Community Corner

Son of Valrico Couple Participates in Military Training Exercise

Resident provides humanitarian aid in Thailand.

 By Dona Fair

For the son of a Valrico couple, providing humanitarian aid, civic assistance, and military training to a country known for deadly cobra snakes, Buddhist temples and shrimp pad Thai was quite an experience recently.    

Marine Corps Pfc. Alan M. Swan, son of Dwight and Althea Swan of Valrico, was one of more than 7,200 U.S. servicemembers involved in Cobra Gold 2011, the largest multi-lateral military training exercise in the Pacific region. Sponsored by the Royal Thai Supreme Command and the United States, Cobra Gold is conducted annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand. This year's participants were Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, United States, and the Republic of Korea. 

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"My role here is to record fire missions during the artillery shoots," said Swan, who is assigned to Twentynine Palms, Calif.   

Cobra Gold 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the Cobra Gold Exercise and has developed into an important symbol of the U.S. military's commitment to maintaining peace and security in Asia. The exercise provides realistic training, improves efficiency through military coordination, and tests military operations.   

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Service members work on their tactical skills and test their ability to operate in a joint, multinational environment. These range from amphibious assaults to engineering and medical humanitarian and civic assistance projects geared toward improving the quality of life of the Thai people.

This type of training gives Swan a chance to improve his individual skills and experience the culture of other countries.   

 "This type of exercise is important because it provides us with the opportunity to train in environments that we are not normally used to," said Swan, who graduated in 2001 from Wharton High School, and received an associate degree in 2005 from Hillsborough Community College, both of Tampa.  

With its lush jungles, exotic beaches, and its precarious animal wildlife, Thailand is quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the United States.  Instead of the huge shopping malls that Swan and the others are accustomed to, street markets abound with sellers who pack their wares---a variety of tropical fruits, flowers, food, clothing, and jewelry, into small kiosks, bargaining with customers to get the best price for their items.     

 "The people here are very nice," said Swan.  

In an age where it is just as important for countries to support peace operations, Swan and his multi-national military partners understand firsthand what it takes to bring many countries together to be able to respond to disasters such as recent tsunamis and cyclones, and provide humanitarian assistance around the world.

 


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