Growing A State Partnership

Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Duplain | Medical personnel from the 101st AIr Refueling Wing and Montenegro participate in an emergency care class presented by Dr. John Busko, MD, a board certified emergency medicine physician Nov. 8, 2022 in Bangor, Me. Montenegro medical staff are working together with the 101st medical squadron to share best demonstrated practices and build rapport. The partnership aims to develop self-sustaining relationships between the Montenegrin Ministry of Defense and the Maine National Guard.  

BANGOR, ME, UNITED STATES

11.21.2022

Story by Master Sgt. Andrew Sinclair 

101st Air Refueling Wing

Recently our MAINEiacs had the opportunity to work with medical professionals from Montenegro in a multi-day event planned by the 101st Air Refueling Wing Medical Group. Six Montenegrins made the trek over the Adriatic Sea and Atlantic Ocean to the great state of Maine where they were welcomed by the MAINEiacs; eager to share knowledge among friends.
A major focus for the wing has been the ACE concept, or Agile Combat Employment. A doctrine that encompasses a proactive and reactive operational scheme of maneuver within threat timelines to increase survivability while generating combat power…
…but what does that all mean?
As a whole it means that the Air Force is set on throwing the enemy off and enabling and strengthening our allies. This is exactly the driving force behind the visit; enhancing medical training by trading skills and job knowledge with Maine’s state partner, Montenegro.
“There has never been a Montenegrin visit to the MAINEiac Medical Group. My objective was to combine joint medical training with military and 3rd party community partners to benefit 101st ARW MDG and Montenegrin military members, and to introduce participants to the beautiful state of Maine,” said Major Kerry Collins, the Public Health Officer for the 101st Air Refueling Wing Medical Group.
Combining joint medical training with both military and 3rd party community partners is exactly what she did. Events included working with Dr. John Busko; focusing on medical care in rural/remote settings, on base VIP visits, a full day training solely between the MAINEiacs and Montenegrins, a formal gathering and dinner hosted by TSgt Susan Slick, Medevac Army Aviation tour, visiting Husson University’s Nursing School/meeting with the medical examiner’s office, and a tour of Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Skills Lab. All these gracious hosts welcomed the Montenegrin Medical Specialists with open arms.
Perhaps one of the biggest highlights in their visit to Maine however was something a little less medical related and more of a patriotic sense; an invitation to march with our MAINEiacs in the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Bangor, a time honored tradition that rings with pride and honor in our small town.
Colonel Ian Gillis, the 101st Air Refueling Wing Commander led the charge for the MAINEiacs as they marched down Main Street on 11/11. “It was a great opportunity for both sides to learn from each other and better understand how to accomplish our respective missions. We also took time to learn about each other’s culture with the capstone event being the Bangor-Brewer Veteran’s Day Parade. Our Montenegrin partners were able to march in the parade with the 101st Air Refueling Wing and got to see first hand the respect and admiration our citizens have for military members,” Colonel Gillis said.
Chief Niedorowski is the 101st Air Refueling Wing Command Chief and has a long history of military service, so seeing the MAINEiacs march with their state partners certainly was a special event. “My father was a veteran so for me marching in the parade has always meant so much to me. But seeing our patriotic MAINEaics and Montenegrins marching together, honoring all those who came before, really was a terrific sight and really amplified my sense of pride and certainly was very heartwarming to witness. It was a very sharp formation seeing the two entities march together,” Chief Master Sergeant Stan Niedorowski told me as we sat in his office reminiscing about the parade.
After the parade our distinguished guests were put to the test when an unexpected real world medical event occurred. The medical professionals from Montenegro leaped into action as they stabilized the patient and prepared them for further care from local EMS.
Both the MAINEiacs and Montenegrins are extremely grateful for everyone involved in making this a successful trip; Husson University, Northern Light Health, and Eastern Maine Community College who made it a memorable experience for all parties.
As always, the MAINEiacs were happy to have spent time with their state partners. The knowledge passed between both medical teams is of high value and solidifies an already concrete bond between the two nations. There is always more than one way to peel an orange, but only one way to establish partnerships that will last a lifetime; trust and reciprocity.

• Date Taken: 11.21.2022
• Date Posted: 11.22.2022 09:14
• Story ID: 433665
• Location: BANGOR, ME, US