By Lance Cpl. Tyler J. Hlavac U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ann Monasky, a dental officer with Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, examines a patient’s mouth for any dental problems. U.S. Navy medical personnel from CLB 31, 31st MEU worked alongside medical personnel from the Indonesian Navy to complete a Medical and Dental Civic Assistance Project here, March 13, which served more than 2,200 patients.

The two groups of service members teamed up for the project to exchange ideas and techniques and to bring free medical and dental care to over 2,200 residents of Jangkar village here, from March 11-13. The event was conducted at one of the village’s community medical centers (Puskesmas Jangkar) as part of an overall bilateral military field training exercise between the U.S. and the Republic of Indonesia that is scheduled to run from March 10-19.

The purpose of the bilateral exercise is to increase interoperability, enhance military to military relationships and continue building strong regional partnerships between the two nations.

During the dental portion of the project, U.S. and Indonesian Navy doctors and staff provided free basic dental care for patients, such as extracting teeth and placing fillings.

During the medical portion, the two groups of doctors and staff treated patients with a variety of ailments, from simple illnesses such as colds to minor muscular-skeletal injuries suffered from accidents on motorcycles, a common mode of transportation in Indonesia. Patients were also given free pain medication, antibiotics and vitamins to help with their injuries, illnesses and overall health.

The medical care was especially important for the Indonesian patients as dental and medical care is often difficult to obtain, according to Indonesian Navy Capt. Heri Herliani, a dental officer with the Indonesian Marine Hospital Gunungsari, Surabaya Marine Base, Indonesia.

‘‘This is a really remote area, so there are not a lot of doctors and dentists around,” said Herliani. ‘‘Because of this, the people are really happy to see us here and definitely want to us come back often.”

In addition to the reward of knowing they helped people in need, the U.S. Navy doctors also gained valuable experience in the process, according to U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer William Nicely, the petty officer in charge of Health Service Support Platoon, CLB 31.

‘‘The work we did out here was definetly a team effort,” said Nicely. ‘‘While working with the Indonesian doctors we had the opportunity to exchange ideas and techniques. The knowledge of the Indonesian doctors was especially useful as they had more experience dealing with the type of injuries and illnesses affecting the patients out here. Working here is a rewarding experience as we never think of about the number of patients we see, but how much care we can provide to these people.”

While the Marines and Sailors of CLB 31 serve as the Logistics Combat Element for the 31st MEU, bilateral training like this demonstrates the United States’ ongoing commitment to the security and stability of these nations and the entire South East Asia region.