The rugged mountainous terrain, isolated narrow valleys, and unforgiving jungle canopy of Laos have long remained hidden from
much of the outside world. Hospital Corpsman Chief Robert Ripps of Naval Hospital Bremerton will soon be traveling there to help
search for those long lost, but never forgotten.  Ripps will join Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command as part of Recovery Operation
Laos. It’s a daunting task and one he is steadfast to undertake.
“There is no more noble cause that to be involved in such an operation like this,” said Ripps.
The Austin, Texas, native and current resident of Port Orchard, Wash., will handle primary duties as team medic for an Investigative
Team that can consist of up to 12-14 members each with a specialized skill, including a forensic anthropologist, explosive ordnance
technician, life support technician, and linguist.
“To actually recover remains of any lost service member is a duty and responsibility that we all recognize as an act of healing, especially
to those still wondering. I am honored to be able to do my part,” Ripps said.
According to statistics compiled by JPAC, at any given time there are more than 1,000 active case files concerning unaccounted-for
American POW/MIAs. JPAC’s mission is to investigate leads, recover, and identify Americans who were killed in action and never brought
home. On average, approximately six MIAs are detected each month. Over 1,300 individuals having been identified. 
Ripps heads first to JPAC headquarters at Oahu, Hawai’i for training before traveling to Vientiane, Laos and from there to a remote location
or base camp. “We’ll go over such training as mountaineering, rappelling, explosive ordnance disposal, bone identification, and even recovery
site procedures on how to excavate properly,” explained Ripps.
Ripps career has taken him mainly to arid climes of the Middle East and in subsurface environments on board submarines. The tropical forest
destination offers up a whole host of corpsman concerns, especially if he finds himself along an isolated stretch of the Mekong River or negotiating
somewhere along the Ho Chi Ming trail. “The main issue will be just facilitating care in that environment,” Ripps noted. “It could be logistically
difficult if we’re in the middle of nowhere and need to medically evacuate someone by helicopter.”
According to the Epidemiology Department of Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit 6, who did a Health Threat Assessment on Laos,
Ripps will indeed be faced with the formidable responsibility of ensuring effective force health protection for his team. Laos is considered a
high-risk country for disease.
Food-borne and water-borne illness are endemic. Poor sanitation is considered wide-spread. Insect/arthropod-borne illness are a threat with
Dengue Fever, malaria, and Japanese Encephalitis of greatest concern. Contamination of food and water supplies in Laos is prevalent and diarrheal
illnesses pose a very high threat to military personnel.
Ripps will also need to handle prevailing environmental factors in the habitual hot and humid weather that could result in heat injuries such as
heat exhaustion and heat stroke.  He will also be there in the midst of the monsoon season. Since the roadways in Laos are basically little more
than extended dirt tracks, travel could become literally bogged down in mud. “Keeping our medical supplies dry will be a priority,” he noted.
“The environment will definitely come into play, with maybe even a cobra or two to keep a look out for...”
There are indeed venomous snakes such as cobras and vipers which can be aggressive. There are also spiders (black and brown widow), tigers,
leopards, and large leeches. Rabid animals, especially dogs and the occasional monkey are also potential hazards.  There are even indigenous
plants to avoid with stinging nettles, small thorny trees, and abrasive foliage to cause unneeded skin reactions. Even ingesting berries, flowers,
leaves or plant parts on some “edible-appearing” plants could cause systemic poisoning.
Despite the litany of inherent dangers, Ripps takes it all in stride, confident in his ability as a Navy Independent Duty Corpsman. “I look at this
entire operation as yet another way to broaden my Hospital Corpsman toolbox with more experience and knowledge, which I then can bring back
and pass on,” said Ripps. “On a personal note, even before I enlisted I was aware of our POW/MIA history. As soon as the notice came out that an
IDC was needed, I jumped at the change to help.”
There are still 78,000 World War Two service members still missing (with 35,000 deemed recoverable, with the others lost at sea or entombed in
sunken vessels); 8,100 from the Korean War; 1,800 from the Vietnam War, 120 from the Cold War and one from the Gulf War. JPAC is striving to
leave no stone unturned to locate missing remains.