HAWTHORNE ARMY DEPOT, Nev. -- Soldiers from the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Armenia joined several thousand Marines and sailors from Marine Forces Reserve, headquartered in New Orleans, La., for exercise Javelin Thrust 2009 here June 6 - 13.
The international troops were here as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’s “military-to-military” program, a cultural exchange initiative that allows troops from other nations to see the way the Marine Corps is organized and gain an understanding of how Marines operate in the field.
The Bosnian and Armenian officers and enlisted soldiers were given a full tour of the training facilities and witnessed how the Marine Corps accomplishes operational control and logistical functions in a scenario-based field training environment.
Marine escorts took their guests to visit the exercise’s combat operations center, fuel and supply depots, combat engineer unit, field medical facilities and expeditionary military police station.
Despite the fact that they are from different countries and cultures, the Marines and their guests were easily able to find common ground in day-to-day aspects of military life.
“The organization of our militaries is very similar,” said Col. Vagharshak Gasparyan, logistics commander in the Armed Forces of Armenia. “The way operations are handled is what we will bring back and implement in our structure.”
As a logistical commander, Gasparyan focuses on food services in the field and said he was most excited to see the Marine Corps mobile field kitchen run by Reserve Marines from Headquarters & Service Battalion based in Marietta, Ga.
The troops from Bosnia and Armenia seemed most impressed and excited to meet with the military police, who gave a guided tour of some of the Corps’s armored vehicles.
“It’s great to see their excitement in a lot of the things Marines take for granted,” said Sgt. Brandon M. Gibson, the Marine Corps non-commissioned officer escort for the group of foreign officials. “Just the experience of hanging out with them for a few days and listening to their take on our operations has made a big difference in how I personally perceive the diligence of the Corps.”
The reception of the military officials was equally as complimentary.
“The Marines here are very friendly and open to explain the operations they are doing,” said Lt. Col. Marijan Pejic, chief of staff, logistics command in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces. “We will be able to use the experiences of each other’s service to better both (services); everything is excellent.”
As the foreign soldiers were treated to briefs in each aspect of the exercise, they met a range of enlisted and officer ranks, each in charge of their respective area.
Unlike the enlisted to officer accession process in the U.S. Marine Corps, there are opportunities for Armenian enlisted personnel to work their way up to becoming an officer through hands-on training and experience.
“After you are enlisted for one year in the Armenian Army, you may elect for extra training and become an officer,” said Gasparyan, who served in his country’s military under the control of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic before its collapse in 1991.
As the day came to a close, the men reflected on their successful mission and looked to the future with the Marine Corps.
“I hope to be able to do this again in the future and take a bigger role,” said Pejic. “Our troops can always benefit from communicating with their ally counterparts.”
The Marines also benefitted from the experience. Gunnery Sgt. John Alicea of Bronx, N.Y. is the military to military program coordinator for 4th MLG. A 16-year veteran of Marine Forces Reserve, he is currently on active duty orders to help plan the schedule and facilitate the movement of international officers.
“It was interesting, because I didn’t just learn about their military, but about their culture,” said Alicea. “For example, they are very humble people; very appreciative. They don’t come with expectations. They make due with what they have and are happy. They (Bosnians) spoke a lot about the war (in Bosnia and Herzegovina). They said that it divided them, and they explained the structure of their new government. I didn’t know anything about that war in detail, or its aftermath. It was a very good learning experience for me; one that I’d like to repeat.”
Alicea did not have to wait long. Less than an hour after he dropped off the last of the Armenians and Bosnians at the Reno, Nev. Airport June 13, a team of German officers arrived to train in the field and observe the exercise to gain an understanding of how Marines do business.
Javelin Thrust is scheduled to continue through June 20, bringing more than 2,600 active duty and Reserve Marines together to integrate their combat and logistics capabilities to prepare Reserve units for their role in a deployed Marine Air Ground Task Force.