Stories of the Day

CDRE Thomas Negus, USN  October 31 2010 11:09:33 AM

 

The Surinamese sunset closed another CONTINUING PROMISE day.  Orange and blue melted into a darkening grey, and swells from the North gave our flagship a gentle rock. The last helicopter had landed, all were aboard, and you could tell it was Saturday because of the pizza and wings (Food is one of the few ways to keep track of the days of the week on a long deployment - sliders (cheeseburgers) for Wednesday lunch and pizza and wings for Saturday dinner are long standing Navy traditions).

 

I sat next to two Project HOPE volunteers, and they shared observations of their day over spicy chicken wings. They spent the day enjoying a subject matter expert exchange ("SMEE" in Navy talk -we have to have acronyms for everything!) with obstetricians and came away thoroughly impressed with the knowledge and capabilities of their counterparts in Suriname.  Though they lack the resources that most U.S. doctors are used to, Surinamese doctors were exceptionally well versed in the latest information and distinguished themselves for their innovation in the face of their constraints.

 

A few seats over the director of surgical operations for CONTINUING PROMISE, Dr. Tara Wilson, described some of the patients she screened today as I started on my first of several slices of pizza (pepperoni and garlic). I understood enough of what she described to appreciate that she and her team of surgeons will remain busy performing over 50 life altering surgeries during our time here in Suriname. 

 

At the table behind me, veterinarians from Army Reserve and the NGO World Vets were busy discussing the best way to hold a goat when administering a vaccination shot.  Goats are a bit easier to handle than the enormous cattle and wiry dogs they mostly see, and just as important to the livelihood of their owners.  Suriname has prepared a busy program for our veterinarians, and it was fun as I joined them for ice cream to listen to their various goat-handling techniques (seems that grabbing their horns is best).

 

As I got up to take my tray to the back, I paused for a moment and listened to the pleasant communal buzz of the many conversations around the room; conversations as varied as the skills and background of the people who have gathered on this incredible journey of the sea...conversations that individually described technical focus or specific events; conversations whose collective hum captured the character of this CONTINUING PROMISE team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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