PATTAYA DAILY NEWS (Thailand) 13 May 08 US-Thai Troops Turn Snake-Eaters In Cobra Gold 2008 Training
To sharpen their survival skills in the deep forest, where finding food is difficult, the US Cobra Gold troops joined the Thai Field Army on May 12, 2008, in a mutual-exchange training operation to locate non-poisonous edible greens and hunting for wild animals to eat, including snakes.
Those Cobra Gold' 08 troops who hadn't gone to participate in the Burmese relief effort joined the forest survival course, along with 20 members of the Thai Navy. 180 US Navy personnel went on the training exercise at Patrol Battalion, Marine Corps Division, Marine Corps Command Unit, Sattahip, Chonburi.
Sub-Lieutenant Somsak Wanmueng, the Thai trainer in the art of self-sufficient Forest Survival, was acting as advisor to the Navy to identify what forest fruits and plants are edible or poisonous. Other survival skill training included locating drinking water sources, lighting, cooking, and making animal traps. There was also a snake catching demonstration showing how to eat them safely to survive.
Other than catching snakes for food, there was a demonstration on how to make medicinal whisky from cobra blood to enhance blood circulation, which made a deep impression on all the US Navy personnel attending the course.
US-Thai Troops Turn Snake-Eaters In Cobra Gold 2008 Training