February 27, 2015 -- In compliance with mandatory training requirements, as outlined in the Marine Administrative Message’s, Active Number 512/14, the installation’s Marine fighting force reported to the Base Theater, recently, to complete annual Unit Marine Awareness and Prevention Integrated Training.
Keeping with the Corps’ age-old tradition of training and preparing the “whole” Marine, both physically and mentally, active-duty warfighters stationed aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany shifted from their usual physical fitness required training to refresh their behavioral health training.
The MARADMIN, dated Oct. 9, 2014, incorporates and provides guidance for the Marine Corps’ implementation of UMAPIT, which went into effect Jan. 1.
According to the MARADMIN, “UMAPIT is a knowledge and skills-based prevention training for all Marine units. Significantly reducing all behavioral health training, UMAPIT integrates the previous stand-alone Combat Operational Stress Control, substance abuse, suicide prevention and family advocacy trainings.”
After participating in presentations, which were facilitated on Equal Opportunity policies and Hazing in the Corps, roughly 100 Marine Corps Logistics Command Marines were broken into smaller groups for individual training sessions on various UMAPIT topics.
First Sgt. Marshall Gregg, company first sergeant, Headquarters Company, LOGCOM, commented on the significance of the integration of training into the UMAPIT format.
“(The) activity integrates several different, normal annual trainings that the Marine Corps does to combat operational stress – basically, all of the prevention and treatment classes we get throughout the year,” Gregg said. “The Marine Corps has designed this program to combine all of those to get everybody in and do it in a more intimate setting in groups of about 30; to talk through the issues, to bring real world experiences and examples from the Marines, to talk through different ways of understanding the signs of stress, signs of alcoholism and (some other things.)”
MCLB Albany Marines as well as some from Marine Corps Systems Command assembled at the Base Theater, Feb. 19, for its first of three scheduled UMAPIT sessions.
Staff Sgt. Michael Murphy, suicide prevention program manager, MCLB Albany, opened the session with his first in a series of questions during the training.
“Why are you here?” Murphy asked the group, his voice echoing loudly throughout the theater. “You are here because you are an asset to the Marine Corps. There's a reason we taught you that (stuff) in boot camp. There is a reason the Corps invests time for you to train. This is the best that we can give.
“We can start the ball rolling, but it's up to you to pick it up and to keep it going,” Murphy challenged.
In order to fulfill its mission and to provide optimum training availability for service members basewide, officials have scheduled additional UMAPIT sessions on the following dates: Feb. 26 and March 5.
The MARADMIN, detailing the implementation and integration of UMAPIT, can be read in its entirety by logging onto the website: http://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/MessagesDisplay/tabid/13286/Article/171542/implementation-of-unit-marine-awareness-and-prevention-integrated-training.aspx.