Acworth Serviceman Participates in Cobra Gold Overseas

by Dona Fair

Joint Hometown News Service
203 Norton St.
San Antonio, TX  78226-1848

CHIANG MAI, Thailand - For the son of an Acworth 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 Lance Cpl. John T. Skaggs, son of John T. and Linda Skaggs of North Shores Road, Acworth, was one of more than 7,200 U.S. service members 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.

"My role here is to help provide data communications in support of Cobra Gold 2011," said Skaggs, who is a data network technician with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.

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.

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 Skaggs a chance to improve his individual skills and experience the culture of other countries.

"This type of exercise is important because it helps us further our skills in the field as well as expand our relationships with the militaries of other nations," said Skaggs, who graduated in 2009 from Dunedin High School, FL.

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 Skaggs 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.

"Thailand reminds me a lot about home and other places that I have lived," said Skaggs, who has been in the military for more than a year. "The people here are kind and the countryside is full of wildlife."

In an age where it is just as important for countries to support peace operations, Skaggs 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.