QUANG NGAI, Vietnam –
Entering its eighth year, PACANGEL ensures the region's militaries are prepared
to work together to address humanitarian crises. Since 2007, PACANGEL operations
have improved the lives of tens of thousands of people.
"Providing
humanitarian assistance is an important part of our United States Pacific
Command," said Lt. Col. Darcie Yoshimoto, PACANGEL 15-3 mission commander.
"Working with our host nation to provide medical and engineering projects
directly impacts and helps the people in the Quang Ngai province of
Vietnam."
Lead by Pacific Air Forces, PACANGEL is a total force, joint
and combined operation involving more than 45 U.S. military members who are
deployed to Vietnam to partner with local non-governmental organizations and
host-nation military forces to provide various functions. This includes
health-services outreach, engineering civil action programs, as well as various
subject matter expert exchanges.
Medical professionals and civil
engineers from the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force set up temporary
clinics to provide general health, optometry, dental, physical therapy,
pediatrics and engineering programs for at least 2,500 patients, according to
Yoshimoto, who is deployed from 713th Combat Operations Squadron, Detachment 1
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
Pacific Angel participants are
also renovating two schools and two district medical clinics by providing
structural, roofing, plumbing, electrical and painting repairs.
For
Senior Airman Hoang Nguyen, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron water and fuel
maintenance specialist from Yokota Air Base, Japan, helping to improve the
living conditions for others gives him a sense of pride.
"The majority of
my relatives live within hours of this province, so it feels good to be part of
this operation and have a direct impact on their lives," Nguyen said. "Their
standard of living is different from ours, so we are retrofitting the plumbing
of two schools and two medical clinics with up-to-date and higher quality parts
to ensure sanitary conditions and that these upgrades last a lot
longer."
Although this is the fifth time U.S. military members have
worked with host-nation military personnel to improve quality of life throughout
the region, this is the first multilateral operation to take place in Vietnam,
with members of the Royal Cambodian, Republic of Singapore and Royal Thai air
forces.