Photo By Tech. Sgt. Tyler Meister | A Royal Thai Army soldier and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Samnang Virakpanyou discuss a...... read more read more
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SUKHOTHAI, Thailand - Proclaimed to be a unique strength by his unit, Staff Sgt. Samnang Virakpanyou helps Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard bridge the cultural and language gap during the Kingdom of Thailand’s annually hosted exercise Cobra Gold.
With Exercise Cobra Gold 2014 in full swing, Virakpanyou’s contributions are vital to the Thai-U.S. co-sponsored multinational, joint theater security cooperation exercise.
Virakpanyou is with the 176th Engineer Company, and for the past four years the unit has been invited to Cobra Gold, an exercise committed to improving regional partnership, prosperity and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Their mission was to support an engineer civic assistance project (ENCAP) where they constructed a new schoolhouse for the communities of Sukhothai province, Thailand.
U.S. Army forces attended Cobra Gold 2014 in support of U.S. Army Pacific.
Local Thai interpreters are present at the projects to ensure the separate nations can communicate effectively and get the job done on time. Luckily for the 176th, Virakpanyou was born in Cambodia and raised in Thailand near the Cambodian border, so he is fluent in Thai, Cambodian and English.
His language skills and understanding for both cultures has allowed a unique bond to be formed between the men working at the Ban Sa la Kai Fub School.
“He (Virakpanyou) is an irreplaceable asset,” said 1st Sgt. Frederick Wahlgren, the ENCAP noncommissioned officer in charge. “He always takes time to try and cater to the needs of both the Thai and U.S. It is really neat to see our nations mingle and truly enjoy each others company as they form lasting friendships.”
Wahlgren said he was honored to promote Virakpanyou last year in Thailand during Cobra Gold 2013. It was humbling to witness and be apart of something that meant a great deal to him, Wahlgren continued.
Soldiers frequently asked Virakpanyou how to speak specific phrases in Thai, so they can improve their working relationships. They also ask Virakpanyou to help crack jokes and tell stories during the evenings when they gather to socialize and play card games.
“Staff Sgt. Virakpanyou is mission essential to working with the Thai because he mitigates the language barrier,” said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Gegenheimer, the construction project subject matter expert. “We only have one interpreter, so having him always around to handle small things saves lots of time.”
Gegenheimer has known Virakpanyou since 2007, and knows he is a very generous and flexible guy who is not afraid to get his hands dirty to help the lower enlisted. Virakpanyou is known as true family man, and when his family comes to visit they enjoy treating the unit to a Thai meal, added Gegenheimer.
Virakpanyou moved to the U.S. as a young man and joined the U.S. Navy. He served four years and got out to later join the Washington Army National Guard.
He met his wife when she was attending school in the U.S. and she is also from Thailand. They visit a local Buddhist temple back home in Washington to retain their bond with Thailand.
“We both speak multiple languages, but when we get mad the Thai breaks out,” Virakpanyou joked.
This is Virakpanyou’s fourth Cobra Gold. He said he comes to do what he can and looks forward to mingling with the other nations.
As a welcome addition to the project, members of the Malaysian and Indonesian Armed Forces have joined the Royal Thai Army and 176th to construct the schoolhouse.
“We enjoyed their support and it has been fun to try and understand each other,” said Virakpanyou. “Since only a few of them (Malaysians and Indonesians) understand English, we use body language and gestures to communicate with each other.”
Gegenheimer noted that Virakpanyou is about to retire from the Army and could of easily opted out of the mission this year, but he did not.
“It’s as good as it gets to be out here as part of a team and build relationships,” said Virakpanyou. “Being able to help, and then step back and feel good about what we accomplished for the community, is the true purpose.”
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.15.2014 00:54 |
| Story ID: | 120681 |
| Location: | SUKHOTHAI, TH |
| Hometown: | LYNNWOOD, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 202 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Washington Guard soldier helps bridge the culture, language gap during Cobra Gold 14, by TSgt Tyler Meister, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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