At Cobra Gold exercise, Thai troops get
a taste of U.S. Marines' FAST training
Story and photos by Rick
Chernitzer, Stars and Stripes
Pfc. Matthew Chambliss
checks the lockdown buckle of a Royal Thai marine’s rappeling harness before the
marine rappels down the tower at Camp Samaesan, Thailand. |
CAMP SAMAESAN, Thailand — Sgt. Shane Voskuhl sits behind a decaying wall ripe with
mold and chipping paint. Two window holes, their glass long gone, serve as view ports into
close-combat training.
With weapons at the ready, a group of Thai marines shout "freeze" before
bursting into the first room, shooting on reflex at two targets meant to be "the bad
guys."
"Thai marines don’t get a chance to do this," said Voskuhl, 24, "so
we’re happy to help them out. And it is fun for us."
A Royal Thai marine makes
slow but steady progress on Camp Samaesan’s rappelling tower as Pfc. Michael Sampson
waits below for his charge to come down. |
U.S. Marines from the 2nd Fleet Anti-terrorism and Security Team (FAST), based out of
Yorktown, Va., but on temporary duty at Yokosuka, Japan, are participating in Cobra Gold
2001. Their main objective is to take part in an amphibious landing and to secure
imaginary consulates from attack by fictitious enemies.
But they also are cross-training their Thai counterparts. The training gives the Thais
what Voskuhl called "a taste" of the training FAST Marines undergo.
Marine Cpl. Jeff
Richardson keeps an eye on Royal Thai marines as they practice using the harness prior to
rappelling at Camp Samaesan. |
"We’re using this stuff called simunition," said Cpl. Kendall
Zakkariassen, 19, while cleaning the inside of a rifle barrel. "It’s just this
blue stuff, like detergent, with gunpowder in a casing. So it simulates real ammunition.
"But man, it hurts when you get hit by it."
A few minutes later, during drills where the Thai marines had to shoot live targets,
Zakkariassen catches one in the chest.
Pfc. Matthew Chambliss
watches as a Royal Thai marine begins his descent on Camp Samaesan’s rappelling
tower. |
"See? That thing hurts like hell," he said, half-smiling. The Thai marines
taking part in the training split into groups and rotated between training areas. Earlier
that day, the group doing the close-combat training rappelled down the camp’s tower.
The tower, about 40-feet tall, swayed lazily in the slight breeze, testing a couple
Marines’ confidence that they would be able to get through the rappelling two at a
time.
Each Thai marine is taught how to make his harness, basically a very strong length of
cord tied around the midsection. FAST Marines double-check each of them. Once atop the
tower, the Thais are brought to the edge secured with a buckle to the double lines snaking
the length of the tower and rest their heels either on the edge, or on wooden slats nailed
just beneath it. They scream their name and announce their intention to rappel.
Royal Thai marines escort
a “terrorist” out of the room where he barricaded himself Tuesday. The terrorist
was actually a U.S. Marine from the 2nd Fleet Anti-terrorism and Security Team, based in
Yorktown, Va. Marines from FAST conducted the drills to familiarize the Thais with
room-to-room combat and urban warfare. |
Pretty much everything they do is for safety — to make sure the troop holding the
line at the bottom knows there’s someone coming down, Cpl. Matthew Chambliss said.
Once they hit the bottom, they run backward, allowing the rope to break free of the
buckle. They do a jumping jack, scream their name and proclaim "off rappel!"
As Chambliss secured the next Thai, he said there’s great satisfaction in showing
the Thai marines what FAST Marines can do. "We don’t get to be instructors all
that much, so a chance to do this is great."
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