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Pacific soldiers train with Thai counterparts

by Sgt. Monica R. Garreau

UTAPAO NAVAL AIR STATION, Thailand (Army News Service, May 28, 2003) - More than 7,000 Pacific-based military service members deployed to Thailand to strengthen the ties between the Royal Thai armed forces and all four branches of the U.S. military.

Cobra Gold 2003 is an annual joint exercise that is taking place May 16-30. The 25th Infantry Division (Light) and U.S. Army Hawaii has over 1,700 soldiers and pocket-size elements from Fort Richardson, Alaska, will focus on peace enforcement operations.

There are two main training events for the exercise. The first is the combined training that includes hands on jungle survival, weapons cross training, and aircraft static load training.

During the jungle survival training American soldiers watched as their Royal Thai counterparts skinned lizards alive, cooked rats, and killed a chicken by breaking its neck and drinking its blood as a source of hydration.

An infantryman from Hawaii took part in the training and killed his first chicken.

"I respect his willingness to be outgoing and to build good relations with the Thai army by doing that," said Pvt. 2 Christian Punt, an infantryman from Hawaii about his comrade. "At the same time, I think he's a little crazy."

The second major event will be a simulation driven Command Post Exercise were division staff members will command units on a virtual battlefield.

"The division and Thai staffs will learn from each other on command post operations and the military decision making process," said Maj. Norman Spears, an exercise chief from 25th ID (L), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

"The sort of peace enforcement and peacekeeping scenarios at the heart of Cobra Gold's CPX are off the front pages of today's papers," Spears said. "The humanitarian and media elements, which have received heavy coverage in Iraq, were an integral part of the Cobra Gold scenario last year and will be again this year."

Although the major training events will involve the infantry and division staff, the support units will also receive quite a bit of training as well.

"This exercise provides constructive benefits to the people of Thailand through combined U.S. and Thai medical and civil affairs projects. As an example, engineer units will work at three construction sites to improve local schools and a child development center," Spears said.

(Editor's note: Sgt. Monica R. Garreau is a member of the 17th Public Affairs Detachment.)