Army Reserve Force Students

Army Reserve Force Students นักศึกษาวิชาทหาร (RTGS: Nak suek sa wicha thahan)
Army Reserve Force Insignia
Active	1948 - Present
Country	Thailand
Branch	Royal Thai Army
Type	Military reserve force
Part of	Army Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Bangkok
Nickname	Rodo (ร.ด.)
Motto	"แม้หวังตั้งสงบ จงเตรียมรบให้พร้อมสรรพ์ ศัตรูกล้ามาประจัน จะอาจสู้ริปูสลาย" ("Hope for peace, so be prepared for fight. No foe is more fearless than us.")
March	Army Reserve Force Students march
Anniversaries	8 December
Engagements	Battle of Tha Nang Sang bridge
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant General Chukieat Tiersuntorn (พลโท ชูเกียรติ เธียรสุนทร)
Insignia
Regimental Insignia	Cross swords under the Great Crown of Victory

Army Reserve Force Students (Thai: นักศึกษาวิชาทหาร; RTGS: nak suek sa wicha thahan) are a military youth organization in Thailand under control of the Royal Thai Army.

History

Prior to World War II the Yuwachon Thahan (or "junior soldiers", Thai: ยุวชนทหาร) were established in 1934 by Field Marshal Luang Pibulsonggram. At the beginning of World War II junior soldiers were sent to fight troops of the Japanese Empire that invaded southern Thailand on 8 December 1941.^{[citation needed]}

At the end of the war the junior soldiers were disbanded, but Lieutenant General Luang Chatnakrop (พล.ท. หลวงชาตินักรบ) created the Army Reserve Force Students to replace them in 1948. Today most students who participate in the reserve do so to avoid the chances of being drafted into the full-fledged military force for about three years. Because of this, the requirements for admission has risen recently.

Requirements

The current requirements are:

1. Thai nationality
2. Age of younger than 22 years
3. Must be approved by their parents or guardians
4. A grade-point average of above 2.50 or certificate of passing senior scout
5. A doctor's certificate of health. People with disabilities, fatal sickness, disease or extreme eye problems such as color blind are not allowed.
6. Body mass index of less than 30 (obesity)
7. Must have appropriate body height and size according to age
8. Fitness test of a 1000 meter run in 3:15, 34 sit-ups in two minutes, and 22 push-ups in two minutes are also required (each test has score of 100 on its own, giving 300 in total) is also required and will be taken at the Territorial Defense School itself. Female applicants have more relaxed requirements.
9. Male Students are also required to cut their hair so that the white of their scalp is visible on 3-sides, and a small patch of hair is visible on the top-most of the head. It is in fact, very similar to a Crew cut

Applicants who do not meet fitness test requirements are graded by their score, which measured their performance during the test. Applicants with higher score will have priority. Some other applicants who do not meet other criteria may be accepted in a case-by-case basis. If extra funding is available, more applicants will be accepted.

After these tests are completed, the ones that are chosen are given a beret in their succession.

Then they are sent to the shooting range where they are briefly taught about a rifle, the rifle in use here is the HK33, M16

In Chiang Mai, International school students are however trained at different sites, usually not at the main Territorial Defense School.

Study

Army Reserve Force Students have to study 20 weeks per year and a period of field training, but only common for grade 2 through grade 5 students. The students must be present for at least 80% and are not allowed to skip any exams. By the end of every semester Army Reserve Force Students have to pass an exam to continue their study into the next grade.

Army Reserve Force Students have to test:

• Marksmanship test using a rifle, where amount and intensity of test depends on their grade
• Written test of 120 multiple-choice questions
• Physical test covering procedures, use of tools, and discipline learned during the year

Army Reserve Force Students have 5 grades:

• Students who complete grade 1 are equivalent to Private First Class and will halve their service period as a conscript.
• Students who complete grade 2 are equivalent to Corporal and their service period will be only a quarter than that of a non-military student.
• Students who complete grade 3 may request for permission to use the title Sergeant, and are completely exempt from conscription.
• Students who complete grade 4 are equivalent to Master Sergeant
• Students who complete grade 5 and their B.D. may ask for the title Acting Second Lieutenant. Also, on the graduation from their university, they are allowed to dress in white officer's uniform and wear a sword.

Field training lengths (dependent on grade and gender of the student):

• Grade 2 Male, at least 3 days
• Grade 3 Male, at least 5 days
• Grade 4,5 Male, at least 7 days
• Grade 2,3 Female, at least 3 days
• Grade 4,5 Female, at least 5 days

Small arms

Name	Type	Caliber	Origin	Notes
Type 86	Semi-automatic pistol	.45 ACP	Thailand	M1911A1 pistols produced under license.
Type 11	Assault rifle	5.56mm	Thailand	Thai license produced version of the Heckler & Koch HK33. Used by Army Reserve Force Students.
M16A1/A2/A4	Assault rifle	5.56mm	United States	Standard infantry rifle. Aging M16A1 will be replaced by IMI Tavor TAR-21 and M16A4.
M4A1 Carbine	Assault rifle	5.56mm	United States	Used by special forces. Some were equipped with SOPMOD kit.
M1 Garand	Semi-automatic rifle	.30-06	United States	Locally known as the Type 88 self-loading rifle (ปลยบ.88). Used by Royal Guards and by Army Reserve Force Students as a non-firing training rifle.
M1/M2 Carbine	Semi-automatic rifle	.30	United States	Locally known as the Type 87 carbine (ปสบ. 87) Used by Army Reserve Force Students as a non-firing training rifle.
Type 66	Bolt-action rifle	6.5x50mm Arisaka	Thailand	Some document claim that it is Arisaka produced under license but another document claim that it origin from Switzerland.Locally known as the Type 66 self-loading rifle (ปลยบ.66).Used by Army Reserve Force Students as a non-firing training rifle
Springfield	Bolt-action rifle	.30-06 Springfield	United States	Used in small number and only some bootcamp.
FN MINIMI	Light machine gun	5.56mm	Belgium
M60 machine gun	General purpose machine gun	7.62mm	United States	Former main GPMG being replaced by FN MAG 58
FN M2HB	Heavy machine gun	12.7mm	United States
M203	Underbarrel Grenade launcher		United States
M79	Single-shot Grenade launcher		United States
M72 LAW	Shoulder-fired missile		United States
RPG-2	Rocket-propelled grenade		Soviet Union
RPG-7	Rocket-propelled grenade		Soviet Union

Uniform and Insignia

Army Reserve Force Students wear a khaki-green uniform and beret with Army Reserve Command insignia (Cross swords under The great crown of victory) on their collar beret and belt. Army Reserve Force Students distinguish their school and province by school's coat of arms on the right shoulder, and province badge on left chest.

Special training

About 200 4th grade Army Reserve Force Students who pass the physical test will be allowed to enter the parasail training course. This course is currently conduct annually.The physical requirement is 1 miles running - under 8 minutes. Press-up 52 in 2 minute. Sit-Up 78 in two minutes. Chins 20 times in two-minutes.

Battle of Tha Nang Sang Bridge

In the first day of Japanese invasion of South East Asia (8 December), the Japanese army sent their troops to many parts of Changwat Chumphon. At Ma Hat Bay (อ่าวมะหาด), the Japanese landed their troops on beaches from Ban Pak Nam Chumphon (บ้านปากน้ำชุมพร) to Ban Kho Son (บ้านคอสน). The 38th infantry battalion of the Royal Thai Army was about 17 km away from the location, which was too far away to intercept the invading Japanese troops in time. As a result, a near hundred of the junior soldiers and the police forces had to intercept the Japanese army at the western side of Tha Nang Sang bridge until the 38th infantry battalion would arrive. The junior soldiers and the police forces sent their 1st Light Machine Gun company across the bridge at 8.00AM and went through Wat Tha Yang Tai to block the Japanese reinforcements. The Commander of 38th infantry battalion wished to sent his 4th Heavy Machine Gun company across the bridge to protect the government offices located beside the Tha Taphoa river but the Japanese troops heavily opened fire against the Gun from the other side of the river. Suddenly, the junior soldiers, under command of Captain Thawin Niyomsen (ร้อยเอกถวิล นิยมเสน), commander of Chumphon Junior Soldiers Training Centre, ran cross the bridge to seize strategic points, the eastern side of the bridge. Under heavy Japanese gun fire, Captain Thawin was killed when he tried to find a new situation for his Light Machine Gun squad. The junior soldiers, headed by Sergeant Samran Khuanphan (สิบเอกสำราญ ควรพันธ์) from the Junior Soldiers Training Center, were able to maintain their position waiting for supporting forces. However, Thailand surrender to the Japan that noon.

External links

• Thai Army Reserve Command Center
• Reserve Affairs Center
• Territorial Defence School
• Reserve Affairs School
• Army Reserve Jobs