Rear Adm. Paul Pearigen, commander, Navy Medicine West

Rear Adm. Paul Pearigen, commander, Navy Medicine West (NMW), and chief of the Navy Medical Corps, disembarks USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) after welcoming the Sailors home from a five-month deployment. The majority of medical personnel came from commands throughout the NMW region. During their deployment, Mercy personnel supported humanitarian missions in Southeast Asia for Pacific Partnership 2018, visiting countries that included Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Japan. Shortly before returning home, Mercy participated in a humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise for Rim of the Pacific 2018, the world’s largest international maritime exercise. (U.S. Navy photo by Regena Kowitz/Released)