Join Us On This 30-Ton Amphibious Assault Craft As We Storm The Beaches

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I remember like it was yesterday, though it was 2003 when I was standing inside the well deck of the USS Essex amphibious assault ship. I was a U.S. Marine, sailing off the coast of Hawaii on a training mission. Now, it was our turn to assault a Hawaiian beach.

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But we weren't using rubber boats, or swimming. We were geared up, over 20 of us, in the back of an Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV), better known as an "amtrack."

Before settling into our tight quarters inside the troop carrier, we were briefed by the crew. "When we launch off the back into the ocean, if we don't come up from the water after five seconds, you can panic," one said.

"Oh sh--," I muttered, just before successfully launching from the rear of the ship along with everyone else in the amtrack.

Then we headed for the beach to train for what the Marine Corps does best: amphibious operations.