Ambassador Thani Thongphakdi presided over the Presentation Ceremony of the Royal Decoration of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn to Lieutenant Colonel Charles D. Hodges and Technical Sergeant Kenneth T. O’Brien.

On 17 September 2019, His Excellency Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States of America presided over the Presentation Ceremony of the Royal Decoration of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn to Lieutenant Colonel Charles D. Hodges, 320th Special Tactics Squadron Commander, and Technical Sergeant Kenneth T. O’Brien, 320th Special Tactics Squadron Pararescueman, as well as other 44 U.S. Military Service Members to honour their support for the search and rescue operation for the Moo Pa Academy Football Team and their coach who had been trapped in the Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Cave, in Chiang Rai Province between 23 June – 10 July 2018.

On this occasion, their families as well as Mr. Chris Johnstone Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Ms. Susan Parker-Burns, Director of the Office of Mainland Southeast Asian Affairs, US Department of State, Colonel Wayne Turnbull, Defense Attache and Chief of JUSMAG Thailand, also attended.