RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (July 14, 2009) -- Marines from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Chile and the U.S. honed their skills on the combat rifle range as one of the first training events unfolded in exercise Southern Exchange 2009 (SE09), today at the Governor’s Island Naval Complex here.
Comprised of 10 sticks, or groups, named Alpha stick through Juliet, with a mix of Marines from each participating country, the Marines will train together in all aspects used in operational security and areas of peacekeeping and disaster relief missions.
“Exercises like this are a good way for the different countries to exchange info,” said 1st Lt. Gregory Lynch, assistant officer in charge of the II MEF detachment. “Not everyone’s used to the weapons, but they’re picking it up quickly.”
One could observe that even though there were different uniforms, the multi-national groups acted as one, adjusting to the rifles and getting used to the different techniques and shooting styles that each country had to offer.
“It is important to know each others’ different military skills,” said 2nd Lt. Rafael Tozo de Carvalho, a Brazilian translator present to help teach the class. “Seeing that difference between training styles and how to learn from them is the point of this whole exercise.”
As the Marines shot through the morning, they became more relaxed and comfortable integrating with the other nations, teaching each other various skills and points about rifle marksmanship.
“Even with this specific training, there’s a lot of outside cultural exchanges taking place,” said Lynch. “The best moments are when you can see the camaraderie (between the different countries).”
At the end of the course, the Marines, even though it was the first group of exercises, got to know each other a little better, sharing lessons and techniques with one another. Even with the apparent language barrier, the countries freely train as one body of Marines, the difference in uniforms hardly a separating factor.
“It’s good to make friends with the other countries,” said Tozo. “But the point is to see how others work in different areas.”