Medevac crew devotes time to African orphanage

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vann Miller
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) --  Flying regular missions in and around Southwest Asia are normal responsibilities for an expeditionary medical evacuation crew, but it was a special mission undertaken by Capt. Karen Mensen and her crew that made all the difference in the lives of more than 30 children recently in a remote part of Africa.

In a small orphanage run by a church, children who are primarily cared for by nuns received a little extra attention and kindness by 379th Expeditionary Air Evacuation Squadron Airmen during their deployment here

Walking into the orphanage in Djibouti for the first time, Captain Mensen, a flight nurse deployed from the 109th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron of the Minnesota Air National Guard, said she was surprised and taken aback.

A room no larger than a 10-by-10-foot dorm room was where 15 toddlers played with toys, she said. Within moments of meeting the missionaries at the orphanage, the volunteers were handed children to care for. Though there was little time to adjust, the captain said she and the rest of her crew immediately lent a hand and let the desire to simply care for those children take over.

“They’re just normal babies,” she said. “They need someone to hold them, to play with them and to take care of them. It just came naturally.”

Through the chaplain’s office at the nearby military camp, volunteers had been working with the local orphanages. They provided assistance by feeding the children and simply playing games with the toddlers. It was definitely something the crew agreed they wish they could have done more often.

“The (crew) before us did some volunteer work at the orphanage and said it was a great opportunity,” said Staff Sgt. Connie Campbell, a medical technician deployed from Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

When discovering this great chance to make a difference, several Airmen traveled to the orphanage to give some assistance to the nuns, Sergeant Campbell said.

Time spent at the orphanage with the children made that particular mission meaningful to her and the crew, Captain Mensen said. Besides being ready to fly evacuation missions, helping the children made her feel as though she was making a greater contribution to Air Force and the people of that country.

“Being in the medical field, we are naturally drawn to helping people, no matter what the situation is,” Sergeant Campbell said.

The crew managed to provide the best care they could at the orphanage despite the differences in culture. Though there were no major complications, there were some frustrations and difficulties to overcome.

“The greatest difficulty was the language barrier,” Sergeant Campbell said. “Most of the people spoke French, and the couple of people who spoke English weren’t always there.”

Other challenges the Airmen had to overcome were the difficulties of simply gathering enough people to volunteer and traveling to the orphanage, Sergeant Campbell said. Sometimes, because of the mission, they did not always have the numbers of volunteers or the resources to make the trip to the orphanage. When they were able to help out, the crew was proud to be a small part of the lives of those children.

“What stands out the most in my mind was the opportunity to see a smile on a child’s face when I played with or fed one of them,” she said. “It’s such an easy and selfless act making a person smile.”