Crofton Marine Leads Special Forces Training

A Crofton native has been working to train some of the military's most elite members at a special center in California. 

Capt. Casey Ward, a commander in the 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, Golf Company, recently worked with special forces at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, CA. The training included members of the special forces performing a mock raid. 

The purpose of the training, according to the Defense Video and Imagry Distribution System (DVIDS), was to practice integrating special forces in a mountainous environment. Members of the various special forces (such as Navy SEALS and Army Rangers) often don't train together, but find themselves fighting together on the battlefield.

“Doing an integration like this is one of the big pillars for all future operations, as we go into a more joint force, a more combined environment,” Ward told DVIDS. "The raid was an opportunity that doesn’t come often and we are glad we had this chance."

The 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines has participated in both Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.