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Command Post Exercise
In a Command Post Exercise, the three nations’ participants commanded simulated units on a virtual battlefield. Thailand took the lead role. The 86-member Singapore Army contingent served as staff planners and controllers alongside their Thai and U.S. counterparts in the combined cells of the exercise Command Headquarters. Participants learned command post operations and the military decision-making process. The focus was on peace support and NEO scenarios.
The humanitarian and media elements, which have received heavy coverage in Iraq, were an integral part of the COBRA GOLD scenario last year and again this year, according to U.S. Army Maj. Norman Spears. “This exercise provides constructive benefits to the people of Thailand through combined U.S. and Thai medical and civil affairs projects. As an example, [U.S. Army] engineer units will work at three construction sites to improve local schools and a child development center.”
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Renovating Schools
Royal Thai and U.S. Navy sailors spent nearly a month renovating facilities at Ban Khao Huay Mahad and Ban Chang elementary schools in Ban Chang. “We’ve been fixing leaky roofs, broken doors, chairs, and desks. We’ve also been doing a lot of painting and beautifying the area for the new school year,” said U.S. Navy PO1 Mark Pembleton.
The exercise Commander of Naval Forces, Adm. Wangkeaw Thagerngsak, Royal Thai Navy, and the Deputy Commander, Rear Adm. Frederic R. Ruehe, U.S. Navy, visited the two schools to thank the sailors for contributing to the Thai community. Rear Adm. Ruehe told the sailors, “COBRA GOLD is an exercise in teamwork, and that’s what was shown here.”
Teachers and students smiled and thanked the workers of both navies for contributing to the education of Thailand’s youth. “The project is very helpful for us,” said Wanpin Kittiyayan, a teacher at the Ban Khao Huay Mahad School. “The teachers and the students are very happy, and we hope that next year the Navy comes here again.”
Medical Civic Action
Thai and U.S. military medical personnel conducted Medical Civic Action Projects (MEDCAPs) in nine locations in three provinces located across Thailand from Cambodia to Myanmar. The MEDCAPs included medical, dental, optometry, and veterinary specialists. |
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A Thai Marine gives a U.S. Marine a cooked insect to eat during Jungle Survival Training.
Photo By Cpl. Trevor M. Carlee, USMC |
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Thai Marine CPO1 Pranom Yodrug shows U.S. Marines edible plants found in Thailand’s jungles.
Photo by Sgt. Benjamin E. Barr, USMC |
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A total of 8,085 patient and 3,052 veterinary treatments took place during the MEDCAPs. Rural villagers in these locations, who neither have access nor can afford these kinds of care, were the beneficiaries of these programs.
The MEDCAP teams conducted 3,309 physical examinations and issued 8,372 medical prescriptions. They conducted 3,183 eye examinations, fabricated and provided 849 prescription eyeglasses, and issued another 2,190 glasses donated by U.S. Lion’s Clubs. Dental teams examined 1,262 patients and extracted 928 teeth. Physical therapy examinations for 317 villagers and village public health assessments were also part of these programs. Veterinarians examined and treated 2,027 animals within a 10-kilometer radius of the nine MEDCAP sites. Animals treated ranged from water buffaloes and cattle to dogs and chickens.
Thai participants were medical personnel from the Royal Thai Army, Navy, and Air Force, augmented by Thai Public Health specialists. The U.S. portion of the MEDCAP teams came from U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force units of the U.S. Pacific Command, augmented by Army and Navy Reserve personnel from as far away as Texas.
The combined Thai-U.S. MEDCAPS provided valuable training opportunities for Thai and U.S. medical personnel, while benefiting thousands of Thai villagers, their livestock, and their domestic animals.
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