Post by Sokol on Jun 5, 2011 20:21:34 GMT -5
www.marines.mil/unit/marforeur/Pages/macedonia.aspx
Macedonian “Scorpions” Prepare for Afghanistan with Help of Black Sea Marines
6/3/2011 By Cpl. Tatum Vayavananda, Black Sea Rotational Force
BABADAG TRAINING AREA, Romania — With AK-47 assault rifles locked-and-loaded, a line of Macedonian troops stand in front of their targets at a combat marksmanship range on BTA. On the command to shoot, dust from the ground erupts from behind their targets and fills the air from their Kalashnikovs’ rounds engaging their “enemies.”
The Macedonian 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, nicknamed the “Scorpions,” travelled from their home country to BTA to train with U.S. Marines of Black Sea Rotational Force 11 in counterinsurgency operations. The troops shot Table 3 of the Marine Corps Combat Marksmanship Program.
The training they will receive in BTA is part of their mobilization for their upcoming time in Afghanistan.
“We are about to be deployed,” said Macedonian Capt. Georgie Fistik, executive officer, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, “so this kind of shooting is good for us, because we will be in urban areas [in Afghanistan].”
“We have similar training but we don’t have combat marksmanship like this,” said Fistik. “It’s great to be [in Romania] to learn new things and get this experience.”
Macedonia is an important ally to the U.S. and NATO, currently contributing 165 active-duty troops for missions in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force.
“A lot of these guys are combat veterans already,” said Lance Cpl. James Venable, assistant marksmanship instructor and combat engineer, BSRF-11. “It’s not like we’re teaching basics to people who don’t know what they are doing; we’re just showing them our way,” said the Birmingham, Ala., native.
The Marines conducted a Table 3 combat range for the Macedonians, teaching them closed-quartered shooting techniques such as shooting-on-the-move; pivoting; weapons safety awareness; and how to shoot “hammered-pairs,” two shots in rapid succession; “controlled-pairs,” two well-aimed shots; and “failure-to-stop drills,” a technique used to neutralize a threat and prevent a target from retaliation.
“This kind of shooting is the most realistic and most applicable to [operations in Afghanistan],” said Lance Cpl. Nathan Gibson, assault man and primary marksmanship instructor, BSRF-11.
“It’s a lot of responsibility and it’s an honor that they are over here to train with us,” added the Chickamauga, G.A., native.
The Macedonian soldiers’ training over the next week will include non-lethal weapons employment, convoy operations, basic patrolling, entry-control checkpoints, and Military Operations in Urban Areas (MOUT).
Black Sea Rotational Force 11 is a rotational deployment of Marines to the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions to work with foreign nations and help build their military training capacity, promote stability throughout the region, and build enduring partnerships with 13 nations throughout Eastern Europe.
Macedonian “Scorpions” Prepare for Afghanistan with Help of Black Sea Marines
6/3/2011 By Cpl. Tatum Vayavananda, Black Sea Rotational Force
BABADAG TRAINING AREA, Romania — With AK-47 assault rifles locked-and-loaded, a line of Macedonian troops stand in front of their targets at a combat marksmanship range on BTA. On the command to shoot, dust from the ground erupts from behind their targets and fills the air from their Kalashnikovs’ rounds engaging their “enemies.”
The Macedonian 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, nicknamed the “Scorpions,” travelled from their home country to BTA to train with U.S. Marines of Black Sea Rotational Force 11 in counterinsurgency operations. The troops shot Table 3 of the Marine Corps Combat Marksmanship Program.
The training they will receive in BTA is part of their mobilization for their upcoming time in Afghanistan.
“We are about to be deployed,” said Macedonian Capt. Georgie Fistik, executive officer, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, “so this kind of shooting is good for us, because we will be in urban areas [in Afghanistan].”
“We have similar training but we don’t have combat marksmanship like this,” said Fistik. “It’s great to be [in Romania] to learn new things and get this experience.”
Macedonia is an important ally to the U.S. and NATO, currently contributing 165 active-duty troops for missions in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force.
“A lot of these guys are combat veterans already,” said Lance Cpl. James Venable, assistant marksmanship instructor and combat engineer, BSRF-11. “It’s not like we’re teaching basics to people who don’t know what they are doing; we’re just showing them our way,” said the Birmingham, Ala., native.
The Marines conducted a Table 3 combat range for the Macedonians, teaching them closed-quartered shooting techniques such as shooting-on-the-move; pivoting; weapons safety awareness; and how to shoot “hammered-pairs,” two shots in rapid succession; “controlled-pairs,” two well-aimed shots; and “failure-to-stop drills,” a technique used to neutralize a threat and prevent a target from retaliation.
“This kind of shooting is the most realistic and most applicable to [operations in Afghanistan],” said Lance Cpl. Nathan Gibson, assault man and primary marksmanship instructor, BSRF-11.
“It’s a lot of responsibility and it’s an honor that they are over here to train with us,” added the Chickamauga, G.A., native.
The Macedonian soldiers’ training over the next week will include non-lethal weapons employment, convoy operations, basic patrolling, entry-control checkpoints, and Military Operations in Urban Areas (MOUT).
Black Sea Rotational Force 11 is a rotational deployment of Marines to the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions to work with foreign nations and help build their military training capacity, promote stability throughout the region, and build enduring partnerships with 13 nations throughout Eastern Europe.