NAVY ANNEX STUMP NECK, Md. -- Most Jane Wayne Days consist of rifle ranges, combat training and various other Marine centric activities, but at Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Jane Wayne Day took on a different mission.
Marines and sailors’ spouses got a taste of what their service member does for a living at CBIRF, which often times include exhausting physical training and wearing lots of personal protective equipment. Spouses participated in different training evolutions including confined space drills, rappel tower exercises and SKED [stretcher] drag races, May 29, during CBIRF’s Jane Wayne Day.
“It’s a good thing for my wife to come out here, put on the bomb suit, get on the repel tower and shoot the pistol,” said Sgt. James Lawracy, consolidated memorandum receipt clerk, CBIRF. “She did a pretty good job.”
Jane Wayne Day helps spouses understand what it takes to be a Marine beyond the strenuous physical training Marines are notorious for. The spouses got a chance to interact with other military spouses and do something not many civilians get a chance to experience.
“With Jane Wayne Day, you can say ‘I’m a military wife, and I did [Jane Wayne Day]’, whereas most civilians can’t say they’ve experienced Jane Wayne Day,” Natalie Genrich said. “[Spouses] can experience a different part of their [service member’s] work day. If there’s an emergency, you know that’s what he’s been trained for. You can understand why he’s gone so much,” Genrich said.
One Marine’s girlfriend said she could better understand what the Marines and sailors go through to be emergency responders.
“Their face masks are really uncomfortable, and I don’t know how they can crawl around in confined spaces with their gas masks on,” said Ruth Hoskins. “That was the hardest part.”
For the Marine Corps, Jane Wayne Day is a useful tool, because it increases support for the Marines and sailors.
“I can better support him, if I know what he’s going through,” Hoskins said.
Jane Wayne Day proved to be beneficial for not just the spouses of CBIRF Marines and sailors but the Marines themselves, increasing their partners understanding of CBIRF operations.