Operation PACANGEL 2013 soars in Vietnam

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Sara Csurilla
  • Pacific Angel 2013-3 Public Affairs
DONG HOI, Vietnam --  The United States and Vietnam began humanitarian assistance operations in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, June 10 as part of Operation Pacific Angel.

Operation PACANGEL, which is in its sixth year, is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance exercise led by Pacific Air Forces.

"We are here to provide medical care and engineering services, as well as build better relationships between the U.S. and Vietnam," said Lt. Col. Tom Laitinen, Operation PACANGEL 2013 mission commander. "The more we can build these relationships, both military to military and military to the civilian level, the more it will help us in the event of a regional natural disaster or security crisis, or basically anything that requires cooperation between the U.S and Vietnam."

More than 50 U.S. military members deployed to Vietnam for PACANGEL 2013 to partner with local non-governmental organizations and host-nation military forces to provide various functions, including health-services outreach, engineering civil action programs, as well as various subject matter expert exchanges.

Medical professionals from around the Air Force set up a temporary clinic to provide optometry, dental, women's health, physical therapy and primary health services for at least 2,500 patients, according to Lt. Col. Vanhseng Phanthavong, international health specialist with Pacific Air Forces Headquarters.

PACANGEL 2013 participants are also set to renovate two schools and one district medical clinic by providing structural, roofing, plumbing, electrical and painting repairs.

Although U.S. military members have been working with host-nation military personnel to improve the lives of thousands of people throughout the region since 2007, this is the first multilateral operation to take place in Vietnam, with a member of the Lao People's Army partnering with the Health Services Outreach team.