Photo By Staff Sgt. Valerie Halbert | U.S. Armed Forces and Nepali soldiers assist children at the Shree Mahendra Higher...... read more read more
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U.S. service members and Nepali soldiers joined forces with four other nations to strengthen multilateral partnerships and conduct humanitarian assistance as part of Pacific Angel 17-4 in Gorkha, Nepal, August 13 to 20.
PACANGEL 17-4 medical professionals and engineers provided medical care and partnered with local schools and health clinics to provide quality of life and infrastructure improvements.
“We’re really taking advantage of the opportunity to work with our joint partners in positions from Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Mongolia,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Neil Copeland, 673rd Medical Operations Squadron pediatrician.
When dealing with pathogens and illnesses, having a Nepali counterpart can help blend treatment standards from a western environment and a Nepali environment, Copeland said.
A temporary health services outreach site was constructed and provided individual clinics for care with family health, pediatrics, dermatology, optometry, dental, physical therapy and pharmacy.
“Operating in a medical environment that was set up temporarily is beneficial in allowing us to run things smoother should we ever need to set-up for a humanitarian mission in the future,” Copeland said. “On a personal level it’s important to use your maximum skill set in an environment that is different than your home.”
For Nepal Army Maj. (Dr.) Rinku Joshi, hematologist, the most important thing about PACANGEL is the interoperability between the military forces.
“This is the best way to build a relationship between two countries,” said Joshi. “I have been here for 10 days and already made really great friends.”
The civil engineers also had the opportunity to work closely with their Nepali counterparts, providing updates and repairs to five different sites throughout the Gorkha area.
“This collaboration is super important because as soon as we got here you could see how much work needed to be done to the infrastructure,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Russell, 647th Civil Engineer Squadron NCO in charge of construction and site supervisor for the Shree Sansari Mahendra Secondary School. “These little things that we do for them are huge, since they don’t see it every day.”
Russel and his team painted four different buildings used for classrooms at the school.
“We also built partition walls out of brick and installed doors in the female bathroom,” Russell continued. “Skylights were put in since there is no electricity in [the restroom] and plumbers installed sinks and faucets.”
The Shree Sansari Mahendra Secondary School was just one of five sites included in the PACANGEL 17-4 mission, but all sites combined the capabilities of U.S. service members and Nepali counterparts.
“Having the expertise from an engineer in the Nepal Army that can speak all the technical terms was [vital],” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Norman Fabregat-LeBlanc, 647th CES heavy repair superintendent and lead engineering planner for PACANGEL 17-4.
And for some participants in PACANGEL, the mission also had a more personal aspect.
“It was a blessing for me to be able to take care of the Nepalese children,” Copeland said. “Even with the littlest of gifts, they seemed so grateful, which was a really refreshing experience.”
In its 10th year, PACANGEL continues to build partnerships between regional nations through humanitarian assistance and civil military operations.
“What separates PACANGEL is that it’s not just about providing aid, it’s about collaborating with your counterparts,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Gary Dodge, PACANGEL 17-4 mission commander. “We’re learning from [them] and they’re learning from us.”
PACANGEL 17-4 is set to conclude on August 20 with a closing ceremony at the health services outreach site in Gorkha.
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2017 07:45 |
| Story ID: | 245377 |
| Location: | GORKHA, NP |
| Web Views: | 202 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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