445th ASTS and AMDS support Guatemala MEDRETE

  • Published
  • By Stacy Vaughn
  • 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Twenty-two reservists from the 445th Aeromedical Staging and Aerospace Medicine Squadrons traveled to Champerico, Guatemala, for a humanitarian medical mission as part of the 2010 Guatemala Medical Readiness Training Exercise July 9-24.

The U. S. Southern Command sponsored MEDRETE allowed the reservists to join other military members in providing free medical care to those living in poor, rural areas. Medical care included dental, optometry, general medicine, and pediatrics. More than 8,000 local residents were seen in an 11-day period.

Master Sgt. Chirron Hayslett, 445th ASTS, said the wing also supported the mission with basic pharmacology needs.

"All teams that were part of this humanitarian mission thought it was a success. The medics were a combination of Air Force Reserve Command personnel from five units," said Master Sgt. Chirron Hayslett, 445th ASTS, who helped coordinate the wing's involvement.

Not only did the MEDRETE help the local population, the exercise also provided the Airmen with deployment training and the opportunity to work with other Air Force and sister service medical units.

The wing's participation in the MEDRETE took several months of planning and preparation. Originally the group was slated to go to Ecuador but the tasking was changed to Guatemala. Lt. Col. Brenda Ames, 445th ASTS, chief nurse executive, served as the increment commander for the trip.

"When we found out that we were going to participate in a MEDRETE, we started going over the long list of training requirements we were given that everyone going has to accomplish before they can deploy. And it's not just our requirements but SOUTHCOM requirements too," Colonel Ames said.

Besides training requirements, the tasking required various duties that ASTS could not support alone.

"We were given a set list of people who have to go and ASTS does not have some of the individuals listed so we decided to share the trip with AMDS. AMDS was able to provide most of the physicians and an optometrist," Colonel Ames said.

Sergeant Hayslett said the wing also supported the mission with basic pharmacology needs. Before leaving on the mission, ASTS touched base with the Embassy and host nation in order to secure the appropriate medications and equipment that they needed to bring.

"We had to ask our host nation what type of cases we would be seeing and what kind of illnesses and medical issues we would be facing when we got there so we could be prepared to treat them," Colonel Ames said.