Humanitarian relief drill promotes Sino-U.S. military trust

The Chinese and U.S. militaries have conducted a round of joint drills on humanitarian relief and disaster rescue in the state of Oregon on the U.S. west coast.

Participating soldiers from both sides have said that while they fully enjoyed this opportunity to cooperate, they have also learned so much from their counterparts.

First Lieutenant Caleb Tomulty from the United States is in charge of setting up all the scenarios for the drills and communicating with the Chinese side. 

To him, the experience has been very rewarding.

First Lieutenant Caleb Tomulty talks to media after China-US joint drills on humanitarian relief and disaster rescue in Seaside of Oregon on November 18th, 2017, local time. [Photo: China Plus/Liu Kun]

"The experience so far has been a lot of fun. They are incredibly motivated soldiers. They are incredibly skilled soldiers. They do this 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So we have learned a lot from the PLA so far," said Tomulty.

More than 200 soldiers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command and the U.S. Army Pacific and its Coast Guards participated in the week-long drill. 

They practiced disaster water-surface helicopter rescue, debris and narrow-space rescue operations, and fast building of pontoon bridges against the backdrop of flooding, earthquake and other disasters.

The 13th of its kind, the drill was part of institutional exchange programs between China and the United States established in 1997.

Li Huaihong, squad leader with PLA Southern Theater Command, has extensive disaster relief experiences including rescue operations during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. 

Having participated similar drills in 2013 and 2016, he said after the previous chances to get to know each other, soldiers from both sides can now understand each other perfectly well even with the language barrier.

Squad Leader Li Huaihong talks to media after China-US joint drills on humanitarian relief and disaster rescue in Seaside of Oregon on November 18th 2017, local time. [Photo: China Plus/Liu Kun]

"We compared the performances of recent years' drills and found that in terms of humanitarian relief and disaster rescue, Chinese and American soldiers are getting along even better in their cooperation. For this time, we mixed them together during all three exercise courses. We saw that even with the language barrier, they communicate with each other perfectly well using hand gestures, eye contacts, amongst others. They both learned a great deal from each other," said Li.

Apart from communication in their work, understanding and trust between the two sides have been built through daily interaction. 

The Chinese side said that they are really touched by the warm hospitality given by their American counterparts.

24-year-old Mo Sihua is a platoon commander, and this is his first time in the United States.

Platoon Commander Mo Sihua talks to media after China-US joint drills on humanitarian relief and disaster rescue in Seaside of Oregon on November 18th 2017, local time. [Photo: China Plus/Liu Kun]

"What really moved me was that the canteen staff at the base that we are staying in actually prepared Chinese food for us. They cooked sour and sweet pork rib and Chinese noodles for us. I can feel that they are doing their best to make sure that we get a taste of home during our stay here. That impressed me a lot," said Mo.

Soldiers participating China-US joint drills on humanitarian relief and disaster rescue pose for group photo in Seaside of Oregon on November 18th 2017, local time. [Photo: China Plus/Liu Kun]

Looking into the future, First Lieutenant Tomulty said such drills are beneficial for the two countries as they are both situated along the Pacific Ocean and capable of helping each other in the event of natural disasters.