News: Marine gives UK service members glimpse into the Corps with martial arts training
Story by Lance Cpl. Katherine Solano
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Cpl. Katherine Solano Gunnery Sgt. John S. Glaister (left), a Marine Corps Martial Arts Program black belt instructor, stands with Royal Air Force Warrant Officer Paul Dods, May 2, after completing a tan belt course on Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. The course took less than two months, with training going two to three days a week for multiple hours.
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – U.K. service members had an opportunity to learn a staple of Marine Corps training when they completed a tan belt Marine Corps Martial Arts Program course here recently.
Gunnery Sgt. John S. Glaister, a MCMAP black belt instructor, originally from Chicago, trained five Royal Air Force personnel over the course of less than two months.
The training, being completely new to the officers, offered up more than a great workout.
“We enjoyed it all,” said Royal Air Force Warrant Officer Paul Dods, an administration officer for Regional Command Southwest. “We were absolutely new to it, but threw ourselves into it.”
Dods, originally from Helensburgh, Scotland, said that they had heard about the program from a lot of Marines. Being able to participate in it was a learning and growing opportunity.
“We wanted to be seen as part of the coalition,” Dods said.
Royal Air Force Squadron leader Chantal Baker, the deputy chief of Staff for the U.K. contingent and a Cambridge, England, native, also pointed out that it was about the two forces learning from each other.
“It is two countries coming together,” she said. “We get to experience what Marines do, and they learned a lot about us in the process, too.”
The U.K. personnel all agreed that, if given the opportunity, they would like to continue their martial arts training throughout the deployment.
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This work, Marine gives UK service members glimpse into the Corps with martial arts training, by Cpl Katherine Solano, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:05.04.2011
Date Posted:05.04.2011 10:45
Location:CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF
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