Nearly 300 of Bethesda’s finest Sailors were deployed to support Operation United Response: Haiti. On Saturday evening, I had the pleasure of welcoming back approximately 75 of them. These men and women left their families and jobs on short notice, to answer the urgent humanitarian call in the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince Jan. 12. Providing care around the clock for almost eight weeks, USNS Comfort staff performed 843 surgeries and at one point had 518 patients onboard. They executed their mission flawlessly, under stressful and extreme conditions. I am proud to say I work with some of the Navy’s finest doctors, nurses, technicians and administrative support teams. Please join me in welcoming these Sailors back and thank them for a job well done.
I would like to take this opportunity to address communication, stress and how it affects our team, our mission and our call to duty. In life, on the job and even at home, we all will encounter some level of stress. How we deal with that stress is extremely important to our mission, beneficiaries, families and communities. Realizing that stress occurs on a daily basis, the Navy provides some of the best resources and programs to teach us how to deal with stressful situations and also how to overcome them. Often times when a person is overwhelmed or dealing with a stressful situation, they begin to exhibit signs that something is not right. I implore each of you to listen to one another, but also pay strict attention to what a person is not saying. While I can’t speak with each of you on a daily basis, I depend on each of you to look out for one another and take care of each other.
As important and crucial as Comfort’s mission was to restore the health and well-being to thousands of Haitians, the health and well-being of our Sailors is equally important. While in Haiti, they witnessed many remarkable things that will live forever in their memories ... some good; some not so good. In order to ensure they have adequately coped with the after effects, they are required to go through a Post-Deployment Health Reassessment.
The Post-Deployment Health Reassessment (PDHRA) Program is a program mandated by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs designed to identify and address health concerns, with specific emphasis on mental health, that have emerged over time since deployment. The PDHRA provides for a second health assessment during the three- to six-month time period after return from deployment. The PDHRA will be offered to all service members who have returned from operational deployment, including all active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, as well as those who have separated or retired since their return from deployment.
I’d like to once again thank those who deployed and also thank those who took on additional duties as they ‘‘held down the fort” on the home front. Please take the time to offer a warm welcome back to your shipmates.
Commander sends,
Rear Adm. Matthew L. Nathan
Medical Corps, United States Navy
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