“Pacific Partnership has introduced collectively folks from totally different backgrounds, cultures and experience to work hand-in-hand, fostering understanding and constructing lifetime connections,” mentioned the Honorable Ladie Jack, the mayor of Majuro. “Via our collective efforts, we’ve achieved outstanding milestones and made a optimistic influence on the lives of our numerous people.”
This was Pacific Partnership’s fifth go to to the Republic of the Marshall Islands since its first go to in 2007. Service members from the US and Australia labored with Marshallese on a spread of occasions together with humanitarian help and catastrophe reduction (HA/DR) seminars, engineering tasks, medical engagements and host nation outreach occasions.
“I’m grateful to have the possibility to work alongside our buddies right here within the Republic of Marshall Islands,” mentioned U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Quin, mission commander. “Kommol tata to the Marshallese folks for inviting us to their nation and for a profitable first cease of many throughout Pacific Partnership 24-1. These enduring bonds of friendship and belief that we’ve put collectively throughout this mission are the true reward of this go to.”
Members of PP24-1’s medical group sailed aboard RMIS Liwatoon Mour, the Marshallese hospital ship, for 4-day mission the place they labored side-by-side with Marshallese medical suppliers conducting a tuberculosis eradication marketing campaign in Aur Atoll.
“The success of this joint effort to carry essential well being testing and therapy to the folks of Aur represents one of the best of what our two nations can obtain when working collectively towards frequent targets, equivalent to containing the scourge of tuberculosis,” mentioned U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Lance Posey.
This effort held further significance as a result of it was first time in Pacific Partnership historical past that U.S. medical personnel operated from a number nation’s hospital ship.
“Tuberculosis is likely one of the main causes of demise within the Marshall Islands.,” mentioned Lt. Hoel Rupert David, medical planner, household nurse practitioner. “Due to that, a Marshallese medical staff conducts a Tuberculosis eradication marketing campaign to the assorted Atolls annually. This was the primary 12 months our medical employees was capable of do an expeditionary medical operation to help with the marketing campaign. It was such an honor to work alongside the Marshallese medical employees and make a distinction in folks’s lives.”
Aboard the Mercy, Pacific Partnership’s optometry staff labored side-by-side with the native ophthalmologist, Dr. Meena Pathak, to display sufferers and take away cataracts from 42 Marshallese sufferers.
“We have been capable of give the present of sight to sufferers who have been beforehand debilitated resulting from cataracts, that are the commonest reason for treatable blindness on this planet,” mentioned U.S. Navy Cmdr. Gabriel Valerio, head of surgical procedure for this 12 months’s Pacific Partnership. “This surgical procedure returns these sufferers to being productive members of society and frees household caretakers to do the identical. This will increase the standard of life, not just for the affected person, but additionally for your complete household and neighborhood. I’m honored and blessed to have been part of the Marshallese residents’ care.”
Moreover, the optometry staff supplied 795 pairs of eyeglasses to neighborhood members as a part of their imaginative and prescient well being efforts.
The three-day Pacific Partnership 24-1 humanitarian help and catastrophe reduction (HA/DR) workshop centered on local weather change and Marshallese catastrophe response capabilities. Greater than 30 members of the Majuro first responder neighborhood, together with representatives from the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Workplace, Port Authority, Sea Patrol, Marshall Island Police Division and the Directorate of Civil Aviation, participated within the workshop, which culminated in a Mass Rescue Operations Train within the Majuro lagoon.
“We practiced coordinating boats to do search patterns and pull victims out of the water,” mentioned James Gardner, a planner with the U.S. Coast Guard. “With the three totally different search areas lined, we have been capable of find all 25 mannequins.”
This was particularly priceless for the newer members of Sea Patrol, for whom this sort of expertise coaching was a brand new expertise, mentioned Nate Lometo, a member of the Marshall Islands Sea Patrol.
U.S. Navy Amphibious Development Battalion 1 (ACB 1) led engineering tasks at Lengthy Island and Rita Elementary Faculties. Working alongside native volunteers, together with American and native employees from the U.S. Embassy, the Seabees repaired sinks, rewired electrical techniques, changed out of doors lighting, painted classroom interiors and exteriors, and put in new ceiling lights and followers, handrails, and bogs.
“The flexibility to work with the native faculties right here in Marshall Islands and to make a distinction for the youngsters right here was really a rewarding expertise”, mentioned Lt. j. g. Nelson Demarest, the engineering planner for Pacific Partnership 24-1. “This has been one of many highlights of my naval profession.”
Throughout 32 host-nation outreach occasions, greater than 3,600 Sailors, college students, and residents of Majuro got here collectively to foster bonds of friendship by means of live shows, sports activities days, and spiritual occasions.
Now in its nineteenth iteration, Pacific Partnership is the biggest annual multinational humanitarian help and catastrophe reduction preparedness mission carried out within the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and associate nations to boost regional interoperability and catastrophe response capabilities, improve safety and stability within the area, and foster new and enduring friendships.
