Local members of the community and service members from Singapore and the U.S. wait for a pillar-raising ceremony to begin Jan. 22 at Ban Hua Wang Krang School, Maung District, Phitsanulok province, Kingdom of Thailand. The ceremony marks the beginning of construction on the school's new building and is one of several engineering civic assistance projects part of Exercise Cobra Gold 2013. Singapore service members are with Singapore Combat Engineers. U.S. service members are with the 643rd Engineer Company (Vertical), 84th Engineer Battalion, 130th Engineer Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Exercise Cobra Gold includes humanitarian and civic assistance projects, a staff exercise and field training exercises. Joint and multinational training is vital to maintaining the readiness and interoperability of all participating military forces.