Cobra Gold 19: Thai-Cambodian Marine follows roots, visits Thailand for first time

UTAPAO, THAILAND

02.05.2019

Photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Bragg 

III MEF Information Group     

U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Pinyo D. Chuon, a Marine Corps Community Services Marines with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, is a Thai-Cambodian American now serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, and is supporting exercise Cobra Gold 19 at Phra Maha Jetsadaratchao Camp, U-Tapao, Kingdom of Thailand, February 2019. “This is my first time in Thailand, and being here reminds of me of my childhood. I was born in 1991 in Long Beach, California. My dad is from Thailand and my mom is from Cambodia. They both emigrated to the United States during the Khmer Rouge era. The Khmer Rouge was a genocide that took place in Cambodia more than 20 years ago. The majority of the Asian community that moved to the U.S. during that time settled down in Long Beach, and that’s where my parents met. Life growing up for me was pretty rough, because of a lot of the Asians that moved over there barely spoke any English and were bullied a lot. As a result, they came together and formed gangs. So, there was a lot of gang activity while I was growing up, and I was exposed to a lot of violence and guns. I had a pretty good foundation as far as my family in general. They knew all the bad stuff and all the violence going on, so they always talked to me and my siblings and lectured us like most Asian parents do. Like, ‘Hey you have to do this, stay in school, do the right thing, think about your career and you future.’ Now being here in Thailand, it feels awesome. Just being out here eating the food, listening to the music and hearing the karaoke at night, I grew up with that kind of atmosphere. So growing up we did the same things. We’d eat traditional Thai and Cambodian food, my parents would have parties, and they’d sing karaoke all night. So it sort of gives me a flashback of my childhood growing up. Being here in support of Cobra Gold, I feel like I get the best of both worlds. This is part of my background and I get to see a little bit of the homeland. And at the same time, being in the Marines, coming out here and doing my job to support the armed forces. I enjoy providing the little things they need, like snacks and beverages, and just putting a smile on their faces.” (U.S. Marine Corps illustration by Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Bragg. This photo was is composite using multiple photos, which were stitched together to create a shallow depth of field. This technique is most commonly known as the Brenizer method.)

• Date Taken: 02.05.2019
• Date Posted: 02.05.2019 17:51
• Photo ID: 5079792
• VIRIN: 190205-M-DP650-0068
• Resolution: 4010x3131
• Size: 9.54 MB
• Location: UTAPAO, TH
• Hometown: LONG BEACH, CA, US