Photo By Chief Warrant Officer James Marchetti | U.S. Army soldiers with Washington National Guard’s 176th Engineering Company...... read more read more
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MUAK LEK DISTRICT, SARABURI PROVINCE, Thailand - The engineers call it ‘Site 2’; wipe off, shower up after a long shift that began at dawn and concluded well into the evening. Another laborious day of construction awaits them the next day and the day after. Again and again until their blueprint’s representation stands upright and secure.
Their camouflage varies in color and pattern. Their work area is a melting-pot of dialects, ethnicities, tactics and procedures. However nothing gets lost in translation; they point at the blueprint and react, putting the pieces together one-by-one as the checklist’s unmarked boxes dwindle by the hour.
Students of Ban Sub Prik Elementary School, located in Muak Lek District, Saraburi Province, Thailand, will one day look up at the banner reading ‘Cobra Gold’ above the main entrance of their classroom, remember and reminisce upon the ruckus made by those big, strong, some unfamiliar, but friendly soldiers.
“Today is something we will remember for a long time,” said Singdong Tomanit, director of Ban Sub Prik, following the initial column raising ceremony on the school’s campus Jan. 26, 2015. Nearly 50 locals, many of whom had helped clean and clear the site before construction began, partook to the ceremony and affirmed this notion.
“We were so proud and happy when we heard Cobra Gold was coming to our school. When it is done, we will name the building ‘Cobra Gold,’” he added.
In the humanitarian civic assistance mission of its 34th iteration, Exercise Cobra Gold 2015 tasks a multinational joint force of Royal Thai Air Force, U.S. Army, and Indonesian military engineers with the completion of a classroom facility for children ages 4-12.
From this exercise the service members will glean a better foundation in their trade through the conflicting methodologies they face on a daily basis.
“As a soldier, being able to observe other countries – how they interact, how their chain of command works and how they respect each other – it helps us realize that we’re not the only ones doing this,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kristaps Birznieks, with Washington National Guard’s 176th Engineer Company (Vertical), based out of Snohomish, Wash. The company will be providing support on site until the structure’s completion and will redeploy on Feb. 20.
“One of the biggest things (we can take away from the Thais) is definitely innovation,” Birznieks added. “You can accomplish anything– just using what you have to accomplish anything you need to. It’s quite amazing.”
Royal Thai Air Force Flying Officer Suriya Thammalunga explained that the operation is a breeze due to the teams’ alleviation of the workload through cooperation.
More specific to his companions representing the RTAF Civil Engineering Department, the satisfaction of giving a helping hand to neighbors in need puts all the toils of the operation in the rearview.
“This is from the heart, for the people,” said Thammalunga.
The columns are raised, foundation is set and the blueprint becomes more alive each day.
And when the structure is officially inaugurated after its dedication ceremony on Feb. 18, it will be raised tall with open doors for the students of Ban Sub Prik – standing for much more than a place of shelter and learning.
It will be a lifelong story for those who saw and made it happen.
“I think it went really smoothly, but what made it phenomenal were the villagers coming out and the monk who participated,” said Birznieks. “The community is very involved and, I think, very grateful in being able to put a name on a face – they feel a sense of community with us on our mission and on our goal.”
| Date Taken: | 01.26.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2015 09:49 |
| Story ID: | 153887 |
| Location: | SARABURI PROVINCE, TH |
| Web Views: | 129 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CG15 Humanitarian Civic Assistance Mission – “From the Heart, For the People”, by CW2 James Marchetti, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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