Photo By Cpl. James Sauter | Lance Cpl. Richard Hilsheimer, a rifleman with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — Pair by pair, a two-man team of one U.S. Marine and one French marine moved smoothly, yet swiftly, across a foundation made of gravel and cinderblocks that replicates the interior layout of the Modular Armored Tactical Combat House structure next to them.
Both U.S. and French Marines observed while the pair moved in and out rooms and hallways, eliminating simulated enemies. After clearing the final room, the range safety officer announced instructions to don their full combat gear. It was time to go through the live-fire MATCH.
Marines from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and French marines from the 8th Marine Airborne Infantry Regiment trained in close-quarter combat at the MATCH on Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility, during Exercise Amercal 2012, Oct. 16.
Exercise Amercal 2012 is a bilateral exercise between a platoon from the French Armed Forces in New Caledonia and 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. During the training, one platoon from 3rd Marines in Hawaii exchanged with a French platoon in New Caledonia. The exercise is to help improve military relationships, enhance interoperability, improve warfighting skills and gain exposure to different cultures.
“We’re happy to share everything we’re doing here with the Marines,” said French Capt. Jean Pierre Sarrazin, platoon commander, 8th MAIR. “We’re eager to share our experiences with them and we’re lucky to be here.”
The U.S. and French Marines went through the MATCH in pairs initially, during a dry-run, to gain a feel for the environment inside, learning how to clear the rooms of targets, move to the next room and watch each other’s back.
“I never had the chance to work with the French or any other nation during training, so this is a good experience,” said Cpl. Nelson Oliveras, rifleman, 1/3. “It’s interesting to watch how they clear rooms and how they stack up on one another before entering. They train the way they fight, just like us.”
Following the dry runs, everyone practiced going through the cinderblock foundation beside the MATCH, so that everyone can watch each other clear rooms and move through the course. Here, pairs were organized with one French marine and one U.S. Marine. Training opportunities like this gave each nationality the chance to work together and accomplish the same mission.
After each pair completed the run through, they took the time to show each other their weapons, uniforms and talk about the best places to go during time-off. The day’s training concluded after everyone went through the MATCH for the live-fire portion.
“I noticed when we paired up together, we were adapting and adjusting to how each other did things,” Oliveras said. “This training is nothing but a mutual benefit and a chance to learn ways of doing things from each other.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2012 14:42 |
| Story ID: | 96391 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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