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Humanitarian Aid - U.S. Forces Making a Difference
Sailors board a landing craft after completing a 14-hour day building fences and a playground at the All-in-One Development Center in support of Operation Continuing Promise 2008 Nov. 4 in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo)
A Navy Sailor waits to transport a team of medics to the USS Kearsarge on a landing craft mechanized amphibious unit in support of Operation Continuing Promise 2008 Nov. 4 in Trinidad and Tobago. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo)
DOUALA, Cameroon (Sept. 12, 2008) Cmdr. Istvan Hargitai demonstrates the proper technique for brushing teeth to two Cameroonian students at the Bonadowito Public School during a presentation on oral hygiene. Hargitai is part of the European region U.S. Navy soccer team touring three African nations; Cape Verde, Cameroon, and Gabon, working to improve understanding and developing goodwill between the U.S. and its partner nations through sports, music and community relations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rosa Larson/Released)
DOUALA, Cameroon (Sept. 12, 2008) Musician 3rd Class Nicholas Schmit, a tuba player in the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe Band, plays for a group of students at Bonadowito Public School during a community relations project. The band and the European region U.S. Navy soccer team departed Naples, Italy, Sept. 8 for an 11-day sports diplomacy tour. The tour is focused on improving understanding and developing goodwill through sports, music and community relations while visiting Cape Verde, Cameroon, and Gabon. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marc Rockwell-Pate/Released)
VITAL MISSION - U.S. Navy corpsmen work with Bangladeshi medical workers, taking the vital signs of children at the Taragonj Public Health Complex in Taragonj, Bangladesh, Sept, 4, 2008. U.S. Marines and sailors participating in Operation Unified Hope treated between 500 and 900 patients a day. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Brian J. Griffin.
A line of Guatemalans waits for members of the 163rd Medical Group to provide medical treatment Aug. 18 in Santa Rosa, Guatemala. Thirty-one members of the 163rd Reconnaisance Wing traveled to the country to provide medical care during a U.S. Air Forces South-sponsored medical readiness training exercise. The team provided treatment for more than 500 people. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Al Bosco)
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Aug. 21, 2008) Cmdr. Angelia Elum-Oneal hands an Operation Smile patient to Lt. Cmdr. Maria Norbeck after a successful surgery aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) during the humanitarian assistance mission Continuing Promise (CP) 2008. Kearsarge is supporting the Caribbean phase of CP 2008, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Adam Nuzzo/Released)
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Aug. 23, 2008) Lt. Quinn O'Bannon, command chaplain aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), gives a sermon during Mass at a local Moravian church in support of the humanitarian assistance mission Continuing Promise (CP) 2008. Kearsarge is supporting the Caribbean phase of CP, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class William S. Parker/Released)
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Aug. 18, 2008) Air Force Capt. Amber Tyler, medical augmentee embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), checks an infant for an ear infection at the Juan Comenius High School medical clinic. Kearsarge is supporting the Caribbean phase of Continuing Promise 2008, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Adam Nuzzo/Released)
BETANIA, Nicaragua (Aug. 18, 2008) Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Danielle Church, assigned aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), plays soccer with a Nicaraguan child at the medical site in Betania during of Continuing Promise 2008. Kearsarge is supporting the Caribbean phase of CP 2008, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Gina Wollman/Released)
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Aug. 13, 2008) A young girl peers through bricks in the auditorium of Juan Comenius High School during a Continuing Promise 2008 humanitarian assistance project in Puerto Cabezas. The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) is deployed as the primary platform for supporting the Caribbean phase of Continuing Promise. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Joshua Adam Nuzzo (Released)
PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 20, 2008) The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) transits the Pacific Ocean as it makes its way to its last mission site, the Federated States of Micronesia. Mercy will provide humanitarian civic assistance to the country as part of Pacific Partnership 2008. Pacific Partnership is a four-month humanitarian mission to Southeast Asia intended to build collaborative relationships by providing engineering, civic, medical and dental assistance to the region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico (Released)
Dr. (Lt. Col.) Walter Weaver and Senior Airman Betty Goldsmith, a dental technician, extract a tooth from a Peruvian woman during a medical mission in Mollepata, Peru, Aug. 1. A team of 19 medical professionals from the 433rd Medical Group at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, are deployed to Ayacucho, Peru, to support New Horizons - Peru 2008, a humanitarian mission set on bringing quality-of-life construction projects and a total of nine medical missions to underpriviliged Peruvians. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Mary Pekas)
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Aug. 13, 2008) Air Force Staff Sgt. Danae Eskridge and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Richard Utley, both embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), carry a Nicaraguan woman who was complaining of chest and arm pains into an improvised medical examination room at Juan Comenius High School in Puerto Cabezas. Kearsarge is deployed as the primary platform for supporting the Caribbean phase of Continuing Promise, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David G. Crawford (Released)
PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Aug. 12, 2008) Hospitalman Michael Hagglund, an optometrist technician embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), uses an auto refractor to help determine eye prescriptions on a patient at Juan Comenius High School during a humanitarian assistance project. Kearsarge is deployed as the primary platform for the Caribbean phase of Continuing Promise, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Emmitt J. Hawks/Released)
FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan (July 30, 2008) U.S. Navy Hospitalman Apprentice Brian Rumbles, assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, examines a local Afghani at a temporary medical clinic to assist a local village outside of Bala Baluk's forward operating base in the Farah Province. Based out of Marine Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., 2nd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment is a reinforced light infantry unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jason T. Guiliano/Released)
FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan (July 20, 2008) U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Christopher Peterson, right, and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Chang Tung, both assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, cut bandages off an Afghani boy's foot at the Baqwa forward operating base in the Farah Province. Based out of Marine Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., 2nd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment is a reinforced light infantry unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jason T. Guiliano/Released)
Hundreds of Malians line up to be seen by American servicemembers July 24 in a village outside of Bamako, Mali. Throughout the medical training exercise, the American medical team visited four villages, trained more than 160 doctors, medics and nurses, saw more than 4,000 patients, extracted about 600 teeth, treated 4,100 goats and sheep, and conducted a mass casualty exercise in Mali. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Justin Weaver)
Malian herders funnel sheep and goats into a corral to be seen by American veterinarians July 21 in a village outside of Bamako, Mali. More than 4,000 sheep were dewormed and vaccinated during a series of humanitarian and outreach assistance in villages outside of Bamako. More than 90 servicemembers deployed to Mali for the medical training exercise to enhance medical capabilities and readiness for U.S. and African forces. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Justin Weaver)
Painting the Clinic - August 01, 2008
- WANICA, Suriname - Sgt. Sara Dvorak of Pierre, S.D, from the 155th Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, paints along side Suriname Soldier Cpl. Wurlen Holband at the De Nieuwe Grond Clinic on July 28. Photo by Sgt. Theanne TangenBriefing the Ambassador - August 01, 2008 - WANICA, Suriname - Maj. Wyatt Hansen, Task Force Southern Coyote commander of Spearfish, S.D., explains the work completed by the 155th Engineer Company, South Dakota Army National Guard, to (left to right) U.S. Ambassador Lisa Bobbie Schreiber Hughes, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defense Dennis Kamperbeen, Director of Regional Health Services Foundation Dr. Maaltie Ashim Sardjoe and Lagere Technical School I representative Sanjay Autar on July 30. Photo by Sgt. Theanne Tangen.
The Pacific Partnership mission
DILI, East Timor (July 24, 2008) Capt. William A. Kearns III, Pacific Partnership 2008 mission commander embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), speaks to Timorese children about the renovations made to Bario Pite Elementary School. U.S. Navy Seabees and engineers from the Australian and Indian armies renovated to the school during a Pacific Partnership engineering civic action program. The Pacific Partnership mission focuses on establishing friendships with partner and host nations through humanitarian and civic assistance. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Derek R. Sanchez/Released)
DILI, East Timor (July 24, 2008) Members of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet Band, embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) perform for Timorese children during a ribbon-cutting ceremony during a Pacific Partnership engineering civic action program at Bario Pite Elementary school. The Pacific Partnership mission focuses on establishing friendships with partner and host nations through humanitarian and civic assistance. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Derek R. Sanchez/Released)
A Honduran local, Juan Ruiz, controls the flow of traffic in and out of a clinic during a medical readiness training exercise in Santa Barbara, Honduras, July 25. More than 740 people attended the MEDRETE for access to free medical care and preventative health measures. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joel Mease)
More than 700 people were seen during a medical readiness training exercise in Santa Barbara, Honduras, July 25. People who attended stood in lines for up to three hours to be seen by U.S. and Honduran medical officials. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joel Mease)
DILI, East Timor (15 July 2008) Donna Willard, left, wife of U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Robert Willard, plays with children during a visit to a Pacific Partnership engineering civic action program at the Bario Pite Elementary School. Pacific Partnership is a four-month deployment by the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) to assist the governments of participating nations with medical, dental and construction civic assistance programs. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph Seavey (Released)
DILI, East Timor (July 17, 2008) Builder 2nd Class Eilene Dustan applies a finishing touch of concrete to a new walkway at a Pacific Partnership engineering civic action program at Bario Pite Elementary School. Pacific Partnership is a four-month deployment by Mercy to assist the governments of participating nations with medical, dental and construction civic assistance programs. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Danny Hayes (Released)
KEMAMAN, Malaysia (July 16, 2008) Rear Adm. Nora W. Tyson, commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, congratulates the headmaster of the Sekolah Kebangsaan Kijal Elementary School in Kemaman after a ribbon-cutting ceremony opening a new assembly building jointly constructed by a detachment of U.S. Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 and an element of the 91st Royal Malaysian Army Construction Regiment during Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training (CARAT) 2008. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the United States and several Southeast Asian nations designed to build relationships and enhance operational readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Steve Vasquez/Released)
Maj. Darrell Grise uses a slit-lamp to look for cataracts and assess the health of the front of a patient's eye July 18 at a school in Santa Maria, Panama. Approximately 3,100 patients was seen by Air Force medics July 14 through 18. Major Grise is an optometrist deployed to Medical Readiness Training Exercise Panama from the 96th Aeromedical Dental Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Ben Sakrisson)
DILI, East Timor (15 July 2008) Adm. Robert Willard, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, and his wife, Donna Willard, give a command coin to a patient during a visit aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Mercy is on a four-month deployment supporting Pacific Partnership to assist the governments of participating nations with medical, dental and civic assistance programs. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel (Released)
Gina Gonzalez, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Vezain perform as part of the Lt. Dan Band at U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt, Germany, July 7, 2008. Sinise is co-founder of Operation Iraqi Children, which provides school supplies to children in areas being served by deployed U.S. forces, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Last fall, the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry, headquartered in Schweinfurt, distributed 2,048 school supply packages to children in Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Kimberly Gearhart.
MK AIRFIELD ADMINISTRATION CENTER, Romania — Lt. Col. Dexel Peters, HMEDDAC chief of optometry, fits a Romanian child for glasses during a humanitarian civic assistance in a local Romanian village. (Department of Defense photo by Army Sgt. David Chapman)
I SEE YOU TOO! - U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Kirk A. Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, spends a moment with Simon, who was brought to a Zambia orphanage very close to death, July 8, 2008. With the care and treatment he received there, Simon was able to once again be a vibrant and energetic child. The orphanage in Kitwe, Zambia, was founded in 2003 with the help of Dr. Milhoan who is assigned to the 59th Maternal/Child Care Squadron. U.S. Air Force photo.
CHUKAI, Malaysia (July 8, 2008) Chief Boatswain's Mate Ernest Pippen spends time with a student during a community relations project at the PDK Kompleks Penyayang school during the Malaysian phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training (CARAT) 2008. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises involving the U.S. and six Southeast Asia nations designed to build relationships and enhance operational readiness. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian Brannon (Released)
HUANTA, Peru (June 6, 2008) Seabees and construction mechanics "blow the hole‚" during the creation of a well in Huanta supporting New Horizons Peru 2008, a humanitarian event that benefits underprivileged Peruvians. U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy service members came together for this effort to build new schools, clinics, and water wells which will accommodate nearly 5,200 Peruvians. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Turner (Released)
BOSTON, Mass. (July 3, 2008) Ens. Kerri Ackman assigned to the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) gives a command ball cap to Michael Moniz of Fall River, Mass., at the Boston Medical Center as part of a community relations project Caps for Kids. Bataan is in Boston participating in the 27th Annual Boston Harborfest 2008, a six-day long 4th of July festival showcasing the colonial and maritime heritage of the cradle of the American Revolution. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Pedro A. Rodriguez (Released)
Boston, Mass. (July 3rd, 2008) Sailors assigned to the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) share some time with Isis Pichardo of Boston, Mass., at the Boston Medical Center as part of a community relations project Caps for Kids. Bataan is in Boston participating in the 27th Annual Boston Harborfest 2008, a six-day long 4th of July festival showcasing the colonial and maritime heritage of the cradle of the American Revolution. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Pedro A. Rodriguez (Released)
PACIFIC OCEAN (June 27, 2008) A helicopter assigned to the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 4 returns to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) after a day of delivering food to the Philippines. At the request of the government of the Republic of the Philippines, Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) is off the coast of Panay Island providing humanitarian assistance and disaster response in the wake of Typhoon Fengshen. Ronald Reagan and other U.S. Navy ships are operating in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility to promote peace, cooperation and stability. U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Spike Call (Released)
PANYAY DELIVERY - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony Chavez looks out across the mountains of Panay Island where his squadron has delivered thousands of pounds of food and water since Typhoon Fengshen struck the island, Iloilo, Philippines, July 1, 2008. Chavez is assigned to the Black Knights of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4. U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Spike Call...
NHA TRANG, Vietnam (June 21, 2008) Cmdr. Kenneth Kubis, director of Surgical Services, explains the functions of the operating room to Miss Universe contestants during their tour of the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Mercy is anchored off the coast of Nha Trang, conducting its second mission site in support of Pacific Partnership 2008. This is the first time since 1975 that the Vietnamese government has allowed their citizens to receive surgery aboard a U.S. military vessel. The mission involves partnerships with the armed forces of Vietnam, Vietnamese health care professionals, and local government officials. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel (Released)
HONG KONG (June 20, 2008) Ship's Serviceman Seaman Nicole Blanks, assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73), plays with a local kindergartner at the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children Wai Yin Club Nursery School. During one of many community relations projects, 25 Decatur crewmembers entertained local children for two hours at a government-supported nursery for lower-income families. The guided-missile destroyer is deployed in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility with the Ronald Reagan Strike Group to promote peace, regional cooperation and stability. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Tim Hawkins (Released)
NHA TRANG, Vietnam (June 19, 2008) The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is anchored off the coast of Nha Trang for a Pacific Partnership mission in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This mission involves partnerships with the armed forces of Vietnam, Vietnamese health care professionals, and local government officials. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel (Released)
NHA TRANG, Vietnam (June 19, 2008) Capt. William A. Kearns, the Pacific Partnership mission commander embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), receives a bouquet of flowers during the opening ceremony of the Pacific Partnership mission in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This mission involves partnerships with the armed forces of Vietnam, Vietnamese health care professionals, and local government officials. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel (Released)
BARRANCA, Peru (June 12, 2008) Seabees from Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 303 embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) install a new roof over the Guillermo Enrique Billinghurst school in Barranca, Peru during Continuing Promise 2008. Boxer is deployed supporting the Pacific phase of Continuing Promise 2008, an equal-partnership mission between the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Jarvis (Released)
COTABATO, Philippines (June 13, 2008) A helicopter transfers supplies during a vertical replenishment from the Military Sealift Command combat stores ship USNS Concord (T-AFS 5) and the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Mercy is participating in Pacific Partnership 2008 as an enabling platform through which multi-national military, medical teams and non-governmental organizations can coordinate humanitarian effort providing various medical, dental and civic-action programs in the Philippines. (Released)
HUACHO, Peru (June 11, 2008) Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Latesha White, left, embarked aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), tests a water sample while Lt. Cmdr. Michael Copeland records the results and other information about the site at a reservoir in the City of Sayan in the Huacho region of Peru during Continuing Promise 2008 evaluation of the needs of the community. Boxer is deployed supporting the Pacific phase of Continuing Promise, an equal partnership mission between the United States, Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jon Rasmussen (Released)
EDITORS NOTE: - "We salute the special efforts of the young men and women in uniform who reach out to local communities at home and abroad. This feature titled "People" is a sample of their good deeds. They volunteer their time and skills to help those in need; and deserve greater recognition". The Veterans Hour. "Americas' Leading Online Veterans Newspaper".
MEDICAL MEASURING - U.S. Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Larrisa Newman measures the mid-upper arm circumference of a child in Honduras, June 3, 2008, to evaluate for malnutrition. Newman is a pediatric resident from Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Robert Elwood...
SATTAHIP, Thailand (June 9, 2008) Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class James Patnoudes, a native of Joliet, Ill., greets Khaobuysri school children with a basketball. Patnoudes is one of several crew members of the guided-missile frigate USS Ford (FFG 54) to visit local schools. Ford is one of several U.S. Navy ships participating in CARAT 2008. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises between the United States and six Southeast Asian nations designed to build relationships and enhance the operational readiness of the participating forces. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Maurice Dayao (Released)
Capt. (Dr.) Ronald Khoury (right) and Navy Capt. (Dr.) Peter Amatoa care for a patient with a severe cut June 6 at a clinic in the mountainous region of Ayacucho, Peru. The doctors are participating in New Horizons-Peru 2008, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored humanitarian mission set on improving the quality of life of underprivileged Peruvians. Doctor Khoury is deployed from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Doctor AMatoa is deployed from Westover AFB, Mass. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Kerry Jackson)
PHILIPPINES (June 6, 2008) Capt. Kathy Goldberg, a physical therapist aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), assists Romeo Bintoy with taking his first steps in eight years after having corrective plastic surgery. Pacific Partnership program assists the government of the Philippines in providing local communities with medical, dental and engineering civic action programs providing focused humanitarian assistance. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joseph Seavey (Released)
Villagers at Kos Ta Phen, a rural village five kilometers off the paved road in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, wait patiently for their dogs to be vaccinated for rabies and treated for worms by the veterinary staff of Operation Pacific Angel 01-08. A team of three U.S. veterinarians travel to a new location in the province each day of the operation, a joint/combined 13th Air Force-led humanitarian assistance operation May 25 to 29. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tom Czerwinski)
MERCY MISSION - U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kate Thomas, assigned to the hospital ship USNS Mercy, helps a patient find a suitable pair of glasses during a Pacific Partnership 2008 medical civic action program at a school in Cotabato, Philippines, June 3, 2008. The USNS Mercy is on a tour of nations that will take it from the Phillipines to East Timor and beyond. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel...
Lamia, a 10-year-old Afghan girl from Shakal Village in Afghanistan, shows her appreciation to the donated items sent from Jan Bradley, wife of Lt. Gen. John Bradley, Air Force Reserve Command commander. Mrs. Bradley spearheaded a donation drive that provided several boxes of housewares, clothing, shoes, toys and toiletries that were presented here May 30. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Toni Tones)
Lt. Gen. John Bradley unclasps a watch for Lamia, a 10-year-old Afghan girl he met last winter during a humanitarian aid drop to her village. Jan Bradley, wife of General Bradley, spearheaded a donation drive that collected several boxes of supplies specifically for Lamia and her village of Shakal and were presented here May 30. General Bradley is the Air Force Reserve Command commander. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Toni Tones)
A C-130 Hercules taxies down the runway May 24 after landing at Kampong Chhnang Province Airfield, Cambodia. This mission delivered 3,000 pounds of medical supplies for two separate operating locations in Cambodia in support of Operation Pacific Angel, a joint/combined humanitarian assistance operation in support of capacity-building efforts. Participating services include the active duty, Reserve and National Guard components of the Air Force, Army, Royal Thai air force, and Royal Cambodian armed forces. The C-130 is from the 144th Airlift Squadron from Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tom Czerwinski)
SHY GUY - U.S. Army Lt. Col. Betsy Myhre, a nurse practitioner assigned to the Cooperative Medical Assistance Team on Bagram Air Field, looks at children from a nomadic Kuchi tribe before a medical engagement in Dah Khawak, Panjshir, Afghanistan, May 29, 2008. The medical engagements are an opportunity for local Afghan medical providers to partner with coalition providers and build capacity within the Ministry of Public Health. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Demetrius Lester...
EL SUNZA, El Salvador (May 27, 2008) After touring the medical facilities aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), Salvadoran President, Elias Antonio Saca, greets a Salvadoran girl getting dental work done in a school converted into a makeshift medical and dental clinic during the El Salvador portion of Continuing Promise (CP) 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jon Rasmussen (Released)
Camp Darby Airmen help Italian veterans. Airmen from the 31st Munitions Squadron at Camp Darby, Italy, and veterans of the Italian Folgore Parachutist Brigade take a break during the refurbishing of the Associazione Nazionale Paracadutisti D'Italia meeting hall in nearby Livorno. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joyce Costello)
Master Sgt. Jon Callaway plays tag with a girl from the Hogar de Guadalupe Orphanage during a kid's day May 18 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. Members of the 612th Air Base Squadron holds the event yearly to provide a day of fun and games for children of the orphanage the unit sponsors. Sergeant Callaway is the 612th ABS Logistics Flight superintendent. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. John Asselin)
Senior Airman George Schaultz plays a hoop toss game with a girl from the Hogar de Guadalupe Orphanage during kids' day May 18 at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. About 40 volunteers from the 612th Air Base Squadron gave the children a care-free day of fun and activities. Airman Schaultz is assigned to the 612th ABS. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. John Asselin)
SONSONATE, El Salvador (May 20, 2008) Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Katherina Nelson, assigned to Fleet Surgical Team 5, seals a cavity during Continuing Promise (CP) 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Jarvis.
SONSONATE, El Salvador (May 20, 2008) Lt. Megan Rieman, a doctor assigned to Fleet Surgical Team Five, makes a face to get her optometry patient to smile during Continuing Promise 2008, a two-month Humanitarian Civic Assistance mission to Central and South America to demonstrate the cooperative partnerships among allies. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Jarvis.
JOYFUL IN JAKARTA - U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Melissa Gonzales plays with Indonesian children at the Murni Jaya Orphanage in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 14, 2008. USS Blue Ridge and 7th Fleet staff sailors visited the orphanage to interact with the children and bring them school supplies, hygiene items and books. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Peter D. Lawlor...
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dale Marshall draws pictures for children at the Murni Jaya Orphanage in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 14, 2008. USS Blue Ridge and 7th Fleet Staff sailors donated hygiene items, books and school supplies during their visit to the orphanage. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Peter D. Lawlor...
Photo by Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais - May 19, 2008 - Senior Capt. Guan Youfei, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (center), and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Charles W. Hooper, U.S. military attache in Beijing, greet the first of two U.S. aircrews delivering earthquake relief supplies to China. The two C-17 U.S. Globemaster aircraft carried food, water containers, blankets, generators, lanterns and various hand tools. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in support of the U.S. Department of State, authorized U.S. Pacific Command to support earthquake relief efforts in the People's Republic of China...
U.S. Air National Guard Maj. Troy Cullen and Maj. Anthony Davis prepare to land a C-17 Globemaster III at Chengdu Shuangliu International airport in China, May 18, 2008. The United States Pacific Command support of earthquake relief efforts was authorized by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in support of the U.S. State Department. The C-17 pilots are assigned to the Hawaii Air National Guard's 204th Airlift Squadron, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais...
Photo by Sgt. Ann Benson - May 16, 2008 - Maj. Kevin Pruitt, information officer team chief from the 49th Theater Information Operations out of Austin, Texas, gets a hug from 8-year-old Ariana Peters at Mount Hope Hospital, Trinidad. Major Pruitt was here in support of Beyond the Horizon, a joint humanitarian training mission, when he donated blood to help save Ariana's life...Story
Photo by Sgt. Ann Benson - May 16, 2008 - Shereen Brazlon, a registered nurse at Mount Hope Hospital, Mount Hope, Trinidad, prepares to take blood from Spc. Shannah Whittington, 56th Signal Battalion, Fort Gordon, Ga. Spc. Whittington was in Trinidad in support of Beyond the Horizon, a joint humanitarian training
Amphibious Ready Group are standing by off the coast of Burma ready to provide relief supplies as the Burmese government allows.U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kari R. Bergman...
Airmen from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, remove a cookie sheet being used for the transfer of 169,000 pounds of humanitarian aid supplies for delivery to Burma from a Boeing 747 commercial airplane May 16 at Utapao Thai Royal Navy Air Base, Thailand. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sonya Croston)
RANGOON, Burma (May 12, 2008) Burmese service members unload food packages from a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules to a Burmese military vehicle at the Yangon International Airport. The plane carrying water, food and medical supplies is part of the Joint Task Force Caring Response, a multi-service humanitarian assistance and disaster relief effort for Burmese citizens devastated by Cyclone Nargis. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Andres Alcaraz (Released)
RANGOON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Burma (May 12, 2008) – Service members from Burma and United States pause momentarily while loading supplies from a U.S. Air Force C-130 onto Burmese trucks at the Rangoon International Airport, Burma, on May 12, 2008. The shipment of water, mosquito nets and blankets is the first U.S. military flight in support of relief efforts following Tropical Cyclone Nagris that swept through Burma May 2. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Andres Alcaraz)
Pentagon Delivers Nearly 100 Tons of Supplies to Battered Burma
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 14, 2008 – The U.S. military has flown nearly 100 tons of humanitarian relief supplies into Burma to assist its cyclone-stricken people, a senior Pentagon official said here today. Today, five more plane loads of relief supplies were delivered by U.S. military aircraft as part of Joint Task Force Caring Response, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. That makes for a total of about 98 tons of U.S. military-delivered supplies to Burma, including water, food, blankets and more, Whitman said. Story
U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft sit at Utaphao International Airport in Pataya, Thailand, May 12, 2008, ready to fly relief supplies to Burma. The U.S. Air Force is transporting relief supplies to Burma, which was struck by Cyclone Nargis, May 2, 2008. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Robert A. Harding...Story
Henrietta H. Fore (left) meets an official at the Yangon InternationalAirport, May 12, 2008. The plane carried water, food and medical supplies toprovide relief to Burma, which was struck by Cyclone Nargis May 2, 2008. Foreis an administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development fromthe American People. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Andres Alcaraz...
Capt. Manny Silviera reviews a prescription for a Salvadoran boy May 8 at a make-shift pharmacy in a school at Comasagua, El Salvador. Medical aid was provided during Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2008, the U.S. Southern Command and Salvadoran Ministry of Defense-sponsored exercise held throughout the Central American region May 5 to 15. During the exercise, medication valued at more than $10,000 was dispensed to Salvadorans in need. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. William Farrow)
Master Sgt. Billie Wilson takes part in a volunteer community relations program trip to the Zabuli Education Center for Girls and Women May 8 in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the visit to the girls' school, nearly 70 American servicemembers from Camp Eggers delivered backpacks, toys and school supplies to the students. Sergeant Wilson is assigned to the of Command Securities Transition Command-Afghanistan. (U.S. Navy photo)
Salvadorans await entrance to a school near Comasagua, El Salvador, May 8 during Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2008, the U.S. Southern Command and Salvadoran Ministry of Defense-sponsored exercise held throughout the Central American region May 5 to 15. More than 1,600 Salvadorans from the area received general-practice, dental, and eye care, as well as medication and public health instruction. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. William Farrow)
Army Staff Sgt. Alfred Wyatt gives anti-parasitic medicine to a young Slavadoran boy May 8 at a school near Comasagua, El Salvador, during Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2008, the U.S. Southern Command and Salvadoran Ministry of Defense-sponsored exercise held throughout the Central American region May 5 to 15. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. William Farrow)
A young girl stands between her mother and other women waiting outside the Tht Ilslil School for Girls to receive food, water, and school and medical supplies from the Iraqi Army’s 42nd Brigade 11th Division in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, May 7, 2008. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Cohen A. Young...
U.S. ARMY 2ND LT. FRANCES LAMB INTERACTS WITH LOCAL CHILDREN. - U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Frances Lamb interacts with local children as fellow soldiers continue the construction of a new school in La Paz, Honduras, on May 2, 2008. The project is part of Beyond the Horizons, a joint training exercise between the United States and Honduras to foster goodwill and improve relations between the two nations. DoD photo by 1st Lt. Ryan Hanna, U.S. Army. (Released)
Staff Sgt. Sara Digennaro applies waterproofing to a fence as part of a volunteer effort supporting Operation Homefront April 30 in Cibolo, Texas. Volunteers from the Top 3 Association from Air Force Personnel Center from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, helped craft a gate to provide better access between the front and back yards for Tech. Sgt. Israel Del Toro, an Airman recovering from wounds sustained during a roadside bombing in Afghanistan. Sergeant Digennaro is a personnelist at AFPC. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Kat Bailey)
C-130 Hercules aircraft, like this one, are standing by to transport personnel and supplies to Myanmar, if requested. (U.S. Air Force file photo) 5/9/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force assets are in place at Utaphao Air Base, Thailand, to support a potential relief mission in Myanmar. Story
U.S. NAVY SAILORS WATCH AS GEAR AND SUPPLIES FOR HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS ARE UNLOADED. - U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Beach Master Unit 1 and embarked aboard the USS Boxer (LHD 4) watch as gear and supplies for humanitarian projects are unloaded at a staging area in Puerta de San Juan, Guatemala, on May 6, 2008. The Boxer is deployed in support of Continuing Promise 2008, a two-month humanitarian civic assistance mission to Central and South America. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Jarvis, U.S. Navy. (Released)
May 08, 2008 - Villagers wait for medical treatment provided by U.S. Soldiers in Dammerjog, Djibouti. Photo by Senior Airman Jacqueline Kabluyen...
PACIFIC OCEAN (May 4, 2008) Cmdr. Angelica Almonte and Cmdr. Angela Wilkins, nurses assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), divide medications in the ship's medical ward to be distributed in Guatemala. Boxer is supporting Continuing Promise 2008, a two-month humanitarian civic assistance mission to South America. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian Gaines (Released)
May 07, 2008 - Spc. Teri McMurray, a medic with the 4005th Army Hospital, plays soccer with local children at a school renovation site in La Mesas, Honduras, May 2, 2008. McMurray and her unit are taking part in Beyond the Horizons, a joint training exercise that includes Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers conducting humanitarian and civil assistance missions, while developing their engineering, construction and medical skills. Photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley...
May 08, 2008 - Stefan Kasjutin, 11, an athlete from the Schule am Beilstein in Kaiserslautern, and his buddy, Airman 1st Class Lukas Miller, from the 435th Air Base Wing's Civil Engineer Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, share laughter and good times May 6 at the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern's 25th Special Olympics Spring Games at the German Police Squadron in Enkenbach-Alsenborn. Photo by Christine June...
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (April 29, 2008) – Several hundred citizens from a village near Tag Ab Valley, Kapisa province, swarmed a makeshift hospital hosted by Task Force Gladiator servicemembers, April 19, during a village medical outreach. The event’s primary goal was to connect Afghans living near Tag Ab to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan through humanitarian-aid operations, with the assistance of village elders and Afghan National Police. - by Capt. Elizabeth Casebeer. Read Story
KOALA CLUTCH - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Christman pets a koala that Seaman Jon Husman holds while working on a community relations project at the Cohunu Koala Park in Perth, Australia, May 3, 2008. About 40 sailors and Marines, attached to the USS Tarawa and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, volunteered at the park. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel A. Barker...
CHIPS AHOY - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristian Fabian offers chocolate chip cookies to the residents of the Banglamung Home for the Aged Retirement Community in Yokosuka, Japan, May 2, 2008. Fabian is assigned to the USS Blue Ridge. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charles T. Green....
MP DELIVERY - U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Valley speaks with the first of many Iraqi children to arrive during a food distribution mission in the Zuwerijat district of Al Kut, Iraq, April 30, 2008. Valley is assigned to the 511th Military Police Company. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel T. West...
Joint Task Force-Bravo personnel cross a river April 26 on the way to deliver much-needed food to two villages near Humuya, Honduras. The staple foods, including rice, flour and oil, temporarily help Honduran families affected by rising food costs and poor crop production. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Erika Yepsen)
SAN DIEGO (April 28, 2008) The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) leaves Naval Base San Diego for a two-month deployment to Latin America as part of a humanitarian mission. During the deployment, the ship's crew will provide humanitarian relief to Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexia M. Riveracorrea (Released)
(May 01, 2008) Military Sealift Command (MSC) hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departs San Diego Bay to begin a humanitarian mission to the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia. Pacific Partnership 2008 is designed to strengthen the goodwill developed during previous humanitarian civic assistance missions. Mercy is scheduled to visit the Republic of Philippines, Vietnam, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Don Bray (Released)
PATTAYA, Thailand (May 2, 2008) Sailors assigned to the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) volunteer to clean the recreational beach near the Banglamung Home for the Aged Retirement Community. Blue Ridge is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and serves as the flagship for Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles T. Green (Released)
Joint Task Force-Bravo personnel hike through a field on their way to deliver food to a village near Humuya, Honduras, April 26 as part of the chapel hike program. About two and one half tons of staple food items were delivered to Honduran families in need. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Erika Yepsen)
SAN DIEGO (April 28, 2008) The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) leaves Naval Base San Diego for a two-month deployment to Latin America as part of a humanitarian mission. During the deployment, the ship's crew will provide humanitarian relief to Guatemala, El Salvador and Peru. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexia M. Riveracorrea (Released)
U.S. NAVY HOSPITAL CORPSMAN 3RD CLASS CHRISTINA CRANSTON TAKES A PATIENT'S BLOOD PRESSURE. - U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Christina Cranston from the 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group takes a patient's blood pressure at a field medical clinic in the Banteay Meanchey province of Cambodia on April 26, 2008. U.S. sailors and Marines of the 3rd Medical Battalion are deployed to the area in support of the Cambodia Interoperability Program, a bilateral medical and dental civil action program that builds on the relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian governments and develops interoperability between U.S. forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. DoD photo by Cpl. Thomas Lew, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)
STAFF SGT. AARON BUNTING PROVIDES DENTAL CARE TO AN IRAQI GIRL. - U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Aaron Bunting, a medic from 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, provides dental care to an Iraqi girl as her mother looks on at a combined medical engagement in Ney, Diyala Province, Iraq, on April 7, 2008. DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sean Mulligan, U.S. Navy. (Released)
MAJ. BECKY MORRIS SHOWS LOCAL CHILDREN A PHOTO SHE TOOK OF THEM. - U.S. Army Maj. Becky Morris shows local children a photo she took of them during her visit to Gulu, Uganda, with members of groups that coordinate business opportunities on Jan. 23, 2008. The members are traveling in the Combined Joint Task Force ñ Horn of Africa area of operations to observe and learn how their organization can integrate and contribute their resources to the mission of the task force. DoD photo by Senior Airman Jacqueline Kabluyen, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
Eleven-year-old Kelly Yuleisy Arcentales is escorted by her mother (right) and aunt (left) on the new sidewalk that was paid for by donations collected by Airmen from the 964th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron who are deployed to Forward Operating Location Manta, Ecuador. The completion of the wheelchair ramp from Kelly's home to the Jaramijo city sidewalk finalized a three month project by the Airmen to provide Kelly with access to her local community. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Ashley Norris)
Coalition troops distribute school supplies to Iraqi children. A student (below) from Abu Shear School takes an arm full of backpacks back to the classroom April 14 in the Monsouri area of Iraq. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-76th FA, 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., delivered backpacks, soccer balls and notebooks to students there. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Tami Hillis)
SGT. KARINA COLVIN TREATS A YOUNG IRAQI BOY. - U.S. Army Sgt. Karina Colvin (right), a medic from Charlie Company, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Combat Brigade Team, 25th Infantry Division, treats a young Iraqi boy during a combined medical effort in Bata, Iraq, on March 17, 2008. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. William Greer, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
MAFI-ANFOE, Ghana (April 09, 2008) Quartermaster 2nd Class Edmond Ullrich meets village elders of Mafi-Anfoe during a community relations project at Mafi-Anfoe Primary School. Ullrich, along with Sailors assigned to High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV) 2 and Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 32 met the elders of the village during a traditional ceremony of thanks. The Sailors were bestowed the designation of honorary citizens of Mafi-Anfoe and given ceremonial beaded bracelets as a sign of friendship during the event. U.S Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Michael Campbell (Released)
Young Iraqi burn victim progressing well. Al Amreeki receives a stuffed toy from his mother, Amil, April 10 at Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati. The 3-year-old left Balad Air Base, Iraq, with more than 45 percent of his body burned from a stove fire at his home and Airmen and medics have helped nurse him back to health. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jeannie Masters)
Medics provide humanitarian support in Albania. Master Sgt. James Welch immunizes a girl as Albanian nurses provide assistance in February in Albania. Sergeant Welch, along with four other 109th Airlift Wing medics from the Stratton Air National Guard Base in New York, administered 1,000 Hepatitis A shots during a humanitarian mission with the New Jersey National Guard. (Courtesy photo)
Navy Pharmacist Lt. Cmdr. Robert Dobbins (right) helps an Indonesian man fasten the chinstrap on the flight helmet his son is wearing before he is evacuated by helicopter to the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) on April 8, 2005. Mercy and the combat stores ship USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS 3) are currently operating off the coast of Nias, Indonesia, providing medical and humanitarian assistance to victims of the March 28, 2005, 8.7-magnitude earthquake. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeffrey Russell, U.S. Navy. (Released)
AIRDROP - Forty bundles of humanitarian supplies are dropped from a C-17 Globemaster III using the Joint Precision Airdrop Delivery System to a drop zone in Afghanistan, April 13, 2008. The U.S. aircrew is from the 17th Airlift Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway...
U.S., Iraqi Forces Winning
In Western Anbar Province, Colonel Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2008 – Increased security brought about by military success against insurgents in the western portion of Iraq’s Anbar province is enabling a drawdown of U.S. forces there as well as enhanced regional reconstruction efforts, a senior Marine commander told Pentagon reporters today. “The insurgents, by and large, have been marginalized in western Anbar,” Marine Corps Col. Pat Malay, commander of Regimental Combat Team 5, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference from Camp Ripper, Iraq. Malay’s area of operations comprises about 30,000 square miles, an area about the size of South Carolina. During a previous Iraq tour in Fallujah two years ago, Malay recalled, multitudes of foreign fighters were entering western Iraq from Syria.
Today, there are very few
foreign fighters in his area of operations, he observed. “Quite frankly, I
think we’ve killed a lot of them, and I think that the enemy is having a
more difficult time recruiting to the numbers that they have in the past,”
Malay said. In addition, foreign fighters no longer are transiting across
the Syrian border into Anbar province, the colonel said. With insurgents
“on the run” in western Anbar province, the resultant reduced violence has
enabled a drawdown of U.S. forces in his sector, Malay said. Three of his
command’s five battalions have rotated home over the past three months, he
noted.
Meanwhile, the numbers of Iraqi security forces in western Anbar continue to
grow, Malay said, noting his area of operations now has 5,000 police, 1,000
highway patrolmen and 7,000 Iraqi soldiers. Iraqi soldiers and police are
increasingly taking the lead in security operations, Malay said. Recent
Iraqi-led operations have achieved successes against insurgents in Hit,
Haditha and Qaim, he pointed out. The drop in violence also has enabled a
larger focus on reconstruction programs such as building needed schools and
providing water and electricity needs for the local populace, the colonel
added. Citing recent humanitarian assistance efforts in Anbar province,
Malay pointed to the story of Amenah, a 2-year-old Iraqi girl from Haditha
who was flown to the United States in February for surgery on her ailing
heart.
Surgeons at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., were able to correct Amenah’s congenital heart defect, Malay said. Today, Amenah is a healthy little girl, he noted, while the Haditha hospital is now receiving much-needed upgrades so it can attend to other sick children. The American public should be very proud of U.S. servicemembers’ efforts in Anbar province, Malay said. “They’re the next great generation, and they are winning here,” Malay said of the Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers serving in Anbar. “It’s mind-boggling; the changes that have taken place here.”
LEFT PHOTO - Amenah, a 2-year-old Iraqi girl from Haditha, was flown to the United States in February for successful surgery on her ailing heart. Haditha, located in formerly restive western Anbar province, today is experiencing reduced violence and widespread reconstruction. Photo by Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Shawn Coolman...
RIGHT PHOTO - An Iraqi girl watches the Iraq Police (IP) in the Dubat precinct, Fallujah, Iraq on April 2, 2008. The IP gave out food bags in the area to help out local families. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel Martin Moman)
MIXING IT UP - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Diego Gamboa, left, a Ghanaian soldier, and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Victorio Castillo mix cement to build a new school library in Mafi-Anfoe, Guam, April 9, 2008. Gamboa and Castillo are assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 32. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Campbell...
AD BOUYA, Djibouti (April 9, 2008) Senior Chief Petty Officer Andre Parks gives candy to village children while Chief Petty Officer Charles Grevious talks to a teenager during the dedication ceremony for a well built by the 1133rd Engineering Detachment of the North Carolina Army National Guard assigned to Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa. The well will provide potable drinking water to the people and livestock of Ad Bouya. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Eric Kreps) (Released)
April 10, 2008 A Capitol Experience. Photo by Cherie Cullen. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates poses for a photo with a Soldier and his family during a reception celebrating the organization "Our Military Kids" in Washington, D.C., April 7, 2008. The organization, founded by Linda Davidson and Gail Kruzel two years ago, has raised and distributed more than $1 million for children of Guard and Reserve Soldiers.
Cadet 3rd Class Nate Moeller, Cadet Squadron 1, works on the roof of a Habitat for Humanity home. Cadet Moeller is one of 65 Air Force Academy cadets giving up their spring break this week, to build homes for the needy in Santa Fe, N.M.; Cody, Wyoming; El Paso, Texas; and Beaumont, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/John Van Winkle)
Capt. John Peltier teaches a Chilean orphan how to take pictures at Koinomadelfia Orphanage April 3 west of Santiago, Chile. Twenty Airmen participating in the FIDAE air show took a break from aircraft displays and demonstrations to visit more than 30 preschool-aged children at the orphanage to hand out toys, patches and stickers. Koinomadelfia is home to 80 children who have been rescued from domestic violence situations. The FIDAE air show hosts aircraft from 42 countries and is the largest event of its kind in South America. Captain Peltier is assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Candace Cutrufo)
Capt. Cale Marthens lifts up a Chilean orphan April 3 at Koinomadelfia Orphanage west of Santiago, Chile. Twenty Airmen showcased the F-15E Strike Eagles at FIDAE, the largest air show in South America. The Airmen also visited more than 30 toddlers at the orphanage and handed out toys, stickers and patches. Captain Marthens is assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Candace Cutrufo)
Capts. John Peltier and Luke Ball show off their squadron patches to Chilean orphans at Koinomadelfia Orphanage April 3 west of Santiago, Chile. The captains supported the largest South American air show, FIDAE, where they showcased F-15E Strike Eagles to international audiences. Captains Peltier and Ball are assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Candace Cutrufo)
STUDYING TOGETHER - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Marcus Rodgers helps a student at Gaston Point Elementary School in Gulfport, Miss., with his studies in the Building On Our Skills Together program, April 1, 2008. Rodgers is the armory supervisor for the 25th Naval Construction Regiment. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Jeffrey R. Militzer...
Medics provide humanitarian support in Albania. Tech. Sgt. Jacqueline Sweet-McNeil visits with children in February in Albania. Sergeant Sweet-McNeil, along with four other 109th Airlift Wing medics from the Stratton Air National Guard Base in New York, administered 1,000 Hepatitis A shots during a humanitarian mission with the New Jersey National Guard. (Courtesy photo)
CE builds Airmen Home Away From Home In Romania
Members of the 404th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron work with Romanian nationals March 24 to remove a gate that divided the Romania base from the tent city at Campia Turzii, Romania. The deployed civil engineering team built an entire tent city in 96 hours to support U.S. operations at the air base. The Airmen are part of a team which is augmenting NATO forces in securing the airspace around Bucharest, Romania, for the NATO Summit April 2 to 4. (U.S Air Force photo/Senior Airman Teresa M. Hawkins)
Members of the 404th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron pass a section of plywood flooring over a fence March 24 at the tent city on Campia Turzii, in Romania. The deployed civil engineering team built an entire tent city in 96 hours to support U.S. operations at the air base. The Airmen are part of a team which is augmenting NATO forces in securing the airspace around Bucharest, Romania, for the NATO Summit April 2to 4. (U.S Air Force photo/Senior Airman Teresa M. Hawkins)
U.S. Navy Lt. Sara Nelson, center, examines a patient during a medical civic action program in Goubetto, Djibouti, March 30, 2008. Nelson is assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock...
U.S. Army Sgt. Catherine Olivarez examines a toddler during a Medical Civil Action Program at a village school in Goubetto Village, Djibouti, March 30, 2008. Olivarez is a medic assigned to 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, Special Functioning Team, Combined Joint Task Force- Horn of Africa. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock...
Manas Airmen’s Charitable Program Reaches Milestone
By Tech. Sgt. Jerome Baysmore, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan, April 2, 2008 – The Manas Air Base Outreach Society and the local Children's Heart Ward recently passed a milestone in the community. With support, donations and hope from the base, two doctors who perform heart surgeries for free recently performed their 100th surgery.
During a trip to meet the doctors and the 100th patient on March 29, a small group of Manas Air Base personnel also visited with the 99th and 101st heart surgery patients, and played with some of the kids on the ward still awaiting treatment.
"I'm very pleased with the years of our friendship," said Dr. Kaldarbek Abdramanov, director and professor of surgery in the local Institute of Cardiac Surgery and Organ Transplantation. "I hope we can continue this partnership for many years." Abdramanov said the children's heart ward receives patients from all over Central Asia, but they only are able to help a fraction of them because of the cost. "Most families here live under the line of poverty, and to have a sick child with a medical condition adds a great strain on a family," he said.
"Doctors are supposed to tell the truth, and so I tell you that the
Americans help us a lot -- your support is important. "The government
doesn't have the means to help everyone, and the families don't have the
money. So when Americans showed up and gave us support, it helped a great
deal," he said. "Even if you helped just a little, it would be a big deal
for us, but you have helped a lot."
Manas Air Base airmen assist the heart ward by covering the fee for the “oxygenator,”
a piece of equipment needed for each surgery that costs $560. The Manas Air
Base Outreach Society has addressed that need with its Children's Heart Ward
focus group. Airmen raise money to pay for the oxygenators for heart
surgeries and sometimes for other types of surgeries so that even more
children can be assisted. The 376th Expeditionary Maintenance Group held a
fundraiser to support the 100th surgery, explained the 376th Aircraft
Maintenance Squadron KC-135 section chief, Master Sgt. Scott Kaulig, who is
deployed to Manas from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. "The maintenance
group asked for donations to support the 100th surgery," the Cincinnati,
Ohio, native said.
The simple tactic worked. In fact, the outpouring of support was so great,
the group ended up funding the 101st surgery as well. "I'm very proud of the
group and the (817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, Detachment 1) C-17
airmen for donating the money to help," Kaulig said. Abdramanov explained
that his clinic supports the 5 million people in the Kyrgyz Republic, and
his ward sees about 2,000 to 3,000 adult patients annually. They can only
fully support about 400 to 500 a year. It isn't for lack of skill, but lack
of funding. He explained that his clinic has doctors who are as qualified as
doctors and surgeons in Europe. The situation is the same for the children.
The clinic sees about 5,000 to 6,000 children annually and is only able to
help about 300 children a year.
"Heart surgeries are very expensive, and that's why most hospitals have a
lot of financial difficulties," he said. "But I can't thank you for your
help enough. You Americans are modest and don't make a big deal of it; you
help and expect nothing in return." Dr. Samudin Shabyralier, a heart surgeon
who's been with the children's heart ward since Manas Air Base supported the
first surgery, has seen the benefit of the long-term partnership. "I'm very
pleased with the support from the Americans," he said. "I hope that we can
work together for many years. For him, it is also about helping people. "The
reason I stay involved is because I have a 3-year-old son of my own, and I
love to help others any chance I get," Shabyralier said.
"God sees everything and everyone; we have some well off people this country
that do not help as much as they could. And what you do is important. I know
that I've given a lot of my time helping others, but I still feel that it's
not enough." Abdramanov expressed similar sentiments. "For me, I must help;
just to see a child smiling again is reason enough for me,” he said.
Whatever the reason for the generosity, Sakin Tumenbaeva, mother of the
100th patient, Alymbekov Amanbek, was appreciative of the support. "Thank
you to all who helped," Tumenbaeva said through an interpreter. "If it
wasn't for you, I don't know who I could have turned to. I'm thankful for
you all." (Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jerome Baysmore is assigned to 376th Air
Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Photo Credit and Description: Air Force Chaplain, (Capt.) Arthur McCaffrey, of 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, and airmen from Manas Air Base Outreach Society visit the Children's Heart Ward to celebrate the 100th heart surgery and meet the staff and patients March 29, 2008. Manas Air Base airmen assist the heart ward by covering the cost for the oxygenator, a piece of equipment needed for each surgery that costs $560. The society has addressed that need with its Children's Heart Ward focus group, and airmen raise money to pay for the oxygenators for heart surgeries and sometimes for other types of surgeries so that even more children can be assisted. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jerome Baysmore.....
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (March 18, 2008) Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74 and U.S. Army Soldiers from the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion deliver backpacks and school supplies to students at Salaladin Mosque. Salaladin Mosque is being used as a temporary school while NMCB-74 refurbishes the Abadir Primary School. The Seabees are refurbishing the school's ceilings, bathrooms, classrooms and the administration building as part of a Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa community service project. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock (Released)
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kristin M. McBeath, </