 Saprang grew up in an aristocratic military family and graduated from the 7th Class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and the 18th Class of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy . He served for nearly three decades in the Army cavalry <unk> , and was promoted to 3rd Army Region Commander in 2005 . He was a key leader of the September 2006 coup that <unk> the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra . 
