Category: US Navy Pacific Fleet

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

Near the Christmas holiday 2023, on a small island in the Pacific Ocean, a young woman prepared for her child’s birth, her emotions obscured behind an unreadable mask. At the same moment, a U.S. Navy midwife entered the delivery room at the last chance she had before going to the next island on her mission. When the day is done, they will share a remarkable bond as strong as steel.

During a fly-in only mission stop to Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia with Pacific Partnership 2024-1, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Cheryl Castro and other service members provided medical, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, host nation outreach events and engineering support to the island over a 10-day period.

“On the very last day, I was able to go to labor and delivery,” Castro said. “A young lady walked in who didn’t seem like she was in labor, but I thought I should stick around just in case.”

The young woman went in and out of consciousness while being questioned by local nurses. When Castro asked, the nurses told her that the patient was dilated at eight centimeters.

Ten centimeters of dilation is when the mother has to begin pushing. It didn’t take long before she reached that point.

The young woman was moved to the operating room in preparation for her delivery. She sunk into the mattress, her mask slipping, revealing the shift of her emotions as the time drew closer. In a single hour, the young woman was on the cusp of becoming a new mother.

Castro, representing the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), Pacific Partnership and the United States of America as a whole, stood beside her in support throughout the delivery process.

“There were no vocal signs of pain, it was almost like she breathed the baby out,” Castro said. “I said happy birthday to him and asked the mother what the baby boy’s name was.”

The mother didn’t have a name picked out. Traditionally, mothers in Pohnpei don’t name their children at birth, Castro said. “Mothers often wait for the child to grow bigger before giving them a name.”
Castro jokingly mentioned that her only son’s name is Jacob, bringing some chuckles from the room. Immediately, the mother said, “That’s the baby boy’s name.”

“To have a baby named after your son creates a strong bond,” Castro said. “Jacob isn’t a common name in Pohnpei, so whenever he or his mom are asked where the name Jacob came from and they say ‘a U.S. Navy midwife came to Pohnpei when I was born to deliver me,’ I think that speaks volumes to the partnerships that we’re building.”

Now in its 19th iteration, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

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Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

A normal day for Eric Zimmermann involves standing in the air traffic control tower of Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, orchestrating the arrival and departure of all types of aircraft.

But for the past three months, this Navy Reservist, who drills out of Navy Reserve Center Anchorage, is known by fellow Sailors as U.S. Navy Air Traffic Controller Senior Chief Petty Officer Zimmermann, assigned to Commander Tactical Air Control Group One out of Coronado, California. Zimmermann deployed aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) in support of Pacific Partnership 2024-1, the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission in the Indo-Pacific.

Mercy departed its homeport of San Diego on October 10, 2023 with more than 800 military and medical personnel, support staff, and over 70 civil service mariners aboard the floating medical treatment facility to participate in the 19th iteration of Pacific Partnership. This annual maritime mission focuses on improving disaster response preparedness, resiliency, and capacity, while enhancing partnerships with participating nations and civilian humanitarian organizations throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Pacific Partnership 2024-1 had mission stops in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Republic of Palau, and Pohnpei and Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Zimmermann had a pivotal role serving as the Multi-National Operations Center Director, responsible for all coordination of partner nation military service members participating in Pacific Partnership 2024-1, including their transportation, logistics, and health and welfare. Additionally, he coordinates with partner nation military headquarters as well as their embassies and consulates at the various mission stops.

“Once they arrive at the mission, I ensure that they’re integrated into the mission in their specific line of effort, whether that’s the band, dental, medical, or on the operational side,” Zimmermann explained. “Once they’re embedded with their teams, they execute the mission by doing a lot of side-by-side work, a lot of cultural integration work.”

Pacific Partnership 2024-1 involved band members from Australia and Japan, medical officers and aviation personnel from New Zealand and Japan, dentists from the United Kingdom, and a German dive medical officer and surface warfare officer. It was Zimmermann’s job to facilitate all movements and integration of these partner nation team members.

Zimmermann planned and coordinated flight operations with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) to conduct medical evacuation operations and movements of mission essential personnel with a NH-90 helicopter from the flight deck of Mercy while anchored off the coast of Honiara, Solomon Islands. The RNZAF was supporting the 17th annual Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.

“Three Squadron really appreciates the work that Senior Chief Zimmermann has put into enabling us to be able to train with Mercy and get us up and running for operations in the Solomon Islands,” said Flight Lieutenant Nicole Brooke with RNZAF 3 Squadron. “Going forward, I think we will be able to continue this relationship for future exercises and other operations in the Pacific.”

“The most rewarding aspect of the mission for me is working with partner nation aviation units to plan and execute joint air operations in a way that has never been done before,” Zimmermann said. “It increases interoperability and capability with our allies in the Pacific.”

Zimmermann was one of a handful of reservists from the Navy and Army that participated in Pacific Partnership.

“I think the value of reservists is always going to be that outside experience. The education, the technical expertise that we bring from the civilian sector into the uniform and into the mission, that doesn’t show up on a joint manning document,” said Zimmermann. “Having an aviation background helps with this mission and navigating regulatory and airspace issues with different countries that we flew in and out of, navigating air transportation plans and things in that realm.”

Host nations invite the U.S. Navy and its mission partners to visit and conduct tailored humanitarian civic action activities in focus areas such as engineering, disaster response, host nation outreach events, and public health. Additional criteria is also taken into consideration such as U.S. Navy and partner nation regional interests, as well as host nation objectives and desires.

“My previous deployments have all been tactical and security in nature,” said Zimmermann. “This being a humanitarian and strategic mission has allowed me to use my experience to help forge relationships and provide host nations measurable ways to prepare and endure natural disasters. Pacific Partnership 2024-1 has reinforced how essential it is to work with and strengthen our relationships with our allies at all levels.”

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled

Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)