by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gavin Arnoldhendershot
Lt. Jonas Farias, a native of Fairfield, Texas, is serving aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy as part of Pacific Partnership 2024-1 (PP24-1).
Mercy departed its homeport in San Diego October 10 with more than 800 military medical personnel and support staff with the afloat medical treatment facility and more than 70 civil service mariners to participate in the 19th iteration of the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.
This annual maritime humanitarian and civic assistance 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.
“This mission reflects the continued commitment to the region and dedication to disaster-response-readiness from the United States, our partners and allies, and the host nations,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Brian Quin, the mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2024-1.
Farias is serving as a Navy aerospace maintenance duty officer, who is responsible for managing aviation maintenance and personnel.
“The most rewarding aspect of Pacific Partnership 2024 is my role in helping people and the opportunity to travel to these Pacific countries and experience new cultures,” said Farias.
Host nations invite the U.S. Navy and its mission partners to visit and conduct tailored humanitarian civic action activities in 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.
“This mission is different because this is my first humanitarian mission onboard a hospital ship, unlike an aircraft carrier, which I get to experience first-hand the impact of what we are doing,” said Farias.
The Pacific Partnership mission team aboard USNS Mercy will make stops in the Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Experts in the fields of engineering, medicine and disaster response will partner with each host to conduct civic-action projects, community health exchanges, medical symposiums, and disaster response training activities.
”Pacific Partnership 2024 has changed me and my outlook by helping me realize that we are really making a difference and changing people’s lives for the better by participating in this mission,” said Farias. “This helps show how much of an impact the United States and its allies help the world.”
The Pacific Partnership began in response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters, the December 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of Southeast Asia. The mission has evolved over the years from emphasis on direct care to an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject matter expert and civil-military exchanges.
