Chaplain Barrett Craig (left), Combat Logistics
Battalion 31 accepts souvenir books from Father Veera Phangrak, director of
the Pattaya Orphanage.
Phasakorn Channgam
More than 30 U.S. Navy personnel capped 10 days of
multinational war games with a round of friendly sports and indoor games
with children at the Pattaya Orphanage.
Fresh off completion of the year’s Cobra Gold exercise,
sailors from Combat Logistics Battalion 31, led by Chaplain Barrett Craig
and Lt. Col. William Arick talked to orphanage children and then engaged
them in some outdoor games until rain forced everyone inside Feb. 17.
The kids’ laughter was a welcome change from exploding
artillery and firearms that played such a prominent role in Cobra Gold
drills, which began Feb. 7.
Troops learn to identify
edible insects to survive in the jungle.
For Battalion 31, the exercise began Feb. 12 with an
amphibious beach assault in Sattahip with 150 American sailors and marines
joining seven amphibious vehicle squads from Thailand. The attack was
synchronized with U.S. personnel leading troops ashore in amphibious assault
vehicles to scout for snipers. Royal Thai Navy troops were stationed to the
side of the target and when both forces were in position, a signal was
launched for the attack to help hostages off the area and retreat,
completing the mission of bringing troops ashore.
The following day saw Battalion 31 participate in
wilderness survival training at Force Recon Thailand along with South Korean
troops. This was a patrol mission where backup troops and food could not be
brought in. The mission focused on training soldiers to identify the
surrounding plants and animals and teach soldiers to cook with natural
tools, learn to create traps in various forms appropriate for different
animals. There were strategic simulations by presenting soldiers with
various insects to taste, a demonstration on catching cobras with bare
hands, during which soldiers drank fresh blood from the cobras, a surprising
demonstration for the U.S. and South Korean participants.
Troops are given a thorough
washing after handling toxic chemicals.
Valentine’s Day saw a mission devoted to recovery of
chemical, biological and nuclear materials at Maha Jessada Ratchao Camp. The
Thai Navy’s Science Department and Research and Development Centre for Space
and Aeronautical Science and Technology joined soldiers from the U.S.
Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Weapons Division to lead 99 Thai and 35
American sailors through training on the hazardous materials recovery and
share strategies, technologies.
The U.S. this year had 8,948 men and women participating
in Cobra Gold. Thailand tasked 13,180 personnel to join and South Korea sent
324. Others actively engaged were Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan.
Ten other nations have sent observers.
There’s nothing like having
the media in your face whilst trying to attack a beach head.
A Thai survival expert shows
troops how to capture a cobra during the jungle survival exercises.
Cooking up the wild chicken
and cobra caught earlier in the jungle.
US troops are given a chance
to try their hands at capturing a live cobra.
Amphibious vehicles bring
troops ashore in Sattahip.
The children at Pattaya
Orphanage certainly enjoy play time with US soldiers.
This mission devoted to
recovery of chemical, biological and nuclear materials at Maha Jessada
Ratchao Camp took place on Valentine’s Day.