Through the Lens

By Kristopher Radder, Project HOPE Public Affairs Officer

This is my second time volunteering as a photographer on a grey-hull mission for Project HOPE, and on these missions, I’ve had the ability to see a wide range of human experience through the lens of my camera.

My first mission was with Continuing Promise last year, and now I have the chance to do Pacific Partnership.

It isn’t easy to understand the complexity of a moment until you get a chance to look at the photos after the shoot. That’s when you have the time to catch things you might have thought you captured but didn’t, or find out you captured something powerful when you took a random chance on a photo. Anything might make a photograph stand out. It could be the twinkle in a child’s eye, or the creases in the face of an elderly person.

My first real shoot for Pacific Partnership was on a remote island in Tonga, at a medical civic action project, or MEDCAP, site. The staff was excited to start working and interacting with the Tongans. One of the patients was a mother of twins, and everyone wanted to hold them. Hospital Corpsman Senior Chief Anna Woods got to hold one, and the child just fell asleep on her shoulder. I got the photo and didn’t think about it until I got back to the ship.

When I went through my photos from the day, I saw the photo and it hit me. The colors were off a bit, but the look on her face said something to me. There was genuine feeling there. In that moment, she wasn’t a corpsman at a MEDCAP helping the Tongans on a Navy mission. Now, she was a mother who was thousands of miles away from her children who had the rare opportunity to feel the joy of holding a baby.

Like Ferris Bueller said: “life moves pretty fast.” At the slowest, I usually capture life as it’s happening in 1/60th of a second. In that amount of time a photographer tries to capture more than action, lighting, or composition. A photojournalist has to look for a moment and a message. Those moments and messages have the ability to move people to offer a little charity, learn about a new cause, or even volunteer to do something to help their communities, their countries, or maybe even the world.

I’m overwhelmed by the feelings people show on the Pacific Partnership Facebook page, where people show a complete range of emotions, including everything from happiness about seeing a photo of a loved one to sadness about missing those loved ones.

I have been honored to accompany Project HOPE on two humanitarian missions which have taken me to parts of South America on Continuing Promise and to Oceania with Pacific Partnership. I have been able to work with some of the best people I’ve ever met who are just trying to make a small difference.

One of the countries that will always stick with me is Papua New Guinea. The people were friendly and warm, and they were excited to see all of the people from Pacific Partnership who were there to help them. The Papua New Guineans kept bringing us anything they could to express their gratitude, bags, fruit, or anything else they could think to offer.

When he was leaving the Tent City MEDCAP, Cpl. Daniel Mayfield was surrounded by the locals. I grabbed my camera, and everyone just gathered around him, cheering and smiling with joy for the help that we were bringing. That was an example of an easy day.

On the other hand, some days are a real challenge. There was a shoot in Papua New Guinea at the Bubia Primary School engineering civil action project site, or ENCAP. The Seabee battalion there was working on this project 20 days before the ship had arrived.

I was inspired by their work ethic, and I wanted to bring justice to the work they were doing. When it came time to submit the images, nothing was panning out. I argued with everyone involved with the editorial process, and I tried to get them to push the shots on the merits of the Seabees’ efforts, even if mine weren’t up to their standards. After listening to the editors’ reasons, I felt that I’d let the Seabees down in some fashion, by not getting the right image. The time wasn’t on my side either for a re-shoot. Of course I was disappointed, but I took the lessons I needed from that experience and had a successful shoot in Timor-Leste.

We have almost completed our final mission port for Pacific Partnership, but the moments I have been able to witness, and the bonds that I have made will last me a lifetime, and I can only hope that it will continue.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Kris Radder

Kris Radder is the public affairs officer for the Pacific Partnership 2011 Project HOPE contingent. He is working closely with the military public affairs team, shooting photographs, writing blogs, and telling the world what Project HOPE is doing aboard a U.S. Navy ship with an international military team.

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Recalling Conversations with the Federated States of Micronesia

By Nutan Patel, Pacific Partnership 2011 Civilian/Military Affairs

When I think of my short time in the Federated States of Micronesia, I remember intense, humid heat, sashimi galore (tuna, of course), and some of the most breathtaking views of lush terrain I have ever seen. Pacific Partnership’s work in FSM was a great end to an ever greater experience. We hit each of the country’s four states, which provided the PP11 team with an ever broadened view of this area of the world and the people who inhabit it. I believe we have walked away with a new appreciation for what it means to be in geographical isolation.

But first, a little about FSM. The people of FSM value Americans and the U.S. military at large. FSM is under a Compact of Free Association with the U.S., which means that the United States provides guaranteed financial assistance over a 15-year period. One might then wonder why PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP would visit a country which is already receiving a significant such aid. But finances alone do not solve problems. The FSM struggles with the health and education of its people, something that can be changed over time with dedicated expert exchanges and perhaps, since located so far from other countries, some foreign influence.

In speaking with the founder of an education NGO in the state of Chuuk, an expatriate who has spent 32 years in the country working to bring education to the local community, I was struck by something he said. “If you can’t see it, you can’t dream it.” I realized at that moment that this is what it means to be isolated. Life experiences, travel and diversity; these things are enhanced from our ability to see more than what is at our front doorstep. These things allow us to dream big, and with big dreams come the motivation to bring change (or so I like to think).

Amidst the charm and peace of living in the Pacific islands of the FSM, PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP was able to bring something new. Not only were people able to see the diversity of our PP11 team, and of the work we do, they also associated the U.S. military with more than simply weapons and warships. They realized, much in the same way I have over these past four months, that the military has a softer side, one that is part of an effort to provide humanitarian aid to those who need it the most in the toughest of times.

As we sail further away from the FSM and this mission draws to a close, I find myself reminiscing about the experiences we have had aboard the USS CLEVELAND through a total of five mission ports and two liberty ports. This has been by far one of the most dynamic experiences of my life, complete with new cultures and long sails, hard work and reward, frustration and laughter, and new lessons learned (I kid you not when I say that I don’t think a day has gone by in the past four months where I haven’t learned something new). As a civilian aboard a Navy ship for the first time ever, interacting with our four different services, partner nations and non-governmental organizations, I could not be more proud of the PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP initiative.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Nutan Patel

Nutan Patel is the Pacific Partnership 2011 civilian-military coordinator. She is responsible for maintaining the lines of communication between the military chain of command and civilian participants, mission assessment, and host nation engagement for Pacific Partnership 2011.

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The United States Embassy in Kolonia Says Farewell to Pacific Partnership 2011

By Peter A. Prahar, U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia

Although USS Cleveland has left the shores of The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the legacy of Pacific Partnership 2011 – and the memory of the dedicated men and women who came to these islands to serve – will live on for many years to come.

Let me first thank the doctors, nurses, vets, and dentists who saw over 6,000 patients (nearly 6% of the country’s total population) in only eight days; the fly away teams that extended medical services to a population spread over four states, 600 islands, and one million square miles of ocean; the officers and crew of the USS Cleveland; and members of the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Army who embarked aboard USS Cleveland and who supported the mission from bases throughout the Pacific and United States. What a mission! What a team effort!

Behind the numbers, I myself witnessed the delight of a patient when his ability to read was improved with new glasses. I also heard of a child who was diagnosed for the first time with a potentially life-threatening heart condition. The resulting medical referral may save his life. There are surely many, many more examples of the impact the PP11 mission had on people’s lives. These stories will live on and on in these small communities on these small islands.

Pacific Partnership personnel nurtured the goodwill and special relationship between the peoples of the FSM and the United States everywhere they went. I recall our Peace Corps Volunteers dancing with local children to the music of the Pacific Fleet Band on the 4th of July. I watched Micronesian athletes compete in friendly softball, soccer, and basketball games with the Pacific Partnership teams. The engineering team at the Ohmine Elementary School “sacrificed” its lunch breaks to play games with the children attending the school. During the ribbon cutting ceremony, my deputy witnessed these engineers talking, laughing, and playing with many children. I am certain these children will never forget these moments.

I would also like to thank the engineers of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133 who repaired and renovated three schools in Pohnpei. These men and women worked to ensure that the children of Micronesia have safe, comfortable and well-maintained places to study – in buildings, in short, that represent the value we all must put on education.

One of my main goals as Ambassador has been to improve the performance of the education system here in the FSM. For the rest of my assignment, I’ll be reminding young men and women here that it is simply incredible what the young men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces can do – and that each and every one of them is enrolled in training programs to either improve their existing skills or learn new ones.

I will encourage all young people here to think of them as role models. The men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces are committed to a lifetime of learning – and the young people of Micronesia should be, too. The men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces believe in themselves and their futures, set their aspirations high, take responsibility for their futures, work hard, and never give up. And that’s what the young men and women in Micronesia should do, too.

For the rest of my time here as U.S. Ambassador, I will look back with pride on the good and lasting work accomplished by Pacific Partnership 2011 during these past two historic weeks.

Pacific Partnership 2011 has accomplished its mission with professionalism and humanity reflecting great honor and credit on all branches of the U.S. Department of Defense.

All the members of my mission wish the U.S.S. Cleveland a safe journey home. Farewell Pacific Partnership 2011!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Ambassador Peter A. Prahar

Peter A. Prahar, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States, has been the United States Ambassador to Micronesia since 2009. Prior to this assignment, , he served as Director of the Office of Asian, African, and European Programs in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Desk Officer for Rwanda, and overseas tours in the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Albania, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali. He also served with the OSCE in Kosovo and Vienna and with the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission in Kosovo. He and his wife, Amy Kit Ling Choi Prahar, were married when both were students at International Christian University in Tokyo. He is a native of Oregon and a graduate of the University of Michigan.

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Expeditionary Diplomacy

By CAPT Jesse A. Wilson, Pacific Partnership 2011 mission commander

Wading through the creek to reach the ancient ruins of Pohnpei at Nan Madol, I was reminded of the expeditionary nature of our mission. One of the council chiefs of Pohnpei arranged the impromptu excursion as a means of allowing us to experience some of the rich culture of the Pacific islands, with Nan Madol being one of the foremost archeological finds in the Pacific region.

How did I arrive at this location of Pohnpei? Transported by the Pacific Partnership flagship, USS CLEVELAND, the third oldest ship in the U.S. Navy, but still as capable as many ships that are decades her junior. Within her hull, she harbors Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1665, which is capable of delivering 400 personnel and 125 tons of cargo including heavy lift equipment ashore in support of operations across the entire spectrum. In this particular case, the LCU launched from CLEVELAND delivers the resources in personnel and cargo that are the power of Pacific Partnership.

This operation being conducted in a time of calm from natural disasters is a demonstration of the same capability that will be required during a time of crisis where aid and personnel will need to be delivered rapidly ashore. This is expeditionary…rapid, flexible, adaptable, Joint, and interagency movement ashore. But there is another added bonus to the mission that is also expeditionary. We have managed to move diplomacy ashore as well.

The goodwill, friendliness, leadership, and genuine compassion that all our partner nations, doctors, nurses, engineers, veterinarians, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and military members have brought to our host nations during this deployment has been extremely well received. Each member of our Joint, interagency, and multi-national Pacific Partnership team has been, in a sense, an ambassador for the regional partnership. They have performed exceedingly well, and the bonds of friendship and interoperability that have been developed will prove beneficial during the next time of crisis when it is too late to inquire of someone, “Please tell me about your family”. We have surged diplomacy to the region in an expeditionary fashion, and I couldn’t be any prouder of our team’s performance.

Additionally, as a testament to the flexibility and adaptability of the LCU, when CLEVELAND was unable to anchor or moor in Pohnpei due to navigation constraints, the LCU provided a location ashore to hold our arrival reception. This was perhaps the first of its kind in entertaining distinguished visitors from a foreign country. In attendance were the Vice President of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Governor of Pohnpei state, and the Micronesian ambassadors and most of their wives from Australia, Japan, China, and of course the United States…flexible, adaptable, Joint, and interagency…Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Commodore Jesse A. Wilson

CAPT Jesse A. Wilson is the mission commander of Pacific Partnership 2011 and Commander, Destroyer Squadron 23 “The Little Beavers.”

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Four States; One Country

Tom Weinz, Pacific Partnership 2011 Foreign Service Liaison Officer

Pacific Partnership received a powerful vote of confidence just as we were about to undertake the most significant logistical challenge of PP11—to work in all four states of the country of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), which stretch across one million square miles of the western Pacific Ocean. American political and military leaders have been emphasizing a whole-of-government approach in the Pacific Ocean, and a high-level USG team visited eight Pacific Island States from June 24 through July 1.

The group was christened the 3-D team, because each leader focused on diplomacy, defense or development. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Island Affairs Kurt Campbell led diplomatic efforts, Admiral Patrick Walsh, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, spearheaded defense discussions, and U. S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator Nisha Biswal covered development issues and programs. The team visited two countries in which PP11 worked earlier this year, Tonga and Papua New Guinea, and arrived in Kolonia, FSM, just prior to our arrival on USS Cleveland. This unprecedented multi-agency visit certainly confirmed the message Pacific Partnership has been delivering since 2004, and expanded that message significantly.

Prior to the announcement of Team 3-D’s trip, PP11 Commodore Jesse Wilson had been calling attention to the “whole-of-several-governments’ approach” to preparing for natural and man-made disasters or crises in the Pacific, which accurately reflects the cooperative spirit which continues to grow in the region. Commodore Wilson includes not only the nations that partner with us as part of Pacific Partnership, which have included Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Spain, France and Papua New Guinea, but also the governments and peoples of the host nations, who have been proactive participants in our efforts and have thus served as essential force-multipliers.

Pacific Partnership 2011 will end this week, and USS Cleveland will depart for the long journey back to San Diego. At the end of September we will hold an Initial Planning Conference (IPC) for PP12. Lessons learned and information gathered during PP11, the 3-D visits, and from partner nations who will join us for the IPC will all be factored into the planning for next year’s mission. Pacific Partnership is very much in tune with the expanded “whole-of-several-governments’” concept, which is the primary reason everyone involved in the missions looks forward with hope and expectation to the next phase of this continuing adventure.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. The next blog post should be up in a few days.

Best,

Tom Weinz

Tom Weinz serves as the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Liaison Officer (FSLO) to PP11. He contributes regular blogs to the official DOS blog site, DipNote.

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Upward Bound To Success

By LT Phillip Ridley, Pacific Partnership 2011 Chaplain and former Upward Bound student and counselor

Recently, I had an opportunity to speak to high school students who are part of the Upward Bound program in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). I was asked to speak because, like some of my shipmates on Pacific Partnership, I am an Upward Bound alumnus.

When I was a teenager, having good friends and a place where I could fit in was very crucial to me. After my parents got divorced, having friends and a place where I knew that I would fit in socially were my primary motivators. So, during that time, I didn’t make the best choices regarding my friends at school or in my neighborhood.

If I had continued along this path, I might have gotten into trouble with the law; perhaps to the point of becoming a career criminal. However, my teachers and my mother noticed a decline in my grades and had enough concern to help me get on a better path.

My mother researched avenues and options that would help me with my grades as well as keep me out of trouble. She discovered Upward Bound, and I joined the year-round program after eighth grade.

This story was very familiar to the young men and women I talked to in Pohnpei, and it was similar to the stories told by LTJG Jennifer Velasquez and HMCS Steven Hart. At some point, someone helped each of us access the path toward success by participating in Upward Bound.

The Mars Hill College Upward Bound program I participated in allowed students to live on campus for about six weeks each summer. Then, during the school year, we met regularly as a group and had monthly meetings with our director and counselor to review our academic progress. It was purposeful fun!

My enrollment in the Upward Bound program led me to improve my grades and gave me an opportunity to find a more positive group of people to hang out with. People that cared enough to let me be myself and accept me for who I was, but who also helped steer me in the right direction. Indeed, participation in this program was one of the most beneficial experiences in my life. Not only did I make good friends, but I gained a confidence in my ability to succeed — and the ability to appreciate more of the world and people around me.

Like the Upward Bound students here in FSM, we were tutored in basic academic courses and study techniques to improve our grades and test scores. We took trips to other colleges every summer to speak with admissions counselors and tour the campuses. Sometimes we spent the night on campus to get a taste of college life. Like I said, it was purposeful fun.

My whole perspective regarding college and my future changed during Upward Bound, as I saw it doing to the young people I talked with in FSM. I gained the confidence to try to do better and try to go to college, as is happening with them. Since then, I took advantage of the opportunities afforded to me by joining the Navy, I graduated from college and became a chaplain so I could help provide a positive influence to people and help make the world a better place. Now I have come full circle – to a place on the opposite side of the world to talk to young people who remind me of myself. Maybe there’s a Sailor or even a future chaplain among them.

Upward Bound doesn’t just provide wayward youth with productive opportunities. It provides them with the ability to see a future full of potential, have confidence in their abilities, and provides them with an understanding of the need to be surrounded by people with positive intentions.

It’s for these reasons that I became an Upward Bound counselor – and why I volunteered to talk to the Micronesian youth in the program here in Pohnpei. The greatness of Upward Bound is the opportunity for diverse students to see the greatness within themselves and their communities. I am thrilled, honored, and moved by the fact that this invaluable program is alive and well in FSM.

Sincerely,
LT Phillip Ridley, Pacific Partnership 2011 Chaplain

LT Ridley is the Chaplain for the Pacific Partnership 2011 mission. His responsibility include maintaining a ministry, providing pastoral care and the organization and execution of community service projects during the deployment in five countries. He is personally responsible for the execution of 46 community service projects in Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste

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A Family Doctor at Sea

By CMDR Peter Collins, RAN

What is it like to be a Royal Australian Navy Reserve Doctor engaged in Pacific Partnership 11?  Truly, nobody can expect that practising medicine abroad in places like East Timor or the Federated States of Micronesia with our U.S. Navy counterparts is going to be just like working at home in the office, but the differences can be quite interesting, so I thought I’d provide a little insight into what some of the differences between life at home and life over here are.

Home: Well set up, air conditioned office in Turramurra; a leafy suburb in the upper North Shore of Sydney.
Over here: Sitting in a tent in a hot and dusty MEDCAP [Medical Civic Action Project] site, a stretcher for a bed, limited equipment and a collapsible chair or two to sit in.

Home: Patient consultations without any language barrier.
Over here: The use of one or sometimes two interpreters (who sometimes had no medical understanding) to establish the patient’s medical problem.

Home: Working within the Australian health system.
Over here: Working in collaboration with health professionals from United States, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, both military and civilian, within the host nation.

Home: The seemingly inexhaustible Australian Pharmaceutical Benefit scheme.
Over here: Limited supplies of selected medications that are quickly consumed.

Home: Using a microwave to heat up your lunch.
Over here: Adding some water to a plastic bag, causing some sort of exothermic chemical reaction to heat a sachet of chili beans [my experience of American MRE’s].

Home: Getting in my, some would say, luxurious car for the 5 minute trip to my Sydney practice.
Over here: Boarding a Landing Craft Utility [LCU], sitting on the deck or in a previously purchased camp chair, for up to 2 hours to get to land, and then a bus trip of varying length to get to the MEDCAP site.

Over here: Seeing more patients with Tuberculosis in 1 day than I have seen in the rest of my 30 years as a doctor.

Over here: Seeing infectious diseases that I have only seen previously as pictures in textbooks.

Over here: Risk of contracting vector borne disease.

This is an experience not to be missed.

I consider myself fortunate to be able to be involved in humanitarian work. It certainly takes you out of your comfort zone. This is to be advocated for both personal growth and professional development reasons, let alone the simple fact that it provides medical services for those who are not as fortunate as we are in Australia. Travel to MEDCAP sites in Pacific Partnership is certainly enlightening and makes you a little more reluctant to make any complaint about our own medical system.

Strategically, these deployments are invaluable. They are a comprehensive educational experience for our health service professionals and an enormous amount of health capability will be gained by all involved, knowledge that has the potential to be used by the Australian Defence Force in the future both at home and abroad.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
CMDR Peter Collins

Peter Collins is the senior medical officer on the Australian contingent to Pacific Partnership 2011. A family health specialist, he is responsible for organizing and conducting medical civilaction projects in Timor-Leste and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The United States Embassy in Kolonia Welcomes Pacific Partnership 2011!

By Peter A. Prahar, U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia
When U.S.S. Cleveland arrives July 3 for Pacific Partnership 2011, it will mark another chapter in demonstrating the enduring commitment of the United States to the people of the Federated States of Micronesia.

I am confident that the work over the next ten days of the more than 700 doctors, nurses, engineers, and veterinarians from the United States, along with partners from Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Canada, and Spain who are participating in Pacific Partnership 2011, will leave an everlasting impact.

The Pacific Partnership team has already done great work in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste. Their successful medical, dental, and engineering efforts have made a strong contribution to many communities. On the Pacific Partnership website, you can see that these 700 experts have made thousands of men, women and children smile with their efforts.

I look forward to seeing this continue here in Micronesia, where Pacific Partnership will be conducting activities in all four states. All ten days of this mission are filled with great events – and all of them will contribute to the special relationship between the FSM and the United States.
On Pohnpei, I hope that everyone will take the opportunity to witness the ribbon cutting ceremonies for the reconstruction and repainting of various schools, clinics, and community centers. I also hope everyone will come out to cheer on their local soccer, softball, and basketball teams who will be playing the U.S. Navy in friendly matches. Or come listen to the U.S. Navy band, which will provide hours of fun and entertainment!

A big thank you to everyone in the Pacific Partnership mission as well to all the local partners who have contributed to making these events possible.
On behalf of the Government of the United States, I welcome Pacific Partnership 2011 to the Federated States of Micronesia!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Ambassador Peter A. Prahar

Peter A. Prahar, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States, has been the United States Ambassador to Micronesia since 2009. Prior to this assignment, , he served as Director of the Office of Asian, African, and European Programs in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Desk Officer for Rwanda, and overseas tours in the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Albania, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali. He also served with the OSCE in Kosovo and Vienna and with the Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission in Kosovo. He and his wife, Amy Kit Ling Choi Prahar, were married when both were students at International Christian University in Tokyo. He is a native of Oregon and a graduate of the University of Michigan.

www.cpf.navy.mil/pp11

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Recalling Conversations with Timor-Leste

By Nutan Patel, Pacific Partnership 2011 Civilian/Military Affairs
Dili, Timor-Leste, a place very different from any we have visited thus far, is an eclectic and metropolis-like city rediscovering itself with a beautiful waterfront and a variety of ethnic cuisines. As we pull away from this port, I think it is one of my favorites—although I must admit I have a major weak spot when it comes to food, so maybe I’m biased.

It is no secret that Timor-Leste had rough beginnings. Timor-Leste, earlier known as East Timor, was colonized by Portugal in the 16th century, gaining its independence in 1975. Later that year, however, it was invaded by Indonesia, an occupation that ultimately resulted in tens of thousands of Timorese deaths until the country finally regained independence in 2002. Today, Timor-Leste is a young country working to build political stability with the help of the international community. And with this broad mix of international actors, I would say that PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP blended in quite well.

Coincidentally, not only does Timor-Leste currently have a large international presence in-country, it was also here that we had the most partner nation participation of the mission. I was impressed to see representatives from six regional nations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea, in addition to the U.S., sit down together for dinner aboard the USS CLEVELAND with the Mission Commander. Sitting at the table, I was taken aback by the visual illustration of partnership at its best.

My lasting memory from that dinner, however, is a moment shared between lost “brothers.” A kind, soft-spoken Timorese Captain, a former guerilla fighter, gave one of our Indonesian shipriders what I can only describe as an embrace. It was a moment to see. I suppose this is how we move forward, by looking at the nature of the person before you, seeing their similarities and engaging in conversation as people who share so much in common. Moments like these make this mission truly unique. It is amazing to be part of something that is helping to bring people together from all walks of life and world.
It is also amazing to see how well PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP was received in a country that is seemingly inundated with international aid. In a country where it is inherently difficult to make a splash, we appeared to be taking steps in the right direction, particularly when emphasizing our efforts to assist with providing sustainable solutions. A truly independent, stable country requires sustainable remedies and long-term partners, as opposed to transient quick fixes. This is something well understood by the people of Timor-Leste. I was impressed; it appears as though the people of Timor-Leste are looking forward with the right frame of mind and heart.

As we leave this country, I am reminded that PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP has been such a dynamic experience, exposing us all to so many different cultures, climates and waters. I find myself becoming increasingly nostalgic as we make our way to our last stop, the Federated States of Micronesia.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Our next blog will be posted in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Nutan Patel

Nutan Patel is the Pacific Partnership 2011 civilian-military coordinator. She is responsible for maintaining the lines of communication between the military chain of command and civilian participants, mission assessment, and host nation engagement for Pacific Partnership 2011.

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Thank you to Pacific Partnership 2011!

By Ambassador Judith R. Fergin

Pacific Partnership is all about people — the fresh connections we make, the friendships we renew, the children and families we serve. Our Timorese hosts and our multinational partners pulled out all the stops during this year’s mission, delivering camaraderie along with health and engineering services to ensure that Pacific Partnership 2011′s legacy will endure.
Pacific Partnership 2011 in Timor-Leste was:

• The trusting face of a little girl facing dental surgery.

• The runners, walkers, wheelchair racers, and fans rocking to the music of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet Band at the Dili “City of Peace” Marathon.

• A Veterinary student from the US and a farmer from Port Hera working together to catch a pig during animal husbandry seminars, it was successful but very muddy.

• The high school students who study English after school with U.S. Embassy financial support enjoying the awesome tour of the USS Cleveland.

• Specialists repairing crucial equipment at the Oecusse Hospital.

• Communities of the Becora sub-district benefiting from a 10,000-liter water tank installed by U.S. Navy Seabees and their Australian counterparts in collaboration with the Dili water supply administration.

• A Navy corpsman blowing bubbles to soothe and entertain a sick child.

• An elderly man in Iliomar exclaiming “solok!” (“happy!”) when gazing through his first-ever pair of eyeglasses.

At the closing ceremony, we celebrated the medical, veterinary, optical, dental, engineering, and military accomplishments and exchanges that spanned 8 of Timor-Leste’s 13 districts. We celebrated our joint success in providing services to hard-to-reach regions. Best of all, we celebrated the companionship, the professional links, and the people-to-people encounters that made Pacific Partnership 2011 so special.

Whether we are working together to help disaster victims in other countries or to build a prosperous Timor-Leste, the relationships built during Pacific Partnership are the foundation for a peaceful future. Congratulations to all the participants on a job well done, and grateful thanks to the government and people of Timor-Leste. Once again, those who came to Timor-Leste as visitors are departing as friends.

Fair winds and following seas, Pacific Partnership 2011!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post. The next post will be up in a couple of days.

Sincerely,
Ambassador Judith R. Fergin

Ambassador Fergin is the U.S. Ambassador to Timor Leste

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