(Written by Maj. Brad Gordon, USMC, who is in Sydney, Australia supporting the U.S. Consulate in preparation for exercise Talisman Saber 2009)
More than 20 Sailors from the USS Mustin had the opportunity to visit patients of the Sydney Children’s Hospital on June 29.
The Sailors were in Sydney as part of their port visit in advance of the combined U.S. Military/Australian Defense Force exercise Talisman Saber.
Community service events such as the visit to the Children’s Hospital are a very real opportunity for U.S. service members to build relationships in the communities where they visit.
As the Sailors went from ward to ward, seeing children battling cancer, recovering from severe injuries, waiting on organ transplants, they couldn’t help but be moved and then reflect on the gifts they had been given in life.
Each time a Sailor gave one of the children a little toy or stopped to play a video game with them or even color a picture, the children would light up and you could see in their eyes, they didn’t want their new friends to leave.
In one instance, the Sailors had a fantastic reality hit them as they were visiting two boys, both in the hospital after receiving athletic injuries. One boy was awake and talkative while the other had been in a coma. As the Sailors were there visiting, the boy in a coma opened his eyes and took a breath on his own, coming out of the coma.
Instances like this not only benefit the children, they benefit the Sailors as well. Numerous times during the visit, Sailors would walk up to their escort and talk about how moving it was to see the determination on the young kids' faces.
No one was more determined than young, 5-year-old, Oscar. This young boy doesn’t know the meaning of the word STOP. The nurses say he is just a fireplug from the time he wakes up until he finally passes out asleep in the evening. When the Sailors arrived he was running around the ward, hanging onto his I/V trolley, with a huge smile. When the Sailors walked through the door, Oscar’s eyes widen even further and he couldn’t get to them fast enough. He had 20 new friends. When they finally left, Oscar couldn’t wave his hand hard enough. He just kept waving until the last Sailor was out of sight.
The Sailors of the USS Mustin brought the Pacific Command message of friendship and cooperation to Sydney. It wasn’t with great fanfare, but they carried the message nonetheless.
These children will remember their partnership with the Sailors of the USS Mustin for years to come.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Mustin Sailors Extend Partnership to Sydney Children’s Home
Monday, June 29, 2009
Adm. Keating Talks Strategy With Atlantic Council
Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), discussed the PACOM Strategy and current Asia-Pacific security successes and challenges in Washington, D.C. June 29 during an event hosted by Atlantic Council.
The discussion was moderated by former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Walter B. Slocombe and concluded with a question and answer session.
The PACOM Strategy is a forward looking plan based on the three tenets of partnership, readiness and presence, Adm. Keating explained. The strategy provides a simple, but not easy, framework for ensuring peace and stability in the region, he noted, by enhancing U.S. relationships and the capability of our allies and regional partners.
Adm. Keating praised the strong and enduring bilateral relationships that exist in the region while emphasizing and highlighting the importance of multilateral solutions to challenges.
The U.S. remains the reliable partner that can be depended upon in times of good or bad to ensure economic stability, Adm. Keating said.
C-SPAN televised the discussion and the video is available on the C-SPAN website.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Survey Ship Completes Vietnam Humanitarian Mission
The crew and scientists of the oceanographic survey USNS Bruce C. Heezen, together with embarked representatives from the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) completed their two-week support of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command’s (JPAC) latest mission in Vietnam June 23.
Heezen began the mission June 11 off the coast of Vietnam with a goal of speeding up the discovery of potential aircraft crash sites from the Vietnam War.
At least one site of particular interest was discovered by Heezen and its technologies, which are managed by the Naval Oceanographic Office. Reporting by Agence France-Presse and Vietnam Net following a media visit to the ship in Danang on June 25 during Heezen’s visit there notes the discovery of an object that could possibly be a helicopter.
JPAC will review all of the findings from the investigative mission and determine whether there is enough evidence to support a recovery mission associated with that information in the future.
Heezen was in support of a wider mission in Vietnam, JPAC’s 95th there since the 1980s, that ran from May 24 – June 24.
The mission of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts.
Heezen’s participation marked the first time a U.S. Navy ship has been used to search for underwater wreckage off the coast of Vietnam. The Government of Vietnam authorizing this important mission highlights the expanding cooperative relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Civil Engineers Improve Ties, Infrastructure in Timor-Leste
U.S. Navy civil engineers completed two projects at schools in Dili, Timor-Leste on June 19 as part of an ongoing initiative to support the Timor-Leste government’s efforts to improve infrastructure and quality of life for the Timorese.
“Seabees” of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 40 have been working with local government officials, the U.S. Embassy and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since February 2009 to identify priority education and health care infrastructure projects that their skill sets can best support.
According to a Navy news story, the recently completed projects included renovation of the electrical system and construction of a 25-square foot pump house that feeds a well water tank servicing school children and their families in the area of an intermediate school. Additionally, a water storage unit was installed, and an existing pump house repaired at a primary school. Both projects were funded by U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) through the Humanitarian Assistance program.
At the request of the Timor-Leste Government, an advance team of eight Seabees arrived in Dili in February to conduct coordination, and since April, more than 20 Seabees have been working at multiple sites and on multiple initiatives, including fostering military-to-military relationships and training opportunities with counterparts in the Timor Leste Defence Force.
As noted on the U.S. Embassy’s website, President José Ramos-Horta visited the Seabees in late May for a first-hand look at the work they are doing, and to thank them for their efforts.
The Seabees’ presence in Timor Leste – which will continue throughout the year – supports PACOM’s goal of contributing capabilities, where possible, toward a whole-of-government approach that addresses shared concerns and needs, while cultivating military-to-military relationships and capacity building, resulting in projects that directly benefit the local populace.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Reagan Crew Recognizes Anniversary of Philippines Typhoon Assistance
The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan recognized the anniversary of last year’s support of a Philippine government humanitarian relief effort June 21 by hosting a group of distinguished visitors onboard for a ceremony in waters off the central Philippine island of Panay, and with a community service project ashore.
Following destruction caused by Typhoon Fengshen, also known as Typhoon Frank, in June 2008, aircrews from the Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) flew 332 sorties and delivered more than 519,000 pounds of much-needed supplies such as food, water and medical supplies to typhoon victims on the island. According to an Agence France-Presse report, more than 1,000 died and over a million were left homeless in the Philippines as a result of the typhoon,
As explained in a Navy news story, to commemorate the anniversary a wreath laying ceremony took place on the ship that included the participation of Under Secretary Ernesto Carolina of the Republic of the Philippines' Department of Defense. A team of Sailors also flew ashore to help restore a high school that was damaged by the typhoon.
The 2008 relief effort on Panay was a cooperative effort between the men and women of the Reagan CSG and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Throughout the Pacific Command area of responsibility, through professional exchanges and training exercises that focus on or include an emphasis on disaster relief operations in support of civil authorities, U.S. military personnel and their regional counterparts are routinely strengthening partnerships and interoperatbility that may be tested by natural disaster, as was the case one year ago.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Regional Medical Exchanges Increase Expertise, Collaboration
U.S. military medical professionals from commands throughout the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) area of responsibility work regularly with counterparts from other nations to share expertise in a range of areas that ultimately benefit both military forces and civilian communities.
A 13th Air Force article about a medical laboratory surveillance workshop highlights one recent engagement that brought 40 interagency medical professionals from Laos, Thailand and the U.S. together to exchange ideas and lessons learned to collectively increase their capacity to effectively manage infectious diseases.
In the past year, PACOM medical professionals have conducted multiple workshops with partner nations on such topics as pandemic/avian influenza and HIV/AIDS. In April, military medical representatives from the U.S. and 18 Asia-Pacific nations met at the 19th Annual Asia-Pacific Military Medicine Conference in Seoul.
Through medically-oriented missions such as Pacific Partnership 2009, in conjunction with military exercises such as Balikatan, or in standalone events such as the Cambodian Interoperability Program, medical professionals are providing care to those in need, while also building important professional relationships and providing invaluable training opportunities.
In the coming months, workshops in various nations will focus on blast injury management and emerging infectious diseases.
By collaborating with regional partners, PACOM medical teams and their host-nation counterparts increase regional stability by more effectively identifying and responding to pressing medical issues and enhancing the ability to respond to crises if required.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Annual Indonesia Exercise Focused on Peacekeeping
Garuda Shield, hosted annually by Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI), the Indonesian Armed Forces, opened June 16 and this year is serving is a Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) capstone exercise.
During the exercise in Bandung, Indonesia, training will focus on peace support operations (PSO), and will include a United Nations Force Headquarters computer-simulated command post exercise. A field training exercise will include events such as checkpoint operations, patrolling, securing a distribution site, and convoy operations. Several humanitarian and civic assistance projects are also taking place.
More than 20 nations are taking part in, or observing various aspects of the exercise, as reported by Antara news service.
Prior to Garuda Shield, military officers from 19 nations took part in three days of classes focused on United Nations policy and practices.
The goal of GPOI is to expand capability for PSO, and includes events to train and, as appropriate, equip 75,000 military PSO troops worldwide through 2010. GPOI objectives include developing transportation and logistics support arrangements to help troops deploy and to help sustain them in the field, as well as various capacity building efforts.
U.S. Pacific Command exercises like Garuda Shield strengthen regional peacekeeping capabilities that are applied worldwide, while also enhancing multinational relationships and collaboration.
Keep up with the exercise on the Garuda Shield website.
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