Courtesy Photo | Pfc. Dominique D. Kuykendall fires at a short-range target during close-quarters...... read more read more
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KAMI-FURANO, Japan – Gunshots sound the same in any language, a fact Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces and U.S. Army soldiers discovered, Nov. 4, during live-fire ranges at Camp Kami-Furano, Japan. The exercise is part of a ten-day bilateral training event named Orient Shield 11.
The operation focused on improving interoperability between the two nations, which are celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, signed in January of 1960.
Live fire ranges are an integral part of any military training, giving soldiers a chance to practice and hone their marksmanship skills. This particular day, they also allowed service members an ocean apart to observe each other’s tactics, techniques and procedures.
“The way they run their ranges is very similar to ours,” said Spc. Craig A. Richey, a medic with 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment, Missouri Army National Guard. “They do the same safety checks and follow the same procedures.”
Members of the 138th demonstrated close-quarters marksmanship, which is a technique used for moving and firing a weapon simultaneously at close range.
Soldiers from the 26th Infantry Regiment, with Japan’s Northern Army, responded by firing their heavy machine guns at long range, showcasing both their equipment and skill.
“They are go-getters; they really are,” said Sgt. 1st Class William R. Wareham, a platoon sergeant with the 138th. “You can tell they’ve been shooting for a while. They are amazing tacticians.”
Richey said he agreed with this sentiment.
“It is very high-speed training,” he said. “[The Japanese] are just as up-to-date and technologically advanced as we are.”
Not only was the training beneficial for the Missouri guardsmen, but it afforded them the chance to visit a foreign land, which many had never done.
“This is a great opportunity,” said Richey. “There is no way I would be able to come to an exotic land and receive training like this if it wasn’t for the Army.”
Both groups seemed to find the training interesting and enjoyable, and there was little doubt in the minds of many of the Japanese soldiers as to the 138th’s gratitude for their hospitality.
Sgt. Takuma Fujita, a radio operator and translator for the exercise from Hokkaido, Japan, attested to this:
“The phrase I translate the most is how to say ‘thank you.’”
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2010 08:19 |
| Story ID: | 59398 |
| Location: | KUMI-FURANO, HOKKAIDO, JP |
| Web Views: | 191 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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