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U.S., Royal Thai navies complete combined jump training

7th Fleet News Release

Release Date: 6/4/2003

Journalist 2nd Class Shawn Burns, Cobra Gold '03 public affairs

TOY NAM MARINE BASE, Thailand - Members of U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team 5 and the Royal Thai Navy EOD completed a series of both land and water jumps while participating in Exercise Cobra Gold '03, May 21.

According to EODMU 5 commanding officer, Cmdr. Jay Lewis, the jumps help each team familiarize themselves with the other's tools and techniques. Lewis said he hopes the training will put the teams on the same page and smooth any possible real world operations in the future.

"The whole idea behind Cobra Gold is that we're working with our Thai counterparts across the entire spectrum," Lewis said. "If we have to go somewhere in country, they can be our guides and interpreters and we'll be at the same level of training."

Personnel representing both teams boarded a KC-130 Hercules aircraft in the early morning May 20 and 21, and carried out jumps both on land and sea. Lewis said the training conducted here has been the unit's best.

"All together we're doing diving, demolition, shooting and jumping together," he said. "It's great, we're making life-long friends."

During the first series of jumps over land, the jumpers focused on different aspects of airborne insertions, including jumping from different altitudes and practicing different types of jumps such as free fall.

The second series of jumps involved the team members dropping a rubber boat, then parachuting out of the aircraft, swimming to the boat, boarding it and driving it to shore.

Following the jumps, Chief Air Ordnanceman (EOD) Andrew Levy, a Buffalo, N.Y., native, said the operation went well and that teamwork was a vital ingredient for their success.

"It was a good operation, everybody pulled together," Levy said.

Levy, participating in the annual exercise for the first time, also said he is enjoying Thailand and its people.

"It's a great place to operate," Levy said. "I love the people. They're the friendliest people I've ever met in the world."

Exercise Cobra Gold '03 is a combined training exercise held annually to provide the militaries of Thailand, Singapore and the United States with realistic training in a joint environment and building contingency plans in response to acts of terrorism.