NC native trains with foreign military

Photo By Capt. James Stenger | Lance Cpl. Sheridan Halfacre, a Marine with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14.1, attempts to break through a riot-shield barrier held by a group of Ghanaian sailors during a week-long non-lethal weapons tactics course in Takoradi, Ghana, March 20. A team of Marines demonstrated tactics that focused on the force continuum, or how to escalate the use of force for a given scenario, non-lethal ammunition and vehicle arresting devices in order to promote and strengthen the ability to conduct good governance and development.  

TAKORADI, GHANA

03.24.2014

Story by 1st Lt. James Stenger 

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa     

TAKORADI, Ghana – Join the Marines to travel, they said. See the world, they said.

For Lance Cpl. Sheridan Halfacre, a native of Raleigh, N.C., and self-avowed weapons enthusiast, traveling to the West African country of Ghana and training members of their Navy in non-lethal weapons tactics might have fulfilled that famous recruiter’s promise.

Halfacre, who spent a week from March 15-22 in Takoradi, Ghana, is part of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 14.1, deployed to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy. The task force is currently commanded by 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.

According to Capt. Travis Posey, Halacre’s team leader, he embodies what the Marine Corps is perhaps most proud of: the trust and confidence the Marine Corps has in its junior Marines.

“Throughout the Marine Corps’ history junior Marines have always been able to adapt to and overcome any number of situations. This mission is no exception,” he said. “We have junior Marines demonstrating to foreign militaries tactics, techniques and procedures so they might learn from our experiences.”

For Halfacre, the experience showed him how similar foreign militaries are to the military in the United States.

“When they got into it they picked it up really fast. One of the sailors in particular, he didn’t really speak up too much in class, but when we gave him the role of the squad leader, he knew every single command that we showed them. [He was] not just saying them but using them correctly,” Halfacre said.

“It’s really cool. They’re really eager to learn, because we’re a foreign military and we’re completely new to them,” he remembered. “We’re like the new kids in class and they wanted to learn everything they could from us.”

Established in 2011, the task force is charged with supporting U.S. Africa Command and Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa’s theater security cooperation requirements to strengthen the defense capabilities of partner states and regional organizations, deter and defeat transnational threats, and strengthen the ability to conduct good governance and development.

• Date Taken: 03.24.2014
• Date Posted: 04.01.2014 11:43
• Story ID: 123532
• Location: TAKORADI, GH
• Hometown: RALEIGH, NC, US