CG15 Ban Nhong-Plong ENCAP impresses from the top down

Photo By Chief Warrant Officer James Marchetti | Royal Thai Army Maj. Gen. Theethawat Polsawat, commanding general of the RTARF Headquarters Development Command’s Region 1, and U.S. Army 1st Lt. Mark Lero, the officer in charge of a detachment of soldiers participating in Exercise Cobra Gold 2015 from 797th Engineer Company (Vertical), based out of the United States Army Reserve Center in Barrigada, Guam, communicate in front of the construction site at Ban Nhong-Plong Elementary School, located in Chai Badan District, Lop Buri Province, Thailand, on Feb. 10, 2015. As part of Exercise Cobra Gold 2015, a multinational force of Thai, Chinese and U.S. military engineers have been constructing a new multipurpose facility at Ban Nhong-Plong that will serve as a cafeteria and community center. Polsawat commands the joint RTARF Mobile Military Development Unit 16, which is participating in CG15 and routinely conducts renovation around Lop Buri. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. James Marchetti)  

LOP BURI PROVINCE, THAILAND

02.10.2015

Story by Cpl. James Marchetti 

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

CHAI BADAN DISTRICT, LOP BURI PROVINCE, Thailand - Royal Thai Army Maj. Gen. Theethawat Polsawat, commanding general of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters Development Command’s Region 1, visited the Exercise Cobra Gold 2015 Engineering Civic Action Project construction site at Ban Nhong-Plong Elementary School, located in Chai Badan District, Lop Buri Province, Thailand, on Feb. 10, 2015.

The ENCAP utilizes the joint RTARF engineer group - a branch of the RTARF HQ named Mobile Military Development Unit 16 – which is teamed up with assets from the People Liberation Army of China and the U.S. Army. The multinational force is collaborating on the construction of a new multipurpose facility for students of Ban Nhong-Plong.

Col. Nopparat Rattanapong, the ENCAP site commander and spokesperson for Polsawat, expressed the CG’s satisfaction with the work he saw during his visit.

“The General is very impressed because the project appears to be four days ahead of schedule,” said Rattanapong, who visits the site one to two times each week to observe its progress. “It’s all because of the cooperation between the different nations’ militaries creating this project.”

MMDU-16 is one of six units that provide humanitarian civic assistance to Region 1, which spans from Lop Buri to Thailand’s east coast. Rattanapong added that the unit is accustomed to operating in rural areas - much like their role in CG15 - as their missions usually entail developing the villages located quite some distance from large cities and more densely populated towns.

According to Rattanapong, Polsawat nominated MMDU-16 for CG15 so that the unit could provide both their intimate expertise on the cultural workings to their multinational counterparts, and an unparalleled product in terms of quality that will serve as a stepping stone for future projects in Thailand.

“More projects like this across Thailand will develop our country,” said Rattanapong. “Cobra Gold always has and will continue to develop our schools and communities.”

Polsawat plans to attend the ENCAP site’s dedication ceremony, which is slated for Feb. 19. The facility will open it its doors to students of Ban Nhong-Plong after the ceremony, and serve thereafter as a cafeteria and community center.

• Date Taken: 02.10.2015
• Date Posted: 02.12.2015 22:55
• Story ID: 154402
• Location: LOP BURI PROVINCE, TH