**** For understanding the content: In this original article
It will be a story about experiences and direct opinions.
It belongs to the owner of the original article, therefore the editor
Therefore, I would like to use the term "writer" to refer to the person who narrates the story.
This refers to the author of the original article, not the translator/editor. ****
When it comes to joint training between Thai and US soldiers
Such as the Cobra Gold training event that many people are familiar with. 
If we look at it from our side, what we see is probably US soldiers bringing equipment.
and personnel come to exchange knowledge and experiences with us
Including joint development and training for the future
If there is a need to carry out joint missions, the operations will go smoothly.
and more efficient in the future
... and in addition to that, there is income from various trades.
It will return to the local people, including many famous provinces.
You will have the opportunity to welcome many guests.
Help stimulate the economy and tourism, especially during the low season.
To be lively all year round .. 
But from the perspective of US officials... in addition to the training experience,
and our culture, what they remember and bring back to tell their friends every time.
That is the experience in the topic of Jungle Survival Training.
It can be said that it is colorful and as outstanding as any other country in the world.
Anyone who has passed this class, when they return to their base or return home to the US
It can be said that this is their drinking tale forever.
Especially for those who have experience in eating fresh cobra blood or heart.
Within the classroom itself, it is an even more proud story that once in a lifetime
I got to try something like this, along with our traditional beliefs that are told.
To them, make them believe strongly that
"When he ate the blood of a cobra during the training in Thailand, after that
He will be invincible and strong as the Thai soldiers once said. 
Cockroaches, grasshoppers, and various worms taste crunchy like grilled chicken skin.
Bamboo and many types of wood can be used as firewood. Breaking the neck of a chicken.
And staring at a cobra before seeing it skinned is one of those things that
The author of the article will never forget
Under a military training camp in the heart of tropical Thailand
In addition to regular training, the United States Marines
Training in case of vehicle or aircraft crash in forest area
and survival in the forest before finding an opportunity to ask for help
It has become another important subject and is included in every training.
Throughout the 40 years of joint training between Thai and US soldiers
And today is the day that everyone has been waiting for, the day they will learn.
Survival skills in the jungle, which Thai soldiers will teach to US soldiers.
Proudly a host with extensive experience in the terrain
The author thinks back to the year when the author of the article was still stationed in the 3rd Marine Division.
As part of the External Warfare Task Force (MEF), during the training we would sit in a circle around each other.
Beside the tree and learned through a trainer who called himself a hunter.
But with their personality and the knife they carry, we tease them by saying,
They look so much like Crocodile Dundee.
(Translator: Crocodile Dundee is a comedy from the 80s.
It talks about a crocodile hunter who came to live in the capital.
He is a person who is very good at surviving, but because he is not used to it
With the lifestyle of people in the city, there are many funny things that happen in the story.) 
"Thailand has only three seasons.
That's summer, very summer, and shitty summer."
Said by Sergeant Major Pranom Yodrak, an officer of the patrol unit
And it's like a Jungle Survival Expert or a jungle survival expert.
He said in class that due to the language barrier, he could not communicate well in English.
So he uses body language, gestures and plays with the face and eyes.
In trying to tell us a story that will grab our attention
and made us US soldiers laugh almost every time.
After introducing the theory of survival, Payadrak
(The name he used to call Sergeant Pranom) gradually brought many strange-looking fruits.
Come and let us touch and try some of the edible fruits.
And there are poisonous fruits that we should know how to recognize and avoid. And there are also
Fruits that, when peeled, contain water inside, which we can eat to sustain life.
We also learned how to peel each type of fruit for eating. 
Every US Marine started to try them one by one. Payadrak would try them for us.
Guessing what this fruit looks like will taste like without revealing it, which is obviously very obvious.
Through the faces of our fellow soldiers after trying it.
If your friend makes a squinting face and twists his lips, it means that the fruit is bitter.
And it's not very appetizing. But if after eating it, you see that he makes an excited face,
It means that the food tastes good, and if it is eaten again, it means that it is very delicious.
And it often doesn't reach the friends at the back of the line because they usually eat it all from the first row. 
Sergeant Charles Edkins (pictured) is stationed in the field medical unit.
He felt excited and his eyes lit up when Jai Aodrak brought him some fruits to try.
and found it to be very delicious. "The taste is like eating caviar, but it doesn't have a fishy smell.
"It's also incredibly sweet," Edkins said.
After getting to know various fruits, it's time to move on to another class.
That is, trapping animals and insects to eat while in the forest.
"I've tried cockroaches and grasshoppers. They don't actually taste bad."
Dallas Lance and Kyle Robert, Marines in the class, talk about their experiences.
The first time I tried it, "It's actually really cool."
The taste is like eating grilled chicken skin." 
After trying many different things, we will start learning how to light a fire.
Now all we can do is sit back and watch and see the Thai recon soldiers.
Demonstrate how to make fire using nothing but dry bamboo and bamboo pulp.
They showed us how to cut bamboo and drill holes.
and scraping wood pulp to create firewood before lighting a fire by rubbing the wooden sticks
To cause friction to create sparks, which is everything they said.
It only takes a few minutes to make, and it looks amazing!
Now it's time for us to try it out, two US Marines.
Volunteer to be the one to practice lighting fires using this method, which ended up with
We couldn't light a fire no matter how hard we tried. In the end, we had to pay for it.
It also helps us to light a fire by using additional equipment, such as oil.
Or removing gunpowder from the bullet to help ignite it faster.
And finally, use a lighter to light it. 
Then it was Sergeant Major Pairote Prasansai's turn to demonstrate in the classroom.
Which can be said that he is the main character of the event, who caused a stir among all of us at the event.
Because on his part, he is the one who will demonstrate how to break a chicken's neck and eat it raw in front of us.
And of course, it's amazing that even we, who appear to be physically fit,
He still couldn't break a chicken's neck in one move, but he did it quickly.
It was decisive and even gnawed on the fresh, still-wriggling chicken in front of us.
Who were cheering with satisfaction at the awesomeness that Sergeant Pairote had shown us.
He can break the necks of chickens, yank their heads off and knock them to the ground, and use his hands to pull off their feathers and wings.
Including using his mouth to crush the flesh like a wild animal, and fresh blood flowed out of his mouth.
And then he let us try it too. It was an amazing experience. 
But Sergeant Pairot's awesomeness doesn't end there! He opened the box and we saw a big cobra.
Came out of the nest and spread its hood towards us. At that point, we could only retreat.
Because of fear, because this snake was freshly caught from the camp.
And this is the real highlight of this event! The moment when the snake spreads its hood towards everyone.
Sergeant Pairote knelt down and sat staring at the snake silently. At that moment, he looked so peaceful.
It's like being in the true Zen way.
The sergeant's hand tried to reach out and press the cobra's head, but the cobra resisted and tried to
He lunged at Sergeant Pairoj's hand, but with his expertise, he was able to dodge it easily.
And then he slapped the snake's head again loudly, making us laugh even though at that moment
It should have been a life or death situation, and then he did it again.
But this time, the cobra was tricked by Sergeant Pairote, causing the other hand of Sergeant
You can press on the back of the cobra's head and hold it down on the ground. 
After that, Sergeant Pairote pressed the snake's head into the cup and squeezed out the snake's venom while explaining.
When it came to the correct steps of milking snake venom, we could only nod.
Even though he didn't understand because he was excited, after that Sergeant Pairote brought the snake.
Back to the center of our circle again, this time Sergeant Pairote has given us
He got to experience contact with a live snake by holding its tail while it was holding its head down. 
And then the crucial moment came. At that moment, Sergeant Pairoj and his team grabbed knives.
Before cutting off the snake's head in one go... Smack! The snake's head flew off in another direction.
And the team started to skin the snake, at which point we could only blink our eyes.
After the skinning was complete, Sergeant Pairote made an incision and fresh blood flowed out.
At that time, Sergeant Pairote let us try eating cobra blood one by one.
At that time, I must say that it was an amazing experience for us. 
"What could be cooler than drinking fresh snake blood?" Cpl. Garrett Bain
The Fire Control Officer of the 3rd Marine Battalion said with excitement…
"The capabilities of Thai soldiers are very outstanding. They are remembered.
and learn from the experiences that have been passed down from generation to generation, and he is also kind-hearted.
To share their knowledge, experiences and culture with us.
Which was a very valuable experience for us."
And of course after finishing this class and eating cobra blood...
Now we are "invincible" like the Thai soldiers already....
Source: I Drank Cobra Blood in Thailand; Now I'm Invincible (coffeeordie.com)
Translator and editor: Ronnakrit " Viking " Sripumma
On May 6, 2021