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HELMAND PROVINCE, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — The soldier's fingers gingerly curl around the hand guards of his brand new M-16A2 rifle, Jan. 5, at a Marine Corps range here in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Pushing the weapon into his shoulder and pressing his cheek against the buttstock he takes aim. The rows of wrinkles which span his haggard face seem to lengthen as he concentrates on the green target downrange. When he slowly, steadily squeezes the trigger, it marks the third time that he's fired his rifle.
However, for all the time and care he took, he braced for recoil as he fired and his shot went wildly high, clipping the wood frame that held the target, missing it entirely. He still has much to learn and little time to do it, but he is not alone. To his left and right, fellow Afghan National Army soldiers stood along the firing line, and behind each group of three was a Marine noncommissioned officer and an Afghan Army sergeant who watched their progress and helped direct them back on target.
Through the course of the day and on to the next, Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers went through the basics of infantry tactics. They covered combat marksmanship and squad attacks. Additionally the Afghan National Army soldiers equipped with rocket propelled grenade launchers and M-203 grenade launchers, ran through ranges for their respective weapons.
"The purpose of this training is to let them become familiar with their weapons," said Staff Sgt. Stephen Vallejo Jr., a platoon sergeant with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment and the senior training advisor for the company's Afghan National Army soldiers. "During their boot camp they only fired their rifles once. They haven't done training like this. We'll be teaching them our tactics and procedures and hold them to the same standards that we hold Marines to."
Over the course of the next week the soldiers will begin to train with their Marine counterparts at the platoon level, but time is an obstacle that hangs over their heads each day, explained Vallejo, who worked with Afghan national security forces on his previous deployment.
"It hit home yesterday," said Vallejo, "Marines have two months of weapons handling before they ever fire their weapons. These guys have had six days since they got their rifles. It's a slow and tedious process, but they are learning."
Speaking through an interpreter one of the Marines demonstrated the course of fire and proper weapons carriage to an Afghan soldier. Nodding, he sighted in again and received a thumbs up from his coach, who stepped back and took his place next to one of the Afghan army sergeants.
"Marine Corps recruits get more time by far," Vallejo said, as he glanced over at another Marine. "These guys have a fraction of that time, but they're making progress because these Marines are on them."
Beyond teaching the basics of marksmanship and small unit tactics, the training served another purpose. The Afghan Army NCOs worked with their Marine counterparts during the training in order to develop skills as small unit leaders.
"Having the Afghan army sergeants out here being safety officers and overseeing the range makes a large difference," Vallejo said. "We've seen them stepping up, correcting themselves. The enlisted side is getting there. We're all looking forward to integrating them during training and operations, so they can see how our NCOs work with junior Marines."
Standing on line next to his soldiers, Sgt. Aziz Ullah, one of the Afghan National Army soldiers attached to Alpha Company, took aim with his rifle, fired two rounds into the chest of his target and one to its head, and received nods of approval from the men in his squad.
"Today is going much better," Ullah said, while speaking through an interpreter. "It's becoming more interesting and it is a great moment to be working with Marines — helping one another. It's our pleasure to be a part of that. To learn and train so that we can clear the area and bring peace to Afghanistan."
The following day Afghan National Army soldiers conducted drills without live rounds for hours before moving on to a live fire squad attack course. Before they began, the Marines tasked with training them ran through the course themselves.
Moving among the ranks of his platoon, Staff Sgt. Gulwazir Harin, an Afghan National Army soldier who has worked with ISAF forces before during his six years in service, spoke to his men to explain what the Marines are doing, so the Afghan army soldiers can emulate it when it's their turn.
"We train and brief based on how Marines fight and mentally prepare ourselves for the task ahead," said Harin through an interpreter. "I volunteered for this and am ready. I want to be with Marines on all missions."
"I love the Afghan National Army, and am glad to face any challenge," said Harin, who has a 10 day old son that he has yet to meet. "People were proud when I enlisted. I became an Afghan National Army soldier on my behalf, to serve my country."
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2010 02:59 |
| Story ID: | 43540 |
| Location: | HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 898 |
| Downloads: | 844 |
This work, Afghan soldiers learn infantry basics from Marines, by James Clark, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
