Marines to conduct training exercise at Kiwanis Park in Yuma

The exercise will feature aircraft and over 50 Marines participating, and you can even come out to watch it all - 13 On Your Side's Luis Lopez reports

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Kiwanis park is typically a nice place to just relax and maybe take a walk.

But Friday, it will serve as a military training site for what we know at WTI, the weapons and tactics instructor course.

Over 50 marines will participate in what’s called a ‘foreign humanitarian assistance exercise.'

Where Major Zachary Behler says they’ll simulate giving aid to an area going through something like a natural disaster.

“It gives us some exposure to some of the coordination that we have to go through with our external agencies, potentially host nations, etcetera, in order to be able to do these things like I said efficiently and effectively,” Behler said.

Aircraft will play a big role in the training, as helicopters pick up cargo and fly to the 29 palms military base near Palm Springs.  

“You’ll see a plethora of aircraft come in, primarily CH-53, heavy lift helicopters, and our utility UH-1 Huey helicopters, so they’ll be making multiple hits into this zone as well as other sites throughout the city of Yuma,” Behler said.

Those other sites include Arizona Western College and Crane Middle School.

For as much as the training will feature, it’s also a chance for those involved to learn from their mistakes.

“It’s vital, it really is vital to our mission success, if we’re going to do these things in real time for the first time, not to say that we’re not going to be able to do that mission set, but we’re probably going to run into some hiccups along the way,” Behler said.

If you’d like to come and watch the training it starts Friday at 4:00 p.m.

It’s completely free, MCAS did tell us however, people should keep their distance to stay safe.