Caught on GoPro: This is What a Marine Beach Assault Looks Like

This is what it looks like when the Navy and Marines take a beach.

Sailors and Marines assigned to the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, Boxer ARG and the Republic of Korea Flotilla Five, participated Monday in a joint amphibious landing training exercise.

That group of people to the right? Reporters. They observed the demonstration at Dokseok-ri Beach in Pohang, South Korea, March 31, 2014. (Image source: U.S. Navy)

The "simulated ordnance demonstration" packed plenty of punch, starting out with five huge explosions just a few hundred feet in front of several beach observers on Dokseok-ri Beach in Pohang, South Korea.

The demonstration was designed to showcase the "combined amphibious forcible entry landing" capabilities of the group as part of Exercise Ssang Yong, an annual combined exercise conducted by the Navy and Marines with the South Korean forces.

Ssang Yong means 'Twin Dragons," and the exercise was designed to test the "interoperability and working relationships across the range of military operations from disaster relief to complex, expeditionary operations," according to a Navy release.

"We've been partners with the Koreans for 60 years and in this exercise we are going to practice and train together just in case we ever get called out in harm's way," said Brig. Gen. Paul J. Kennedy, commanding general, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade. "We are all building a narrative for generations to come."

The Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver (LPD 9) transits the East China Sea with ships from Flotilla Five of the Republic of Korea Navy. (Image source: U.S. Navy)

Observers have even more cool stuff to look forward to: an MV-22 Osprey will conduct a vertical assault Wednesday, Dogu Beach will see a tank landing April 3, and Friday brings the Australians into action with a tank and infantry integration raid.

Here is some up-close footage that includes an front row seat to the beach landing, and views from inside one of the amphibious vehicles.

Check out the GoPro footage from directly in front of the large beach explosions and where the amphibious assault vehicles drive ashore.

And here's the 1st Battalion 4th Marines, Charlie Company, executing a tactical extraction with the MV-22B Osprey.

(H/T: LiveLeak)

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