Marines mentor Mozambican soldiers during Shared Accord 2010 live fire course 

Marines partnered with soldiers from the Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique (FADM) for the first live fire course of Exercise SHARED ACCORD 2010 Aug. 5 at a Boane firing range.

The 80 leathernecks, most from Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment out of Garden City, N.Y., went through a U.S. Marine Corps combat marksmanship course of fire alongside 200 Mozambican soldiers. Mozambicans fired 10-round strings at targets 75-150 meters away, while Marines alternately fired and offered mentoring as needed.

Earlier, the Marines had led the Mozambican soldiers through a class on Marine Corps small arms weaponry and weapons handling procedures. In between firing, the troops went over fire team assaults and movements.

“(The Mozambican soldiers) want to learn; they eat up everything we show them,” said Cpl. Sean Burke, a section leader with Echo Co., 2/25, who taught the soldiers how Marines stay safe on the range.

The Marines also walked away from the event with new knowledge.

“This is a huge evolution for Marines who haven’t deployed yet,” said 1st Sgt. Christopher Armstrong, Echo Company first sergeant. “It gets them used to working with foreign militaries.”

Because the Mozambicans chose to work with limited ammunition, the exercise served more as an introduction between forces rather than as substantial mentoring, said Staff Sgt. Budd Frankenfield, Echo Co., 2/25, range safety officer for the exercises.

“When you actually sit down and talk with someone it breaks barriers,” Frankenfield added.

Shared Accord, which is coordinated by U.S. Africa Command’s Marine component, U.S. Marine Forces Africa, brings together more than 1,000 U.S. service members and Mozambican soldiers for the purpose of increasing Mozambique’s capacity to carry out peace and stability operations.