MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Exercise Cobra Gold came to a close Feb. 17, after two weeks of training in the gulf of Thailand.
Marines and sailors from Iwakuni participated in the two-week exercise that focused on building working relationships with allied countries while training for real-world situations.
The multinational exercise started Feb. 4 and included approximately 7,000 United States service members along with 4,000 other participants from Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
Marines trained in tactics ranging from amphibious assaults to aerial attacks.
The culmination of the exercise was a land assault held on Feb. 13. Temperatures reached a high of 102 by 10 a.m. when the exercise kicked off. Helicopters circled off the shore as they provided security for amphibious vehicles cutting across the choppy ocean. Thai and United States Marines emerged from the underbellies of the vehicles as they came ashore. The Marines pushed forward in the mock attack, providing security for each other while gaining ground.
"I thought it went great. Amphib landing is one of the toughest things there is, and I’ve seen a number of them," said Lt. Gen. Keith J. Stalder, commander of Marine Forces Pacific, in an interview with the Stars and Stripes. "The one this morning couldn’t have gone better from everything I saw."
Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, also known as the ‘Bats,’ flew in multiple large force exercises. Marines, along with the United States and Royal Thai Air Force, flew more than 20 jets deep during the training.
“An exercise like this helps multinational forces practice air-to-air combat,” said Capt. Conor S. Jarvis, squadron weapon system officer for VMFA(AW)-242.
“There is no better exercise than Cobra Gold to keep our militaries ready to respond to the real-world priorities of peacekeeping, stability, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance,” said United States Ambassador Eric G. John at a Cobra Gold 2009 press conference. “Relief efforts for the 2004 tsunami and last year for Cyclone Nargis demonstrated that multinational responses to regional crises are likely to be the norm in the future, and the ability of regional partners to assist those in need was a direct product of the multilateral training that takes place in Cobra Gold.”
Cobra Gold not only served as a training exercise, but also an opportunity for United States service members to reach out to the community.
Before and during the exercise, Marines joined Lt. j.g. Robert E. Mills, a station chaplain here, and provided assistance to local orphanages and schools.
“During an exercise like this it’s important to do things for the local community” Mills said. “Getting service members out into the community, painting basketball courts and planting trees helps people see we really are interested in helping those in need.”
A total of nine events were conducted, involving everything from planting fruit trees to playing games with orphans.
The highlight of the community trips was a ramp that was built to provide disabled students access to the second level classrooms.
Before the ramp was built, it took 45 minutes to transport disabled student to class via a single person elevator.
“The least we can do is give our time to these kids who have nearly nothing,” said Mills. “You know it’s a good community relations event when you have Marines start crying.”
The exercise came to a close, successfully fulfilling its initial intentions to building a stronger working relationship while training for real-world situations.