FRIDAY FOTO (February 12, 2021)

Going to Extremes.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cprporal Andrew R. Bray) CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE THE IMAGE

U.S. Marines exit the water of a frozen pond at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (click here to see a video) near Bridgeport, California on February 2, 2021. Marines and Sailors attending the Basic Cold Weather Leaders Course are required to undergo the hypothermia laboratory, a training event where troops experience hypothermia first hand and — more importantly — how to avoid it.

The center is situated at 6,762 feet, with elevations in the training areas ranging to just under 12,000 feet. During the winter season (October – April) snow accumulation can reach near 6 to 8 feet. And severe storms can deposit as much as four feet in a 12 hour period. Annual temperatures range from -20 degrees to +90 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the season.

On the other side of the country, at Fort Benning, Georgia on February 5 – it was Week 3 of U.S. Army Sniper School. (click here to see a short video) This soldier was one of 35 students participating in the ghillie suit wash, which is designed to test the strength and durability of the suits — as well as to weather them.

(U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Public Affairs) CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IMAGE.

What’s a ghillie suit? Worn by civilian hunters and military snipers, the ghillie suit is designed to look like heavy foliage in a forest or field. It was originally developed by Scottish gamekeepers as a portable hunting blind and first adopted for war in 1916. The name derives from a Scottish word for “lad” or “servant.”

Sniper School students use sand, water and mud, all in an effort to perfect one of their most important tools: their camouflage.