Remembering Pacific Angel 11-02

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii--Capt. Dallia Herring, 13th Air Force exercise plans manager, helps paint the Tri-Loca Primary School Sept. 16, during Operation Pacific Angel 11-02 in Baucau, Timor-Leste. The Falintil Forcas de Defesa de Timor-Leste, U.S. Air Force and Australian International Stabilization Forces conducted PACIFIC ANGEL 11-02: Timor-Leste, a joint humanitarian and civic-military operation at the childrens school. PACIFIC ANGEL consists of several concurrent civil-military assistance activities including medical programs consisting of: dental, optometry, women's health, general medicine, engineering programs and subject matter expert exchanges in public health education and veterinary education.(U.S. Air Force Photo by: MSgt Jeremy Lock) (Released)

Remembering my part in Operation Pacific Angel 11-02

Published Nov. 4, 2011
By Capt. Dallia Herring
13th Air Force

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM -- During Operation Pacific Angel 11-02 in Timor-Leste this past September, I had the opportunity to get out of the office and go out into the field to practice what I like to call "dirty logistics."

Pacific Angel missions are not typical military exercises where there the skies are filled with fighter or heavy aircraft or the surrounding land is overcome by robust maintenance operations.

Instead,Pacific Angel operations focus on the U.S. military joining hand-in-hand with the military of a partner country to help build medical, veterinary and engineering capacities. In other words, we work together to help make life better for people living throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

It was rewarding to see the fruits of the entire team's planning efforts come to fruition as American, Timorese and Australian personnel worked toward the common goals of rebuilding a school and providing medical care to local people.

During this Pacific Angel, I was able to not only perform my standard logistics or "loggie" duties of deployment, reception, transportation, and redeployment but I was also able to branch out into other functions such as billeting, providing meals, ensuring personnel accountability and even pouring concrete and painting buildings.

It was great to be able to learn how to do some basic construction and support functions as I interacted with and learned about other cultures from our partners in Timor-Leste.