A rainy Sunday afternoon didn’t stop host Thailand from proceeding according to plan with the kickoff of International Fleet Review 2017. Unfortunately, that meant navy officers from 19 countries were invited to march through Pattaya’s dirty, flooded streets.

These guys deserve a medal for bravery for their willingness to come in contact with the wastewater of Thailand’s own sin city.

Headed by the Royal Thai Navy, the parade featured crew members of each of the participating countries, including navy units from the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, China and some fellow ASEAN countries.

They walked about two kilometers on the beach road from Tawanna Night Bazaar to Pattaya 8 school in Central Pattaya.

The fleet review, held to mark ASEAN’s 50th anniversary, is taking place today at the upper Gulf of Thailand.

Meanwhile on social media, Thais showed that while they may not be well-versed on the country’s military ties and naval capabilities, they can still appreciate a man in uniform, with a post celebrating their arrival having received nearly 25,000 shares on Facebook.

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