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Foreword

Regional Response Forces ::

VALIANT SHIELD:
Building Trust and Security

GREEN LIGHTNING: Providing Security in the Asia-Pacific Region

Transnational Operation ::

KHAAN QUEST 2006:
Enhancing Multinational Peacekeeping

Humanitarian Support ::

USNS Mercy Bringing Hope to Asia-Pacific Nations

C-17 Aircraft Marking A New Airlift Era in the Pacific

New Zealand Defence Force Providing Security and Reconstruction in Afghanistan

From BALIKATAN to Mudslide Relief

Happenings ::

Happenings

USNS Mercy in Indonesia

Nias
Indonesia’s Nias Island was the sixth stop for the ship. The medical teams treated thousands of patients on the island whether aboard ship, ashore at the local hospital, or in remote areas. “I think we were the busiest we’ve been in terms of the number of patients seen, the number of surgeries on board, the number of patients admitted,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Joseph Moore, the Mercy Medical Treatment Facility commanding officer.

The ship’s medical personnel taught seminars dealing with basic life support, including training in performing CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. “The classes were great,” said Dr. Rani Maria a primary health care doctor who traveled from her remote village clinic to attend the seminars. “It gives us more new things to learn.”

Commenting on the ship’s mission, Dr. Maria, said, “It’s a rare opportunity for them [residents] to get this type of care,” she continued. “I had a patient with an eye tumor. He needed surgery, but he could not pay for it. Since Mercy came, now he can. I hope you can come often here.”

The medical teams worked with personnel at the Simeulue hospital, which was the host-nation patient screening and referral site, for professional exchanges such as obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery, pediatric services, and biomedical equipment repair.

U.S. Navy Seabees performed construction projects at the Gunungsitoli General Hospital and a local orphanage. In addition, the biomedical equipment team aboard Mercy worked with the hospital’s electricians to fix medical equipment, including radiological and operating room electronics.

Banda Aceh
While visiting Mercy in Banda Aceh, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Mullen, told the medical teams, “You’re setting a standard and showing the way. You’re making a difference in people’s lives so that parents can raise their children in a world that’s secure, so that their children can have a future.” He continued, “The most important thing … here today [is] the training, the education, and the infrastructure we leave [behind], so that [Indonesians] can treat their own communities.”

Mercy also welcomed the Indonesian Surgeon General, Maj. Gen. A. Hidayat; the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, B. Lynn Pascoe; and the U.S. Surgeon General of the Navy, Vice Adm. Donald C. Arthur. While touring the ship, Maj. Gen. Hidayat said, “I’ve been here four times. It’s a big ship with lots of capabilities; that’s very useful in my country of 17,000 islands with many people with health problems.”

The ship’s medical teams worked alongside doctors in local hospitals and health clinics to treat residents. “This extends the hand of America that few people really get to see,” said Vice Adm. Arthur. “They usually talk about the U.S. military in ways that deal with combat and not with helping nations in a humanitarian way, so this is terrific. I think there will be more of these missions.”

Mercy’s doctors, nurses, and corpsmen held classes and seminars at local hospitals to teach Banda Aceh’s future medical professionals how to deal with medical situations such as post-traumatic stress disorder caused by the aftermath of the tsunami disaster. In addition, U.S. Navy Seabees constructed a water treatment facility at the Abidin Hospital.

“The people of Banda Aceh say thanks very much for these activities,” said Indonesian translator Dewi Sartika. “The U.S. Navy has helped us twice: first for the tsunami in 2005 and now here in 2006, and we feel happy and very thankful for your kindness. With some things like surgeries in Banda Aceh, it needs very high cost, and many people would die without operations, but with the U.S. Navy ship, it’s free. With your help, life goes higher here.”

“It has been an amazing experience to work with so many different people and organizations,” said MCpl. Guylaine Lamoureux, a dental technician with the Canadian Army. “To be able to put so many smiles on the faces of the people here has given me a great sense of accomplishment.”

Tarakan
In Tarakan, Mercy medical teams provided medical and dental examinations, surgeries, immunizations, and prescription glasses to the island residents. They also held three Medical and Dental Civil Action Projects around the island to help reach people who could not make it to the hospitals for treatment.

“You have done a lot for our people, you give them a gift of what they need,” said H. Jusuf SK, Mayor of Tarakan. “We cannot say any words except thank you very much. This memory will live among us until the end of our lives. We are much obliged to the U.S. Mercy,” said the Mayor. “Tarakan people, Indonesian people, will be [closer] to American people for what you have done for our people.”

U.S. Navy Seabees painted a local school, replaced and upgraded air conditioning units, built a basketball court, and repaved a 200-foot (61-meter) driveway to the school. “Your construction team is so disciplined and very responsible with their job,” said Yulli Endey, a teacher at SMU Hangtuah Tarakan school. “The work is much appreciated.”

East Timor
While in East Timor’s capitol of Dili, the medical teams treated residents at two different locations as well as on the ship. “The people of Dili have asked us to come and we’re going to treat as many patients as possible,” said Capt. Moore.

One of Mercy’s last patients, Melina Barreto, who brought her 15-month-old child to Mercy for surgery, said, “It’s very lucky (for us) because you come here, and it’s free treatment for my baby. In our hospitals, our equipment is not complete. I would hope this ship could stay for a long time. I hope that you would come back here again.”

Conclusion
In the Timor Sea, the last of Mercy’s patients returned to shore on 1 September 2006. During Mercy’s deployment, medical teams treated more than 60,000 people and performed more than 1,000 surgeries. The ship also brought medical education, civil engineering, culture exchange, and most of all friendship to the people of the region.

“We’ve achieved a tremendous amount,” said Capt. Martin. “We’ve delivered care to almost 200,000 people. We’ve done lifesaving surgeries for people, and we’ve altered people’s lives in a lot of positive ways. Another thing that has been very important with this mission is that we have achieved a high level of interoperability with the NGOs and allied militaries,” he continued. “We’ve gotten a lot done, and I hope to foster and continue relationships with all these countries and their people.”

“We have all learned a lot from each other,” said Project HOPE Volunteer Michele Okamoto, a certified emergency nurse. “As for Project HOPE, we were the first NGO to work this closely with the Navy, and that’s a real source of pride for all of us. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to serve in this way because what Mercy has done is a great thing, and there should be a lot more of these (deployments) in the future.”

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