Medics provide support

by 1st Lt. Angela Martin
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

6/7/2013 - TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The 60th Aerial Port Squadron here loaded 2.5 tons of medical support equipment onto a C-130 Hercules May 31 for transportation to various locations in Hawaii in support of Tropic Care 2013.

Tropic Care is a Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training operation scheduled for early June to conduct deployment and readiness training for military personnel. The operation also provides free medical, dental and optometric care to residents of remote locations in Hawaii.

Individuals from active duty, Reserve and National Guard units from across the country come together in support of Tropic Care. Travis is represented in the operation by 15 members of the 349th Medical Squadron who deployed to Maui, Lanai and Hawai'i island.

According to Master Sgt. Danny Nottis, 349th MDS commander support staff NCO in charge, these members will be serving the community as a dietician, clinical nurses, a pharmacy technician, a clinical social worker, medical technicians, a public health technician, a unit training manager and medical materials.

"We are proud to have had the opportunity to ship critical medical supplies for fellow Americans in need, certainly one of the most rewarding things we do as aerial porters," said Capt. Kelly Smith, 60th APS operations officer.

The 60th APS is no stranger to assisting with humanitarian operations. Last November, the squadron moved more than 850,000 pounds of life saving equipment and supplies to the East Coast following Hurricane Sandy.

As part of the Denton Amendment Act, the 60th APS shipped about 36,000 pounds of donated winter clothing, shoes, computers, household items and rice to Afghanistan last January. They also shipped a half dozen pallets of medical equipment to the Kandahar region of Afghanistan last May.