Arutam is a Shuar word meaning power-the power of the forest-the power of the jungle-the power of the waterfall. I understand Arutam to mean the power and energy behind all manifestation. On December 26, 2004 we saw the power of Arutam in the energy of the tsunami waves following the 9.3 earthquake off of the coast of Indonesia. The amount of energy released by the earthquake was inconceivable to the human mind. The damage and loss resulting from the tsunami waves and earthquake were and continue to be mind numbing. The following is a description of the “event” which was recorded by satellite data. “The satellites recorded a maximum sea surface elevation gain (deviation from normal) of 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) on the open ocean about 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) south of Sri Lanka at the leading crest of a tsunami wave raging out of the Bay of Bengal. It was followed by a trough of sea surface depression of 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) below normal. The distance from one wave crest to the next was about 800 kilometers (500 miles). The first wave was followed by a second with a crest height of 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) above normal. Near the northern end of the Bay, two waves with crest heights of 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) and 20 centimeters (0.66 feet) above normal were approaching the coasts of Myanmar. Spreading across the Bay of Bengal from the earthquake zone offshore from Western Sumatra, these tsunami waves eventually reached shallow waters along the coasts of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Southern India. Their open ocean speeds reduced from that of a jet plane, 800 kilometers (500 miles) per hour, to about 32 kilometers (20 miles) per hour, building the open ocean wave heights of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) or less to walls of water up to 10 meters (33 feet) high with great destructive power.” (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/tectonics-05i.html) On January 26, I left for Banda Aceh with Operation Unified Assistance-a mission which is one of the most incredible shapeshifts in the history of humanitarian assistance. Please view the Navy website for more information about this mission. The shapeshifts were many and varied. The first shapeshift was the conception of the plan to use a Navy hospital ship for humanitarian assistance staffed with civilian medical professionals to aid the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. The USNS Navy personnel shapeshifted the Mercy from a state of “reduced readiness” to an able and ready hospital ship in less than 5 days. The last time that the Mercy had been used was during Operation Desert Storm 13 years ago. This was the first of many shifts as Indonesia accepted the help offered which was phrased as” What do you need from us?” rather than “Here is what we are going to do for you.” My personal shape shift started when I answered an e-mail and offered my volunteer assistance. The power of Arutam was behind me as one task after another was accomplished and my partner and friends supported the emotional and physical process of my own readiness as I had been operating, like the USNS Mercy, under the status of “reduced readiness.” The Project Hope personnel began to shapeshift into oceangoing relief workers aboard the the USNS Comfort in Baltimore, Maryland. We were a group of civilian physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and administrators who miraculously shifted from apprehensive individual professionals to a “dream team” – a fully functioning hospital ship complete with Casualty Receiving, Intensive Care, Operating Rooms, Patient Wards and a host of expertise from retired Navy Personnel to facilitate entry into this Indonesian area. The team of Project Hope personnel then flew to Singapore where we “sailed” to a location off of the coast of Banda Aceh. It was here in Banda Aceh that Arutam built on the ship and manifested in the heart, minds and expertise of the people. As we approached Banda Aceh the serenity of the cobalt blue ocean, clear skies and calm seas was strangely disconcerting. From a distance, all was beautiful. There was no evidence of the devastation-nothing floating on the water, not even a coconut. We continued to cruise in a large circle as we awaited permission from the Indonesian government to treat the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami waves. Permission was several days in coming.    During our two day cruise to Indonesia and the wait for the go-ahead, shapeshifts were occurring on  the Mercy. Our crew  of multi-agency personnel started to blend-our differences became less obvious as Civilian Mariners, Navy personnel, Project Hope personnel, and the Public Health Agency people began to share stories and envision the common ground of our heart-felt offerings of help to the people and the commonalities that we shared in our difficulty comprehending the catastrophy that had occurred. Hospital units were shapeshifted into patient care units specifically designed for the survivors of the tsunami and their escorts rather than the wartime casualties that the ship was designed to handle.   next page