Grissom medics provide care in Cambodia Published June 20, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Ben Mota 434t ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind., -- "Service before self," is one of the Air Force's core values instilled in Airmen during basic training that follows them through life. It is the ability to make sacrifices by putting the needs of others before their own. That is exactly what three Airmen from the 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron did during a recent humanitarian mission to Cambodia. Two dental technicians and an optometrist from Grissom were part of a 60 member team gathered, not only to give medical care, but also to promote good will and build a stronger relationship with the people in the country. "We wanted to plant a seed in the local population that would inspire them to continue giving medical care to those in need," said Lt. Col (Dr.) Ricardo Salvat, an optometrist with the 434 AMDS. Cambodia, a third world country in South East Asia has been ravaged by communism and civil war. Now a democracy, the country still bears the scars left behind from its efforts to become that democracy. This is the first generation to receive formal education since democracy was established, he said. Hopefully the services provided from the mission will inspire that generation to become medical personnel so that the next generation will have it's own care givers. The majority of the team consisted of Airmen but members from other branches of services also assisted. Combined they provided services including; primary care, infection control, dentistry, pediatrics, optometry, orthopedic surgery, public health and veterinary services. After arriving to the country the group of volunteers were separated into two groups and transported by busses to two different remote locations. The group spent 11 days in country with five days designated for patient care. The other days were used for setting up and tearing down the facilities used to provide care. Before each work day a member of the team would pass out numbered cards that indicated who would receive medical attention that day. Cards were given to the people who appeared to need care the most. "You could tell if someone had an immediate health problem and those were the individuals that we wanted to help first," said Dr. Salvat. Problems would often arise because the team could only help less than half of the people that arrived for care. Many of whom had walked for miles just to be seen by a doctor, he added. Security was put in place to control the crowds and insure that citizens given tickets were able to see the doctors. Dr. Salvat, alone examined and treated 760 patients during the deployment. Combined optometry personnel dispensed nearly 700 pairs of pre made prescription glasses. The Alaskan Air National guard provided their services by using their aircraft to ship the glasses from Thailand to a nearby location in Cambodia. While optometry was giving care patients, Master Sgt. Audra Turrin and Staff Sgt. Rachel Rodeghero, 434 AMDS dental assistants, helped dentists with tooth extractions. "One of the problems is that there is not any fluoride in the water here," said Sergeant Rodeghero. "Fluoride helps to mineralize the teeth, providing a defense against cavities and decay. Dental personnel saw nearly 400 patients and extracted over 600 teeth. "Each one of us had our own part," said Sergeant Turrin. "I helped to sanitize the dental instruments so that they would be ready for new patients." "The people were the best part of the mission," said Sergeant. Rodeghero. "They were extremely friendly and appreciated what we were doing for them."
