3/3 Marines bring different experience to AASAM

Photo By Cpl. Mark Stroud | Cpl. Max King, mortarman, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, kicks an Australian-rules football here May 14 during the 2011 Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting. King was playing a game with soldiers from New Zealand and Australia. AASAM is an annual, international combat marksmanship competition hosted by the Australian Army that ended May 19.  

PUCKAPUNYAL, AUSTRALIA

05.15.2011

Story by Lance Cpl. Mark Stroud 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

PUCKAPUNYAL, Australia - Marines with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, traveled here to participate in the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting 2011 from May 9 to 19.

The four Marines joined with 12 others from around the Corps to form Marine Shooting Detachment Australia, one of the 13 international teams participating in AASAM.

The annual meeting was designed to test the participants’ combat marksmanship, build rapport between nations and provide a forum for the discussion of training techniques relating to combat marksmanship.

“We were brought here to compete in the [M249 squad automatic weapon] events,” said Cpl. Duane Kamp, mortarman, 3rd Bn, 3rd Marines. “We’re watching the other events carefully though, there are a lot of techniques that we’ve never seen before, and even if it’s not something we are going to implement in our own training, it gets you thinking about what else is possible.”

The Marines were selected for their experience as infantrymen who have deployed to combat zones, balancing out a team that already included several division and national match shooters.

“This was our first international match, but we had a lot of experience coming into it from the four years of infantry training we all have,” said Lance Cpl. Pete Shea, rifleman, 3rd Bn., 3rd Marines. “We’ve all deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, so we have that experience as well.”

AASAM’s focus on combat marksmanship was within the Marines’ comfort zone despite their lack of competition experience.

“The ranges were not much different from our own, but the targets and courses of fire were new,” said Cpl. Max King, mortarman, 3rd Bn., 3rd Marines. “We felt comfortable shooting our weapons systems in these matches, and now we know how to practice for next year.”

The competition provided the Marines an opportunity to learn from some of the best marksmen in the world in the areas of training and shooting.

“I was impressed by the speed at which some of these teams could move to position to engage the targets,” said Kamps. “There was a lot of expertise that was gathered here at the competition from which we could draw.”

Building relationships with the different nations, on and off the firing ranges, was a point of focus for the Marines.

“It was easy to relate to each other because there were so many similarities between the different militaries,” said Kamps. “Everyone was very friendly and eager to share knowledge.”

With several days of competition remaining, the Marines were already taking notes on what the team will need to do to get ready for next year’s meeting, ensuring that the foundation they built here will be improved by the Marines to follow.

“Now that we know the courses of fire, we can make sure that knowledge gets passed on,” said Kamps. “We want to make sure the Marine Corps’ team comes back next year to be a competitive force.”

• Date Taken: 05.15.2011
• Date Posted: 05.24.2011 01:14
• Story ID: 70925
• Location: PUCKAPUNYAL, AU