Humanitarian team returns from Pacific mission

  • Published
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  A team of approximately 50 medical, dental and civil engineer servicemembers returned to Hickam Air Force Base July 28 after completing a mission to provide civil assistance and training to local residents of three Pacific islands. 

The team of Airmen, Sailors and Soldiers departed Hickam AFB for the Pacific island nations of Vanuatu, Kiribati and Nauru July 20. 

In the span of 96 hours, team members provided care to a total of 1,668 medical patients (1,469 in Kiribati, 191 in Nauru and eight gynecological surgical cases in Vanuatu) trained 1,011 residents (852 in Kiribati, 100 in Nauru and 59 in Vanuatu), treated 2,650 dental patients in Kiribati, and completed civil engineer projects on two clinics in Kiribati. 

A civil engineer project on a third clinic on Kiribati was 95 percent completed, and local citizens are trained and equipped to complete the work. 

This is the first time since World War II that there has been a significant U.S. military presence on the islands. This mission displays the Air Force's ability to quickly deliver relief in the form of medical, dental and civil capabilities to remote areas of the Pacific. A C-17 Globemaster III crew from the 446th Airlift Wing at McChord AFB, Wash., provided airlift to and from Kiribati, Nauru and Vanuatu. 

Twenty-eight people, the bulk of the deploying force, including engineers, physicians, nurses, medical technicians, dentists and dental technicians, provided civil assistance at Kiribati. A team of 12 people, medical technicians, nurses, doctors, public health officers and a bioenvironmental technician, provided assistance to the people of Nauru. 

On Vanuatu, team members conducted "train-the-trainer" education for police force, fire department and customs people on basic life support and self-aid buddy care. Other team members worked with nursing students on basic life support and with the ministry of health and hospital staff for training and to provide gynecological and urological surgery to local patients. 

The medical, dental, engineer and other support members came from the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam AFB, the 18th Wing from Kadena Air Base, Japan, the 3rd Wing from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, the 446th AW from McChord AFB, the 35th Fighter Wing from Misawa AB, Japan, the 51st Fighter Wing from Osan AB, Korea, the 8th Fighter Wing from Kunsan AB, Korea; Tripler Army Medical Center, the Air Force Reserve Command, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, the 624th Regional Support Group from Hickam AFB, and Headquarters Pacific Air Forces from Hickam AFB. 

The U.S. Pacific Command has funded the humanitarian assistance program through the Asia Pacific Regional Initiative to conduct theater security cooperation and humanitarian assistance operations throughout the region. 

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