Cambodia mission marks sixth humanitarian mission for Pennsylvania Marine

By SGT. ETHAN E. ROCKE

KAMPONG SOM PROVINCE, Cambodia - It was a long trip from Pennsylvania to Cambodia's remote, southern farmlands. It started in August 2004 for Cpl. Tyson Barnhart, a graduate of Somerset Area High School, when he left his home in Somerset for recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.

Three years later, the 21-year-old combat engineer, who enlisted in the Marine Corps to get a positive start on life, has spent a great deal of time improving other people's lives during six humanitarian assistance missions.
Barnhart is one of 45 service members deployed to Cambodia's Kampong Som Province with a detachment from the Okinawa-based Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.

The Marines and sailors are providing humanitarian assistance to the approximately 500 residents of the Ma'Ahad El-Muhajirin Islamic Center, a school for 15- to 20-year-old students from Cambodia's religious minority Cham, an ethnic group of Islamic peoples in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand that is considered to be descended from the ancient kingdom of Champa, which dates back more than a millennium.

The detachment of mostly Marine combat engineers is completing several renovations at the center during a 10-day engineering civil assistance project that began Aug. 15. A team of 10 Navy medical and dental personnel is also providing medical care and preventive medicine training for the center's approximately 500 residents.

The engineers will make several infrastructure and cosmetic improvements at the center including rewiring and improving electrical equipment that powers the center and installing ceilings in classrooms and ceiling fans in the center's mosque.

Humanitarian assistance missions in the Pacific are common for the III Marine Expeditionary Force, the parent command for 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, and Barnhart is one of two MWSS-172 Marines participating in a civil assistance project in Cambodia for the second time in two years.

“I enjoy this kind of work,” he said. “It's a good opportunity to help less fortunate people and see other cultures and parts of the world I never would have seen otherwise.”

Barnhart's sixth civil assistance project is part of the Cambodia Interoperability Program, which is intended to build on the relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian governments and develop interoperability between U.S. forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

Far removed from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the mission in Cambodia is a reminder for Barnhart that the organization he joined does more than fight battles.

“I never thought I would be doing something like this when I joined,” he said. “I thought I'd be going to Iraq right off the bat, but I've seen how important this kind of mission is, too. “

Barnhart was welcomed by Nasiet Ly, an English teacher at the center, as he spoke to the American humanitarians during a small opening ceremony Aug. 15. “We are very thankful for the help, and we hope to build on the warm relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian people,” he said.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia relayed a message from Chargé d'Affaires Piper A.W. Campbell, praising the Okinawa service members for their role in enhancing the relationship between the two countries as well as the Muslim community.

“Providing assistance to Cambodia's Muslim population is an important part of the United States government's outreach efforts here, and we sincerely appreciate the significant contributions MWSS-172 has made to this ongoing commitment,” Campbell said.

The scope of Barnhart's efforts may pale in comparison to the U.S. government's broader humanitarian relief and support across the globe, but he said it's a gratifying thought knowing that his small contribution here is impacting the lives of people in need.

“When you're used to the simple amenities that we have as Americans - running water, plumbing, constant electricity - you get humbled seeing the way these people live,” he said. “I've done this kind of thing a lot now, and I'm glad every time I help people in need.”