Sailors from amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) participated in a cultural exchange project as part of Cobra Gold 2017 (CG17), Feb. 14.

CG17 emphasizes coordination on civic action, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, seeking to expand regional cooperation and collaboration in these vital areas.

37 Sailors from Green Bay, as well as Marines and Soldiers from participating commands, travelled to the Wat Samnak Thon Elementary School to interact with students ages 5-12.

"Today was important because we could share our cultures and languages to embrace our similarities and our differences to learn from one another," said Lt. Tiffany Eddy, a Navy chaplain assigned to Green Bay.

The Sailors spent time in the classroom, teaching and learning from the students, as well as playing games such as soccer and volleyball with them.

"Today was great," said Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Sheldon Tan. "Despite the differences in language and culture, we managed to interact with these kids through sports. I had a fun time, and it really seemed like they did, too."

Cobra Gold is a Thailand/United States co-sponsored combined task force (CTF) and joint theater security cooperation (JTSC) exercise conducted annually in the Kingdom of Thailand.

CG17 is the 36th iteration of the Cobra Gold series of exercises. Cobra Gold is an important element of the United States, and participating nations, regional military-to-military engagement efforts seeking to maintain readiness, develop capabilities, and enhance security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

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