POHANG, GYEONGSANG, Republic of Korea -- Republic of Korea and U.S. Marines executed live-fire training June 18 at the Susungri Range in Pohang, Republic of Korea, during Korean Marine Exchange Program 14-8.
The participants included ROK Marines with Military Police Company, 1st ROK Marine Division, and U.S. Marines with Company A, 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, as well as 4th Law Enforcement Battalion, Force Headquarters Group.
KMEP 14-8 is a combined, small-unit training exercise that enhances the combat readiness and interoperability of ROK and U.S. Marine Corps forces.
The Marines fired both the M2 .50-caliber Browning machine gun and the M240B medium machine gun from the gunner seats of moving Humvees.
Both nations’ Marines gained a better perspective on the challenges of firing from a moving vehicle, according to U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Eric J. Ellenberger, a military policeman with Company A, 3rd LE Bn., III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, III MEF.
“It’s really easy for them to fire the guns from a tripod static on the ground,” said Ellenberger, a Houston, Texas, native. “You add movement on uneven terrain and they see how hard it is to manipulate a weapon system.”
In addition to the machine guns fired during the mobile training, Marines shot the MK19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher and the M249 squad automatic weapon from static positions. This was the first time many ROK Marines experienced U.S. weapons systems, according to ROK Marine Lance Cpl. Choong-Hyun Shin, a special guard team member with Military Police Company, 1st ROK Marine Division.
“At first I was very anxious to use the big machine guns,” said Shin. “With the help from the U.S. Marines and their thorough explanations of the weapons, it ended up being a very fun and exciting experience, not just for me, but for all of the ROK Marines.”
Building the ROK Marines’ confidence in using the weapons systems has been the overarching goal of the integrated live-fire ranges, according to Ellenberger.
“(The training) gives them confidence in utilizing the guns,” said Ellenberger. “It’s also fun for them. They get to go out there and shoot guns that they’ve never (used) before. Most importantly, they understand what we bring to the fight and how we can help them. Now we know that if they’re with us, they can utilize our guns in the fight.”
From planning to execution, KMEP 14-8 has been a bilateral and collaborative effort. ROK and U.S. Marine Corps personnel look forward to working together and learning from one another’s tactics, techniques and procedures.
“It’s been really fun shooting with the ROK (Marines) and teaching them how we operate,” said U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Elias J. Burne, a Bar Harbor, Maine, native and military policeman with Company A. “We’ve got a lot of knowledge to share, and we’ve really worked well with them. I look forward to coming out here next year to train with the ROK Marines.”