U.S., Vietnamese militaries collaborate on clinic restoration

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Lauren Main
  • Pacific Angel - Vietnam 12 Public Affairs
NGHE AN PROVINCE, VIETNAM (AFNS) --  Airmen and Soldiers from around the Pacific have worked to restore the Xuan Lam Medical Clinic in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, since the start of Operation Pacific Angel 12 here beginning June 10.

The restoration is one part of PACANGEL-Vietnam 12, an eight-day engagement designed to strengthen partnerships between Pacific host nation countries and the U.S.

Since the beginning of the project, U.S. engineers have been working tirelessly alongside members of the Vietnamese military and local contractors. Also, residents of the district contribute by lending a helping-hand.

Despite the sweltering heat and humidity, the team kept pace.

"We're on schedule, but there's a lot of finishing touches to be made," said Master Sgt. Brad Robison, a PACANGEL-Vietnam 12 engineering planner assigned to the 647th Civil Engineering Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. "We want to make sure we leave them (residents of Nam Dam district) with the best possible end result."

To date, the team installed a new roof, laid tile for all five examining rooms and completed a portion of the exterior cosmetic painting. Now, the team is working on leveling the grounds of the clinic to create a slope that slants away from the facility to ensure rainwater and waste runs away from the structure.

Despite the staunch deadlines and heat, the team spent the afternoon working side-by-side with the Vietnamese military, contractors and local residents to lay the concrete in front of the clinic.

"It's a community effort," said Robison. "It's not just Vietnamese military and contractors (we're) supporting, it's the people that are going to use this clinic. It's really cool; you can see (the community) takes pride in the effort, and they're glad to help."

Officially in its fifth year, Pacific Angel is a joint humanitarian assistance engagement led by the 13th Air Force. The engagement supports U.S. Pacific Command's capacity-building efforts by partnering with other governments, non-governmental agencies and militaries in the Asia-Pacific region to provide medical, dental, optometry and engineering assistance to their citizens.

Previous PACANGEL engagements were conducted in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, in September 2009 and Can Tho, Vietnam, in May 2010.