Midge Point community marvels as Operation Talisman Sabre unfolds in their backyard
The residents of a secluded North Queensland beachside community were in awe as a large scale military assault between American, Japanese and German forces played out in their backyard.
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The shores of a secluded beach in the Whitsundays set the scene for a large scale military attack between American, Japanese and German forces.
Three impressive landing craft air cushioned boats were deployed to Midge Point beach, where marine troops then worked to secure the area.
The Midge Point community were able to watch the mock operation, carried out on July 26 as part of a three-day rehearsal under Talisman Sabre 23.
Resident Robyn Crawford said “awesome” was the only word to describe what she had just seen.
It was windy and rainy when the operation commenced. The massive LCAH boats sent gusts of wind and sand towards the participants as soon as it moved away from the beach, disappearing behind the cloud of dust it created.
Held biennially, Talisman Sabre is the largest combined Australia-US training activity.
Over two weeks more than 31,000 military personnel including soldiers, sailors and pilots from 13 nations will take part in different missions across the state.
The military units involved in the Midge Point exercise were the 31st US Marine Expeditionary unit, the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade as part of the Japan Self Defense Forces and German army paratroopers.
Joe Jackson, who said he was one of the eldest residents at Midge Point and had spent all his life in the beachside community, said he had “never seen an operation like this” take place in his backyard before.
While Les Gilles said watching the operation unfold reminded of when he was a cadet with the Australian Army in Rockhampton.
“It would be exciting to do an operation like this,” he said.
Officer in Charge of the operation Lieutenant Colonel Adam Murgatroyd said all the activities on the beach were safe “because they’re well rehearsed”.
He said the “safety architecture” was designed to co-ordinate police, ambulances, aero evacuation services and combat rescue units to ensure the best support was available in case someone got hurt.
“The most common injury in Australia is heat injuries, especially for foreign troops who aren’t used to operating in these conditions,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ll have that issue today.”
He said the Australian Army played a role of logistician for the Midge Point exercise but no troops were directly involved.
The Australian troops also acted as “community liaison” with residents, holding a town meeting five weeks earlier.
“We gave them the opportunity to ask questions and [explained] what we were doing to make sure the environment was going to be looked after, ” he said.
Marilyn Nevill said she had moved to Midge Point only nine months ago from Brisbane to find a “quiet place to retire”.
And although the operation wasn’t exactly quiet, she said army officials had chatted to her and her husband to let them know what unfold.
Another part of the operation was occurred at Lakeside Airpark Aerodrome near Bloomsbury, where the troops were divided in two teams for a simulated vertical assault.
An attacking force, wearing sand-coloured uniforms, arrived via two helicopters with orders to take control of the area, while the opposing forces in green uniforms defended the perimeter.
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