African Lion

CAP DRAA, Morocco – The sun barely peeked over the horizon when the stillness was shattered by the roar of artillery. The son of a Cape May Beach woman crawled out of his tent into the southern Moroccan morning to begin another day.
Marine Reserve 1st Sgt. Kevin L. Watson, son of Cassandra Watson of Bybrook Drive, Cape May Beach, is in Morocco supporting exercise African Lion 2011.
“My job is to educate and train Marines so they can do their jobs, and ensure the health and well-being of each and every Marine in my charge,” said Watson, a 1990 graduate of Notre Dame High School.
African Lion is an exercise between the Kingdom of Morocco and the U.S. that involves more than 2,000 U.S. service members and approximately 900 members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. The exercise serves as a way for both U.S. and Moroccan military members to hone their skills and learn to work together to a accomplish missions.
“Being able to train with any foreign military allows for allied cohesiveness. This allows for an opportunity to sharpen our skills, as well as our tactics,” said Watson, a battery first sergeant assigned to India Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, Reading, Pa. “There are some similarities with training overseas as opposed to being home.”
In spite of the barriers, Watson and his fellow servicemembers worked with the Moroccan forces on different types of military training including command post, live fire, peacekeeping operations, disaster response, aerial refueling and low-level flight training. Both the Moroccan and U.S. forces receive valuable training during the course of the exercise.
“I invite opportunities like this. There is so much our militaries can learn from each other,” said Watson.
Watson and his fellow service members not only trained in the Moroccan desert, they lived there as well. They experienced sandstorms, the rain showers of the wet season and the heat that traditionally goes with a desert. They even had an opportunity to spend some time off duty experiencing the culture and seeing the sights.
“I have never been to Morocco before, but I like having this opportunity. It is a lot different than I thought it would be. It has rained here every day,” said Watson, who has completed 17 years of military service.
As the artificial thunder of artillery fire dies away for a moment, the sun rises fully above the desert horizon and begins its journey toward the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Watson and the other participants in African Lion 2011 go about their business sharing experiences and knowledge with each other and their Moroccan counterparts.
Article written by Air Force Staff Sgt. Jessica Switzer