NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga – The Kingdom of Tonga proved once again recently why it is known as the "Friendly Islands" after hosting another State Partnership Program exchange with members of the Nevada National Guard.
Capt. Michael Riggs, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Fincher and Staff Sgt. Patrick Hall of the Nevada Army National Guard spent a week sharing weapons tactics, techniques and procedures with members of His Majesty's Armed Forces – the official name for the Tongan military. Topics ranged from basic weapons maintenance and individual marksmanship techniques to night-vision goggle familiarization.
The Nevada Guard members also ensured all M4 carbine rifles, M203 grenade launchers, M249 squad automatic weapons and M2 .50 caliber machine guns at the Taliai Military Camp were cataloged for deficiencies so that a future SPP exchange could fix any problems.
One of the highlights of the week was familiarization with the AN/PVS-14 night vision devices and AN/PEQ-15 dual beam lasers. The Tongans will employ the night vision equipment this summer during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise – a first for Tongans forces. RIMPAC is held every even year in Hawaii and is the world's largest international maritime exercise. The Tongans will conduct amphibious beach landings and practice urban assault tactics at the exercise.
"I'm excited to be a part of this exchange because we received firsthand training with new equipment," said 2nd Lt. Sione Lino, a member of the Tongan Royal Guard. "I'm eager to pass this new information along to my platoon."
Lance Cpl. Sione Tuku'aho, a Tongan infantryman, was also excited about learning how to operate NVGs in future operations.
"This (exchange) gave me a better understanding of all our equipment," Tuku-aho said. "For example, with the M4, we didn't know how to properly inspect them until Nevada showed us and provided us with a wider perspective on military operations."
Fincher, a member of the Nevada Guard's Joint Force Headquarters Small Arms Readiness Training Section team and former active duty infantryman and sniper with the 1/221st Cavalry, led the courses and appreciated the opportunity to share his knowledge while also learning from the Tongans.
"These exchanges give U.S. service members an opportunity to see how foreign militaries operate as well as participate in joint-nation operations, which builds relationships and fosters good-will between our countries," Fincher said. "And it's always good for Americans to experience other cultures."
Although the Tongans are known for being friendly, their warrior culture remains a strong influence on the Tongan military, Lino said.
"Other island nations say how they are going to beat you before they attack," Lino said. "Tongans just swoop in, beat you and then announce that we've won. "
Lino, 23, was born in New Zealand to Tongan parents. His family moved back to Tonga during his elementary school years, but they later returned to New Zealand so he could attend high school. Lino then moved to Australia to earn a degree in accounting, which he is still working on and hopes to complete before he attains the rank of captain. He put the pursuit of his degree on hold out to serve in the Tongan military, he said.
"I've always wanted to serve with the Tongan military," Lino said. "So when the military offered me the chance to go to New Zealand to earn a commission as an officer and offered to pay for the rest of my degree if I did so, I couldn't pass it up."
Tuku'aho, 22, was born and raised in Tonga, but moved to New Zealand to earn a degree in forestry. He is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Tonga and has traveled many times to the United States to visit his father, a retired Tongan prime minister, in San Mateo, California. Lino's younger brother continues to attend high school there.
"We used to visit my dad in California every Christmas," Tuku'aho said. "My brother actually received a scholarship to attend college in Los Angeles. We were both going to join the U.S. Marine Corps, but his scholarship put that on hold."
Tuku'aho still plans on joining the U.S. Marines when his current enlistment ends next year, he said.
"I used to watch old World War II documentaries with my grandfather," Tuku'aho said. "I would ask him, ‘Who were those men who planted the American flag on Iwo Jima?' Ever since I saw that, I knew I wanted to be a part of that brotherhood."
Hall, a member of the Nevada Air Guard's 152nd Security Forces Squadron's Combat Arms Training Maintenance team and a former active duty Marine, is familiar with the brotherhood Tuku'aho wants to join.
"The camaraderie between Marines is much like the camaraderie shared between all U.S. armed forces," Hall said. "Maybe the infantry-heavy nature of the Marines fosters it a bit more than the other services, but I have definitely experienced it in the Air Guard, and I've noticed it with the Tongans this week as well."