VARIOUS military components will implement the Operation Wellness CNMI Innovative Readiness Training project.
According to the program manager, U.S. Army Maj. Daniel LaVorgna, IRT is funded by the Department of Defense to provide military servicemembers an opportunity to conduct hands-on training that benefits the community.
About 125 service members from various military components will be involved in IRT, which the U.S. Army Command and the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs launched last week.
The target date for the project implementation is July 9, 2023, LaVorgna said.
Special Assistant to the Governor for Military Affairs Glenna Sakisat Palacios said the project will provide residents of Saipan, Tinian and Rota with full medical support services by the various service components of the DOD.
The services include, dentistry, optometry, general health and wellness, behavioral health, dietitian, public health education, and veterinary services on each island at no cost to CNMI residents.
The other commands supporting the project are the Air National Guard’s 176th Medical Dental Group from Alaska, 151st Force Support Squadron from Utah, 254th Force Support Squadron from Guam, 116th Force Support Squadron from Georgia, 807th Medical Command’s 139th Medical Brigade, 325th Field Hospital, 445th and 993rd Veterinary Detachment, 467th Combat Operational Stress Control, and the 143rd Dental Area Support.
LaVorgna said the U.S. Navy will also bring a small team for optical fabrication while the Air Force Reserve will ship equipment to the islands.
Mutually beneficial partnership
In a statement, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said, “The partnership we built with the Department of Defense is to ensure that the relationship is one of mutual trust and respect, and to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership.”
“Through this partnership,” he added, “we have been able to move projects forward, such as the execution of the Tinian Divert construction, the re-opening of the Chiget Beach to public access, protecting the will of the people to save Pagan and eliminate any proposed high-impact activities on Tinian while ensuring impactful economic opportunities are realized across the CNMI, to include integration of key and impactful services to our communities through joint training operations such as the IRT program.”
He thanked the U.S. military “for bringing this critical service to our islands and for making it available to our community at no cost. This mutual benefit demonstrates the larger commitment for a stronger and enduring partnership between the CNMI and the Department of Defense.”
He noted that CBMA is mandated, in part, “to facilitate the integration of military personnel into our community; to seek out employment and economic development opportunities; and to pursue a mutually beneficial partnership between the CNMI and Department of Defense, among other things.”
Special Assistant for Military Affairs Glenna Sakisat Palacios said through its community relations program, the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs is tapping into DOD programs that provide mutual benefits to the military and the CNMI community.
Major LaVorgna acknowledged Palacios for her role in bringing the IRT to the CNMI.
“I cannot overstate the level of importance that Ms. Glenna Palacios has played in getting this program started,” he said.
“She is instrumental in bringing the IRT to the CNMI. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get this off the ground, working with me to ensure that funding and legal requirements of the application process are met while closely coordinating among participating units from 14 time zones away — we could not have done it without her and we definitely appreciate her partnership,” LaVorgna added.
From left, TSgt. Otis Youngblood, Lt. Col Andrew Adamich, Jonas Okawa of the Youth Affairs Office, MSgt Tammy Annis, Daisy Babauta of the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs, CPT Penny Cannon, Public School System’s Leila Yumul, Maj. Samantha Madsen, Special Assistant for Military Affairs Glenna Sakisat Palacios, Maj. Daniel LaVorgna, SFC Tausha Harr, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s John Tagabuel, CPT Chrystal Warburton, CBMA’s Coryn Achas and LTC Eugene Johnson. Contributed photo
