Military

NEPMU-5 Returns Home from Six-Month Deployment

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS071114-04
Release Date: 11/14/2007 1:27:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Michelle Rhonehouse, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Pacific

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit (NEPMU) 5 returned to San Diego Nov. 10, following a six-month deployment to Kuwait.

NEPMU-5 deployed 14 Sailors who provided force health protection, population health products and environmental/disease threat response assistance to the Navy and Marine Corps teams, operational forces and homeland defense agencies.

"We went to each base and did a medical surveillance on conditions, such as water, ice, hygiene, sanitation, vector and pest management," said Lt. Cmdr. Timothy W. O'Hara, officer in charge, NEPMU-5.

The team, including a biochemist, entomologist and a microbiologist, tested more than 123,000 chemicals throughout the eight camps in Kuwait.

Additionally, the team inspected food at base dining facilities and restaurants.

"We started a recycling program that we believe will be extremely beneficial to the personnel on the bases," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Reatha Candler, preventive medicine technician, NEPMU-5. "It was a great way to give back to the people stationed there."

NEPMU-5 is a forward joint-deployable platform with personnel and equipment that can be mobilized within 96 hours. The next team is scheduled to deploy in 2008.