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CARAT often involves local volunteer community work by U.S. personnel. Here U.S. personnel finish repainting school tables and chairs at the Kaca House School in Brunei. |
CIVIC ACTION PROJECTS
In addition to the military training in each phase of CARAT, the U.S. Task Group also participated in a variety of civic action projects. For example, Landing Force CARAT conducted a half-day humanitarian Medical Civic Action Project (MEDCAP) in a fishing village in Malaysia and full-day MEDCAPs in three villages in Thailand.
Cmdr. Julie McNeely, a U.S. Navy doctor, described the medical project: "All three sites that we worked on [in Thailand] were set up at schools. We started every day at 0430 and saw patients from 0800 to 1700. Even though we were provided with interpreters, we found that most of our translation needs were met with smiles and gestures. It was gratifying to be able to diagnose and treat a child and see how relieved and thankful the parents were that their baby was okay. It's an experience I'll never forget."
During the MEDCAPs in Thailand, military veterinarians and animal care specialists deployed from commands in Hawaii, Japan and Guam to conduct Veterinary Civic Assistance Projects, or VETCAPs. Thai villagers brought dogs, cats and even an occasional cow to receive basic immunizations, like rabies, or to be de-wormed.
"This year is the first time we have had veterinarian services as part of the CARAT exercise," said U.S. Army Col. Tom Pool. There were 15 rabies related deaths in a small village in the Philippines earlier this year. Col. Pool explained, "With veterinarian military training and civilian (dog) vaccinations for rabies, we can hopefully break this cycle (of deaths)."
In addition to the VETCAPs at which Thai villagers were able to have their pets vaccinated for rabies, dystepia, parvo virus, hepatitis, adeno virus and lepto spirosis, the U.S. veterinarians also trained Thai military dog technicians to treat and diagnose illnesses of Royal Thai Marine working dogs.
CARAT 98 also included an engineering civic action project (ENCAP) in Thailand. U.S. Navy Seabee engineers worked with Thai military engineers to build a second story to the administrative building on the grounds of the first AIDS Hospice in Southeast Asia. With the assistance of the Seabees and the Thai military, the hospice increased its patient capacity from 30 to 40 and is able to allow family members to spend the last moments of life with loved ones. On Friday, July 17, the new addition was dedicated, attended by Amb. William Itoh, the U.S. ambassador to Thailand, Adm. Nitz Srisomwong, Fleet Admiral of the Royal Thai Navy, and His Excellency Luigi Bressan, the Vatican's envoy to Thailand.
Describing the ENCAP, Capt. Guest said, "The value of this project far exceeds the high quality material addition to the clinic. Military construction engineers from both countries learned a lot about each other's construction standards and greatly improved their own interoperability. On an individual basis, too, every service member was revitalized by his own sense of personal contribution, not to mention the gratitude and smiles showered on them by the clinic's staff and patients."
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
In every phase of CARAT, Sailors and Marines from the participating U.S. units volunteered their time to help out at orphanages, schools, and homes for the elderly. Chaplain Lt. Bruce Hougeson, point man for these projects said "In Brunei, we did a project for handicapped children and, in Singapore, we did a project for abused children and one for the Boys and Girls Brigade, involving a camp ground." He added that many Marines and sailors are eager to participate in the projects, and there is rarely a shortage of volunteers.
One of the most successful projects involved sailors and Marines painting and repairing playground equipment and sprucing up the grounds at two schools in Sitiawan and one school in Lumut, Malaysia. The following day, more than 100 of the schools' students--most of them physically handicapped, were able to visit USS Fort McHenry for a tour, a snack and a performance by the Seventh Fleet rock band, Orient Express.
According to Royal Malaysian Navy NCO Kamarrl Baharin, the community relations projects promote interaction and cooperation between the militaries of the United States and the host nations. "Our Navy has been doing projects like this for the past 16 years. This is another way for us to work together to improve the cooperation between the Malaysian Navy, the U.S. Navy and the public," said Kamarrl. "Today the U.S. sailors and Marines made the playground look just like new. When the children here see it they will remember that the United States was here to help."
LOOKING AHEAD
Even before CARAT 98 came to an end August 5 with the PASSEX between USS Mobile Bay and ships from the Philippine Navy, planners were looking ahead to next year's exercise. Following the underway period of each phase, exercise participants from the United States and the host nation got together to discuss how the exercise had gone and to get an initial impression on what areas next year's exercise would concentrate.
Cmdr. Jim Garvey, the Bilateral Exercise Coordinator at COMLOG WESTPAC in Singapore, serves as the primary U.S. planner for CARAT exercises. He summarized, "CARAT 98 was a success by anyone's yardstick. Each of the host nations looks forward to the visit of the CARAT group and the impressive capabilities and wide range of activities they can learn and benefit from. The CARAT group enjoys the benefits of learning culturally and tactically, and the tremendous efforts of the hosts to make them feel welcome. Everybody wins.
