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Thai and U.S. Army parachutists exit a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft.
Photo by MSgt. David McCarthy, USAF |
The drills conducted throughout the day included shooting on the move, weapons handling, and speed reloading while maintaining aim at the enemy, knowing when to reload, and close range firing. “The Thai and U.S. Marines partner up, and while one fires, the other reloads,” said Capt. Arcega.
Royal Thai Marines and U.S. Marines also conducted a machinegun live-fire exercise at the Ban Chan Krem firing range. The U.S. Marines demonstrated the weapon systems organic to their firing batteries. Royal Thai Marines use M60s, M79s, and M16A2 Service Rifles while U.S. Marines use .50 Caliber machineguns, Mark-19s, and M-249 Squad Automatic Weapons. Following this, both forces moved to Pong Nam Ron where they conducted artillery training for the rest of the exercise.
“These (Thai) Marines are comrades in arms, and they may be fighting right next to us one day,” noted U.S. Marine Capt. Jimmie Johnson. “I think this training is extremely important in order to understand each other’s styles, techniques, and culture.”
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Combined Parachute Jumps
Royal Thai Navy and U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams completed a series of land and water parachute jumps at Toy Nam Marine Base. The jumps were part of a series of training evolutions to familiarize each other with each unit’s tools and techniques.
The two EOD teams carried out parachute jumps from KC-130 Hercules aircraft over land and sea, preparing for any contingency they might be called to act on in a combined environment. During the jumps over land, participants focused on different aspects of airborne insertion, including jumping from different altitudes and practicing different types of jumps, such as free fall. Over the sea, jumps involved dropping a rubber boat into an aquatic drop zone, then parachuting from the aircraft, swimming to the boat, boarding it, and driving it to shore.
Commenting on working with the U.S. Navy EOD team, Royal Thai Navy EOD team member Ai Sanl said, “I enjoy working with the U.S. Navy. It boosts our spirits and knowledge. I have participated in this exercise for the past two years, and the Americans give us more experience and show us new technology which helps us do our job.”
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jay Lewis noted, “This has been the best training across the board. We’re doing diving, demolition, shooting, and jumping together. It’s great, we’re making life-long friends.” |
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Thai Army MSgt. Vinat Sviudon receives help with his parachute from U.S. Army MSgt. Earl Sagucio.
Photo by MSgt. David McCarthy, USAF |
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Thai and U.S. Army parachutists descend toward a drop zone.
Photo by MSgt. David McCarthy, USAF |
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