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    Cobra Gold 18: U.S. and Thai side by side in stress shoot

    Cobra Gold 18: U.S. and Thai side by side in stress shoot

    Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Justin Silvers | U.S. Army Pfc. Matthew Norcia, an infantryman with Delta Company, 1-21 Infantry...... read more read more

    KORAT, Thailand - The blistering heat from the Korat sun was no match for Royal Thai Army soldiers from the 3rd Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, 3rd Infantry Division and U.S. Soldiers from Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, as they practiced stress shoot training, Feb. 14, 2018 in Korat, Kingdom of Thailand. The stress shoot is one of several training events that are part of Exercise Cobra Gold 18, which is designed to advance regional security and ensure effective responses to regional crisis by bringing together together a robust multinational force to address shared goals and security commitments in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Soldiers began the training by sitting through a brief which explained the objectives and covered safety procedures, then moved into hands on training. The Soldiers were paired in two teams of two, consisting of one U.S. Soldier and one Royal Thai Army soldier per team. When called upon, the soldiers donned their protective gear, collected their ammunition, then moved to an open area.

    Once there, the four Soldiers had to do a variety of exercises such as running in place, pushups, and squats. After performing several sets of exercises, the Soldiers ran up to their rifles positioned on the lane, and began to engage targets. Moving in teams of two, the Soldiers fired on targets, while progressing through the lanes.

    Sergeant 1st. Class Grant Lewis, an infantryman with Delta Company, and the the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the stress shoot training, described the goal of the training.

    “The mission here is to create a stressful environment, and get the Soldiers to work together to eliminate the enemy targets,” said Lewis.“This training shows if we ever had to go to war and support each other, we can work together in a seamless manner.”

    U.S. Army Pfc. Matthew Norcia, an infantryman with Delta Company who ran through the stress shoot, said while the training was exhausting, he enjoyed the experience.

    “We began the training doing individual movement tactics, bounding and low crawl basics. After some training with that, we moved into the stress shoot live fire exercise,” said Norcia. “The stress shoot was hot and tiring, but it was fun. I liked it and I think the Thai Soldiers enjoyed it too.”

    Norcia also said he enjoyed training with his Royal Thai Army counterparts.

    “This is the first time I’ve been out of the United States, and I think it’s been awesome working with another military. They know some stuff we don’t and we know some stuff they don’t, so it’s nice to teach each other,” said Norcia. “I think it will make us both better in the end.”

    Exercise Cobra Gold 2018 is an annual exercise conducted in the Kingdom of Thailand held from Feb. 13-23 with seven full participating nations.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.14.2018
    Date Posted: 02.18.2018 02:57
    Story ID: 266106
    Location: TH

    Web Views: 878
    Downloads: 8

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