PACAF team donates to Thai school

  • Published
  • By Capt. Renee Lee
  • Cope TIger Public Affairs
KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR BASE, Thailand (AFPN) --  Pacific Air Forces Airmen, Royal Thai air force members and Republic of Singapore air force military members donated school supplies and equipment Jan. 30 to a local school in a rural village outside of Korat, Thailand.

Historically a part of the humanitarian portion of Exercise Cope Tiger, the donation to the school was part of a multilateral community relations project, along with the RTAF and the RSAF, whose members also contributed equipment.

PACAF's donation included computers, dictionaries, an LCD projector, toys and sports equipment.

Col. James Horton, the 13th Air Expeditionary Wing commander for Cope Tiger 2008, presented the donation at a ceremony at Ban Don Phawa School along with the exercise directors from Singapore and Thailand.

"I'm very pleased for the equipment," said Mrs. Suwatana Suwan, one of the 16 teachers at the school. "It's important to the students and it's good because the village is poor."

"It's a way to enhance the quality of their education as much as possible," said Maj. Randy Ivall, the chief of contingency, plans and operations section of the 13th Air Force Surgeon General Office and lead planner for the humanitarian mission.

The equipment donation followed a second Medical Civic Action Programs mission, led by 13th Air Force Surgeon General Office. Fifteen Airmen from across PACAF bases teamed up with respective teams from the RTAF and RSAF at the school to provide medical and dental care to the local residents Jan. 29. 

"Medicine is an unobtrusive way to maintain good relations with countries," Major Ivall said.

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