Sumatra's rising sun

Private Phil Fawcett, a medic at the Regimental Aid Post, Anzac Field Hospital, pays a visit to an Indonesian boy that he helped to deliver via caesarean section less than 24-hours previously. The humidicrib that baby is in was salvaged from the wreckage of the Banda Aceh Hospital and repaired by members of the Anzac Field Hospital so that it could be used for just such an emergency delivery. The baby was very blue in the face when delivered, as his umbilical cord was wrapped twice around his neck, but the attention of the Australian medical personnel has ensured that the baby is now very-much alert and comfortable in his Army-issue towel.

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By Corporal Cameron Jamieson - filed 31 January 2005

From the safety of a salvaged humidicrib the eyes of a baby boy look into those of an Australian Army medic.

Twenty hours earlier the medic had assisted an Army doctor to draw the baby's blue body from his mother's womb in a caesarean section procedure at the Anzac Field Hospital in Banda Aceh.

The baby's umbilical chord had wrapped twice around his neck, and in the resuscitation bay another Army doctor with the medical team worked briskly to start the baby breathing.

Ten minutes after delivery the baby's pulse was a steady 160 beats per minute, and the worst was over.

One more life had been saved in a city of so much death.

From the streets of Banda Aceh in Sumatra to the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base at Butterworth, Australian soldiers can be found playing their part in Operation Sumatra Assist.

The soldiers are part of the ADF's contribution to help the Indonesians in the earthquake and tsunami-ravaged regions of Aceh Province claw their way back from the brink of annihilation.

Serving as part of Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) 629, Army personnel make up about half of the task force's numbers. The other half comprises Navy, Air Force and New Zealand and British Defence Force personnel.

Australian soldiers have been called on to tackle a very wide range of tasks.

At the Anzac Field Hospital, established in the remains of the Banda Aceh Hospital, medical and preventative health personnel have worked hard at their respective trades.

At Banda Aceh airport are the Iroquois helicopters and their crews from A Squadron of Army's 5 Aviation Regiment who shuttle aid, emergency personnel and displaced persons across the west coast of Aceh.

Also at the airport is the forward element of the Cilvil - Military Coordination team, who advise the Indonesian, non-government and international agencies on how they can access the resources of the various nations with military assets in the area. Army engineers are spread across the city of Banda Aceh.

They have established three water purification systems to ensure the people of the city can access clean water, with one system located at a displaced persons' camp in the southwest of town, one at the Banda Aceh Hospital and the third next to the Aceh River.

Also by the river is the engineers' plant equipment. The sappers are busy clearing away the fishing boats and the debris from sites once occupied by buildings and roads.

Field engineers are also on hand to clear the drainage systems so that the land can be drained of stagnant water - a task designed both to prevent the spread of disease and allow the land to dry out so survivors can access the remains of their homes.

At Banda Aceh Hospital and at the technical college more engineers are clearing drains and restoring electrical and plumbing services as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of public services.

Meanwhile the Topographical Survey boys are busy researching and making maps that reflect the new landscape of Banda Aceh.

And there are the clerks, movers, terminal operators, mechanics, communicators, tradesmen and Q-store personnel doing their part to keep everything moving along.

In Medan in Northern Sumatra there are more soldiers at CJTF 629 Headquarters, working 12-hour shifts to keep personnel, equipment and supplies flowing to wherever they are needed.

Medan is also home to the plans cell, where the jigsaw of future operations, force rotation and force withdrawal is discussed and pieced together.

At Medan's airport, a King Air twin-engine light aircraft from 173 Surveillance Sqn stands ready to move personnel around the area of operations (AO).

Finally, in Butterworth, there are more support personnel at the logistic hub, their minds all focused on helping their mates in Indonesia.

At all levels and locations, great emphasis is placed on keeping the task force in-step with the wishes of the Government of Indonesia, because that is what the job is all about - helping the Indonesians as an invited friend of the nation.

And no-matter where they are, the Australian soldiers and their task force co-workers are united by a common goal - to help relieve the suffering of those caught in the greatest natural disaster in living memory.

It's proof that the Anzac spirit is alive and well in the current generation of diggers. Their Anzac forefathers would be proud of them.