine and air force branches.

US military aircraft involved the joint military exercises include the AV-8B Harriers jump jets, KC-130 Hercules cargo airplanes and several types of helicopters such as the twin-rotor CH-46 Sea Knights, CH-53D Sea Stallions UH-1N Hueys and the AH1W Super Cobra attack choppers.

The exercises include live fire exercises at the Crow Valley Firing Range in Capas, Tarlac, and Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

The exercises will be based mostly at Clark zone, but a simulated amphibious seizure of a hostile airfield will be conducted in Cavite.

The continuing RP-US military exercises have nothing to do with the US military activities in Mindanao, maintains the US and Philippine military.

The talon vision exercises are intended to conduct bilateral training between the Philippine and the US military to maintain readiness and sustain the long security assistance relationship between the two countries.

Parmer explained that US personnel may be allowed to go out on liberty to give them time to buy souvenirs or join organized events and tours.

The US government has also allocated some $100,000 for civil military projects of the American participants, which will include medical and dental missions as well as improvements on infrastructure, such as school buildings, and donations of school supplies, like books and computers, to selected communities.

 

 

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