Ohio National Guard News

A ‘humbling’ experience: Ohio National Guard team takes medical care to El Salvador

Col. Brett Call, of the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Detachment, gives a speech, in Spanish, to mark the end of the U.S. Army’s Medical Readiness Training Exercise on July 29 in Torola, El Salvador. The training exercise, which gave medical care to more than 7000 people, was carried out in partnership with the Government of El Salvador and consisted of four sites during ten days of treatment.

Cpt. Trent Timmons, of Company C, 237th Support Battalion, checks the ears of a young girl in Joateca, El Salvador on July 24 as a part of a U.S. Army Medical Readiness Training Exercise. The training exercise, which gave medical care to more than 7000 people, was carried out in partnership with the Government of El Salvador and consisted of four sites during ten days of treatment.

Col. Brett Call, of the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Detachment, explains to a young boy how to use the prescriptions he has received in Rancho Quemado, El Salvador on July 26 as a part of a U.S. Army Medical Readiness Training Exercise. The training exercise, which gave medical care to more than 7000 people, was carried out in partnership with the Government of El Salvador and consisted of four sites during ten days of treatment.

1st Lt. Donald Mchone, of the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Detachment, made and gave a balloon animal to a young girl in Joateca, El Salvador on July 24 as a part of a U.S. Army Medical Readiness Training Exercise. The training exercise, which gave medical care to more than 7000 people, was carried out in partnership with the Government of El Salvador and consisted of four sites during ten days of treatment.

Spc. Patricia Stofiel, of the Ohio Army National Guard Medical Detachment, takes the blood pressure and pulse on a young boy in Corinto, El Salvador on July 21 as a part of a U.S. Army Medical Readiness Training Exercise. The training exercise, which gave medical care to more than 7000 people, was carried out in partnership with the Government of El Salvador and consisted of four sites during ten days of treatment.

Story and photos by Spc. Sam Beavers, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

DEPT. OF MORAZAN, EL SALVADOR—The crowd around Spc. Mariel Berio, of the 684th Medical Company, has become a mob. You’d think the Spanish speaking, patient administration specialist was giving away MP3 players rather than toothbrushes and toothpaste. Excited and joyous children clamor “pasta, pasta, pasta dientes” (toothpaste). Berio tries to keep up with the demand and furiously distributes the box of dental care products, but soon the demand is too great and the day’s supply is exhausted. “Come back tomorrow” (regresan mañana), is all she is able to tell the ones that were too late.

Berio is a part of a group of 35 Ohio National Guard medics and support Soldiers that treated more than 7,000 patients as part of a U.S. Army Medical Readiness Training Exercise July 18 – August 1, in the mountainous regions of Morazán, El Salvador.

The MEDRETE is a medical humanitarian and civic assistance exercise conducted in partnership with the Government of El Salvador, and U.S. Southern Command. The purpose of the exercise is to provide excellent training for the Soldiers and free medical care for the host nation, said the officer in charge of the mission, Col. Brett Call, of the Ohio National Guard Medical Detachment.

“This has been a flawless mission,” Call said. “Everyone worked hard, was helpful, and we treated a lot of people.”

The MEDRETE team visited four different locations during the two-week exercise. The team worked out of local schools in the towns of Corinto, Joateca, Rancho Quemado, and Torola.

“I loved my job down here, and it was emotional at times,” said Sgt. Michael McConnell, of the Ohio National Guard Medical Detachment, whose main role was optometry specialist and was able to pair several hundred people with glasses. “Many people couldn’t see anything, and now objects are clear.”

One man, Alegandro Nolasco, of Torola, told McConnell through a translator, that he has not been able to see for 7 years, but now, after being fitted for a pair of glasses, he can see well. He also thanked McConnell for being attentive and for caring.

“This is an experience I’ll take home with me. It makes me look at patient care in a different light,” McConnell said. “I appreciate things in the United States more now.”

The treatment services offered included: preventive medicine, general medicine, optometry and dentistry.

The path to receive treatments was a journey for many residents. It started with getting to the school, which many people did by foot. Once there was room inside, the El Salvador guards would open the gates to let a group in. Next was registration, followed by a class on preventive medicine taught by El Salvador Ministry of Health officials. Then the patients would be routed, with the help of translators, to the vitals station and then on to their treatment station of choice, where they often would wait again to be seen.

“Some of them have walked three hours for a bag of Tylenol,” said Capt. Toni Hall, with the Ohio National Guard Medical Detachment.

After being seen by the doctors, dentists, or an optometry specialist, they would then be routed to the pharmacy where they could pick up their prescriptions, all of which was provided at absolutely no cost to the residents.

Even though this process was long at times, the people were very appreciative.

“This activity has brought health to me and my children,” said Eva Angelina Arguata of Torola, through translator Capt. Oscar Montiel, artillery officer in the El Salvador Army.

Capt. Oscar Armado Portillo Hernandez, commander of the El Salvador Policía Militar, said many people have told him how appreciative they are.

“They keep asking me, ‘when do you come back?’” Portillo Hernandez said.

The MEDRETE mission was not only a great training opportunity, but a chance to broaden horizons by living and working in a foreign culture. One of the biggest challenges team members faced was communicating with patients, most of whom only spoke Spanish.

The team was able to meet this challenge, however, with the help of several El Salvador military translators, all of whom spoke excellent English.

“They (El Salvador military personnel) were instrumental in getting the job done,” Call said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

In addition to the national military translators, several U.S. Peace Corps members volunteered their time and assisted the MEDRETE team with translation.

Eventually, through several hundred repeat exposures, most of the team was able to learn some Spanish words including gripe, toz, and dolor; flu, cough and pain respectively.

Also playing an instrumental role in mission success was the El Salvador Policía Militar (military police), who accompanied the MEDRETE team everywhere they went and made sure the mission went smoothly. Portillo Hernandez said it was a great experience working with the U.S.

“It has been a pleasure working together,” Portillo Hernandez said. “I hope that in the future, we can continue working together.”

He continued to say that this exercise has been a great benefit to the people and that it has done a lot to improve relations.

Sgt. First Class Francisco Roman, of the Ohio National Guard Medical Detachment, echoed that sentiment.

“Being here creates better relations between us and them because they can actually see us and talk to us, as opposed to what they hear,” Roman said. “This is not the America they see on TV.”

The dental mission was headed by dentists Col. Tom Holtmann, and Col. Michael D. Hablitzel, in partnership with El Salvador dentists. They saw and treated more than 1,000 patients and pulled more than 1,000 teeth.

According to Hablitzel, there were two aspects of the dental mission; prevention and treatment. Prevention included preventive dental lectures, as well as the distribution of dental floss, toothbrushes and toothpaste. The treatment phase centered primarily on immediate and long-lasting pain and infection relief through tooth extractions.

“Their dental needs are extreme,” said Holtmann. “What we are able to do is just the tip of the iceberg. I wish we could spend more time with these patients.”

As a part of the MEDRETE a veterinary team from California with the U.S. Army Reserve completed a successful veterinary mission. The veterinary team vaccinated and treated more than 1300 animals.

“It is rewarding to be able to help in El Salvador and to be able to help someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get that help,” said Capt. Stephen Whipple, of the 109th Medical Detachment (Veterinarian).

The MEDRETE team was also assisted by the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

By the time the closing ceremony arrived and operations began to cease, ‘humbling’ became the most commonly used word amongst the medical team as the stories and lives of more than 7,000 patients sunk in.

“This experience brings you back to what you really need,” Call said. “I think every American should come here and see what daily life is like.”

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