ZAMBALES, Philippines - Each Marine looks at their target through their weapon’s sight; and the moment the order to fire is received, a slow squeeze of the trigger sends several rounds downrange, accurately striking the target.
These actions were repeated numerous times as Philippine and U.S. Marines trained with heavy machine guns at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui, San Antonio, Zambales, Republic of the Philippines, Oct. 5 during Amphibious Landing Exercise 2014.
The Philippine and U.S. militaries often engage in bilateral training during exercises like PHIBLEX 14 in the common interest of disaster preparedness and regional security.
The Philippine and U.S. Marines exchanged their knowledge of weapons maintenance and the use of the M240B medium machine gun and the M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun. The Philippine Marines are with the 2nd Company, 14th Provisional Battalion, Philippine Marine Corps and the U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division currently assigned to 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III Marine Expeditionary Force.
By sharing tactics and knowledge of their weapons, the Marines are improving the ability for the two forces to work together, according to Sgt. Timothy C. Marlow, an anti-tank missileman with Weapons Company, 3rd Bn., 3rd Marines.
“The Philippine Marines are very open to learning and their mentality, methods and humor are, in many ways, similar to our own, which makes working with and learning from them a lot easier,” said Marlow.
The Philippine Marines were eager to learn and appreciated the chance to learn more about how the U.S. Marines work, according to Philippine Marine Staff Sgt. Severino G. Como, a platoon sergeant with 2nd Co., 14th Provisional Bn.
“The Marines teach us with sincerity, and show us what they are capable of, and we appreciate that,” said Como. “We are happy to learn what we can from them, and what we learn will be useful if we are ever in combat together.”
For the instructors, the training benefited them as well, according to Lance Cpl. Brian M. Wood, a machine gunner with Weapons Company.
“This is a great chance for us to practice our own leadership skills,” said Wood. “We are showing the Philippine Marines how to use entirely new weapons systems. This means we further develop our own understanding of the weapons.”
Bilateral training during PHIBLEX 14 ensures Philippine and U.S. forces are capable of integrating effectively to conduct humanitarian assistance and regional security missions.