Culture, clay and the fleur-de-lis: Cope Tiger Air Forces give back to Thai village

  • Published
  • By 2Lt. Michael Harrington
  • Multilateral Exercise Cope Tiger 2014
KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Thailand --  More than nine thousand miles stand between Korat, Thailand and New Orleans, Louisiana, yet even sitting on opposite sides of the globe certain bonds link the Thai tigers and their Bayou counterparts: hot food, hot weather and a love for community even thicker than the humidity. It was in this muggy, amicable atmosphere that American, Thai and Singapore Air Force members with Multilateral Exercise Cope Tiger 2014 participated in a community engagement day Wednesday at Dan Kwian Wittaya School in a small village near Korat.

U.S. doctors and medical technicians arrived early in the morning, pausing in their normal routine of keeping the exercise's 27 American flyers combat ready to assist their Thai and Singapore hosts in providing basic services to underprivileged rural Thais.

The day's cultural activities included painting the finishing touches on a Cope Tiger 2014 mural reading "peace and friendship" as well as traditional dances, music and pottery exhibitions performed by the students of Dan Kwian. School brochures note the village is famous in the region and internationally for the pottery it crafts from the black, bronzed clay of the nearby Moun River.

The U.S. Air Force exercise director, Col. John "Zoomba" Traettino from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii cut the ribbon for a new multi-purpose athletic court with his Thai and Singapore counterparts. Later, he presented the students with toys, supplies and sports equipment--all purchased with the personal donations of Louisiana Air National Guard and Cope Tiger participants.

"I have a son about your size back home, and I told him before I left for this long trip to 'live his dream,'" Traettino said.

That helped him some, Traettino said, but what he really wanted from me was a toy car--before gifting just such cars to the Thai students.
The event served to build relationships between Thais, American and Singaporeans beyond high-flying dogfighting in the hazy heat of northern Thailand's skies.

"The locals got real medical attention, mostly eyeglasses and help for aches and pains they've never had the means to talk to someone about," said Staff Sgt. Tasia Bradley, Cope Tiger exercise medical technician from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.

"If anything, I wish we got to do more of this, going out into the local area and seeing patients, getting to do the job with the extra reward of seeing people who otherwise wouldn't be seen," Bradley said.

"The people here are so welcoming and authentically grateful," said Ivy Songham, an English teacher at the school from Cape Town, South Africa. "There's no ruse to it; they are so happy to see role models from far-off places."

"This is their chance to meet the foreigners and, even more, to share the pride of their village so the Americans admire them, too," Songham said.

The highly-photographed formalities of three nations' ranking officials visiting a village fell to the background in a school full of children translating in three languages between the services. The visit marked the 21st iteration of the Korat community building event, fostering good relationships amongst the tri-national participants and local Thai communities.

Cope Tiger 2014 leadership and medical team members offered services again at Ban Khao Tian Mitrapap 134 School in the Lop Buri province Friday.