The United States Army
05/10/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 05/11/2024 01:28
Alaska Guard Helps Provide Free Health Care to Kodiak Residents
[Link] Alaska Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Shannon Weaver, right, a loadmaster from the 144th Airlift Squadron, 176th Wing, guides a forklift loading equipment onto a C-17 Globemaster III in support of the Kodiak Arctic Care 24 Innovative Readiness Training Mission at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 6, 2024. Personnel from across the U.S. Uniformed Services partnered with the Kodiak Area Native Association to deliver free medical, dental, optometry and veterinary services to residents across Alaska's remote Kodiak Island borough. (Alaska National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña) (Photo Credit: Alejandro Pena)VIEW ORIGINAL
KODIAK, Alaska - Alaska National Guardsmen from the 176th Wing and the 207th Aviation Troop Command based out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson began Kodiak Arctic Care '24 on May 6, flying equipment and personnel to Kodiak.
Kodiak Arctic Care, scheduled May 9-21, is part of the Department of Defense-sponsored Innovative Readiness Training program. It delivers free medical, dental, optometry and veterinary services to Kodiak Island residents without regular access to comprehensive medical care.
Service members from the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and active duty, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Naval Reserve, U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Public Health Service are providing medical services at seven sites across the Kodiak Island Borough: Kodiak, Port Lions, Ouzinkie, Larsen Bay, Karluk, Old Harbor and Akhiok.
Service members work closely with the Kodiak Area Native Association and other regional and community partners.
As part of the advanced echelon, Alaska Air National Guard aerial transport specialists assigned to the 176th Logistics Readiness Squadron worked with a C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from the 144th Airlift Squadron to transport essential gear, medical equipment and personnel from JBER to Kodiak.
Alaska Army National Guard aviators also staged three UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters at Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak. The Black Hawks will transport medical personnel and equipment to each of the care sites.
The IRT program delivers joint training to increase deployment readiness while providing U.S. communities with key services, such as health care, construction, transportation and cybersecurity.