BANGKOK, Thailand -- U.S. service members worked in tandem with their Royal Thai counterparts to provide flood relief at the Don Mueang International Airport here Nov. 29.
The U.S. service members and members of the Royal Thai Army transported flood -relief equipment from the Laem Chabang Port to the airport.
Marines and sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 3, part of 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, conducted water removal operations, in coordination with the Royal Thai Air Force to support and assist the Royal Government of Thailand.
A Marine engineering officer, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and civil engineers with the U.S. Air Force’s 36th Contingency Response Group worked with the Thai military to determine how to conduct the flood-relief operations, including routing the flood water to minimize the length of hose needed, and determining the amount of water to be moved.
Prior to the operation, members of the RTAF placed sandbags as barriers around four flooded maintenance facilities at the airport.
“The Marines were tasked to drain a specific area of the airport that the Royal Thai Air Force had isolated,” said Maj. Jonathan A. Derosier, engineering officer, III MEF Flood Relief Command Element. “They had a mission, which was to drain a specific targeted area, and that was within the scope of our capability.”
U.S. forces provided equipment to assist in draining the area, including hose reel systems, 600-gallon-per-minute fuel pumps and vehicles to transport the equipment.
“They wanted to accelerate the natural drainage of the flood water, and to do that we deployed the hose reel to pump the water from the isolated area and routed it through the hose down to a drainage canal,” said Derosier. “That was going to allow the water to naturally flow (from the canal).”
Marines and sailors conducting the flood relief fought through the hot, humid climate and proficiently performed their duties without stopping, according to Chief Warrant Officer Julio C. Dominguez, engineering detachment officer-in-charge, CLR-3.
“The Marines were able to adapt to the environment and complete their mission,” said Dominguez. “Completing our mission allowed the Thai people to get back to work by gaining access to their buildings.”