CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan -- Marines with the Camp Hansen Camp Guard Detachment completed oleoresin capsicum (OC) training qualification on August, 16, 2017, in order to maintain mission readiness and to prepare new augments to properly use and employ OC spray.
Camp Guard augments train with OC spray, a non-lethal weapon used in cases of non-compliant non-aggressors. Experiencing the effects that OC has on a person enables Marines to effectively employ it while dealing with a suspect.
“It is extremely important for me and all my Marines to learn this because we have to know what we are dealing with,” said Sgt. Christopher Benoit, the Sergeant of the Guard for the Camp Guard detachment on Camp Hansen. “If we go out and we see someone who we need to subdue, and we need to use our OC spray, then we need to know the effects it has. We need to know how it is used, and we need to know how to do it safely.”
Camp Guard’s primary function is to provide security for the base alongside military police officers; this includes responding quickly to threats to the base and personnel and patrolling everything within sight or hearing.
“[This initiative] is a force multiplier for the military police,” said James Hammonds, the officer in charge for Camp Hansen Camp Guard detachment. “Whenever the military police need additional personnel, that is when Camp Guard steps in.”
The Camp Guard detachment consists of Marines from different occupational specialties, which requires diverse and extensive training to prepare them for any situation. This includes instruction in escalation of force, crowd control methods, non-lethal weapons employment and suspect detention techniques, known as mechanical advanced control training.
“Mechanical advanced control training allows the troops to deal with an individual who is non-compliant but a non-aggressor in a way that is more proficient,” said Staff Sgt. Leo Briggs, the staff non-commissioned officer in charge for Camp Hansen Camp Guard detachment. “The non-lethal capabilities that we at Camp Guard teach these Marines can be taken back to their units, and can be utilized in various ways.”
Marines with Camp Guard eventually return to their parent commands, bringing with them experience and knowledge that they can pass onto their peers.
“I love Camp Guard, it has taught me a lot,” Benoit said. “I think every Marine should have the opportunity to come out, try to do something like OC spray or get tasted, to try to broaden their horizons. This has been a great learning experience for me.”