Medical Airmen from the 459 ARW participate in humanitarian exercise

Senior Airman Tara Hickman, 459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron aerospace medicine technician, takes vital signs and temperature readings for residents of a village in Belize on April 1. Airman Hickman joined other Reserve servicemembers from the 459th Air Refueling Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Md., to particpate in a Medical Readiness Training Exercise from March 26 to April 9. The MEDRETE is designed to bring humanitarian assistance and free medical care to its host country citizens. Over 42 medical professionals from units across the U.S. Air Force participated this year in the joint exercise. (Submitted U.S. Air Force photo)

Medical Airmen from the 459 ARW participate in humanitarian exercise

A medical specialist from the 459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, takes vital signs for a child from a village in Belize on April 1. The medical Airman joined other Reserve servicemembers from the 459th Air Refueling Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Md., to particpate in a Medical Readiness Training Exercise from March 26 to April 9. The MEDRETE is designed to bring humanitarian assistance and free medical care to its host country citizens. Over 42 medical professionals from units across the U.S. Air Force participated this year in the joint exercise. (Submitted U.S. Air Force photo)

Medical Airmen from the 459 ARW participate in humanitarian exercise

A medical specialist from the 459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, takes information from a child in a village in Belize on April 1. The medical Airman joined other Reserve servicemembers from the 459th Air Refueling Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Md., to particpate in a Medical Readiness Training Exercise from March 26 to April 9. The MEDRETE is designed to bring humanitarian assistance and free medical care to its host country citizens. Over 42 medical professionals from units across the U.S. Air Force participated this year in the joint exercise. (Submitted U.S. Air Force photo)

Reserve Airmen provide medical support in Belize

Published April 4, 2011
By Tech. Sgt. Steve Lewis
459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

ORANGE WALK DISTRICT, Belize -- When most people think of Belize, they picture scuba diving, touring nature preserves or visiting one of the several Mayan Temples in the country. That is not the case for Reserve Airmen of the 459th Expeditionary Aerospace Medicine Squadron, who recently deployed to the developing Central American country late March.

Comprised mainly of technicians, nurses, surgeons and physicians, the 459 EAMDS was formed by Reserve Airmen from the 459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and the 459th Aerospace Staging Squadron, 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Md., as well as over 42 medical providers from other units across the U.S. Air Force. They arrived in Belize on military aircraft fully loaded with gear to support the humanitarian Medical Readiness Training Exercise (MEDRETE).

The MEDRETE, which runs from March 26 to April 9 in Belize, is designed to bring humanitarian assistance and free medical care to its host country citizens. The exercise stresses the concept of helping others while practicing military skills in a joint partnership with the host nation and medical units from other U.S. Air Force bases. The MEDRETE is organized and ran each year by the U.S. Air Force Southern Command, headquartered at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and the Air Force Reserve Command International Health Service, headquartered at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.

The 42 medical providers from the following units joined the 459 ARW for the MEDRETE:

301st Medical Squadron, Naval Air Station, Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas
940th AMDS, Beale AFB, Calif.
507th AMDS, Tinker AFB, Okla.
927th Aerospace Medicine Flight, MacDill AFB, Fla.
920th ASTS, Patrick AFB, Fla.
622nd ASTS, Robins AFB, Ga.,
932nd ASTS, Scott AFB, Ill.

The MEDRETE concept enhances global relationships by providing military health care experts who have been trained in different languages and have an understanding of various cultures around the world. In most cases, the MEDRETE also provides opportunities for these Airmen to give medical care to a population that may not have received professional health treatment their entire lives.