Photo By Senior Airman Victoria Edwards | Royal Canadian Air Force Cpl. Ghislain Landry, an AMISTAD medical technician (left)...... read more read more
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IQUITOS, Peru- After two weeks of collaborative medical engagement, AMISTAD 2025 concluded its Peru mission with a formal closing ceremony on June 13, in Iquitos, Peru, bringing to a close a multifaceted effort that delivered both humanitarian assistance and tactical medical training.
True to its namesake, AMISTAD, meaning “friendship” in Spanish, brought together two distinct U.S. Air Force medical teams: one focused on restoring vision through optometry care, and the other dedicated to enhancing emergency response capabilities through a Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) knowledge exchange. Operating out of Hospital Regional de Loreto and nearby Peruvian Armed Forces bases, both teams worked in close coordination with local institutions and international partners to deliver services tailored to the region’s needs.
Over the course of the engagement, the optometry team provided comprehensive eye exams and distributed eyeglasses to 570 patients. Of those seen, 41 were pediatric patients, 107 were middle-aged adults, and 422 were older adults. The services provided,valued at over $48,000 in free healthcare, marked a significant contribution to a community with limited access to vision services.
Meanwhile, the TCCC team facilitated more than 80 hours of training for 37 participants from the United States, Canada, and Peru. These trilateral sessions focused on stabilizing patients in austere environments and emphasized adaptability, collaboration, and cross-cultural learning. Together, the teams generated over 1,200 readiness hours, reinforcing the mission’s goal of improving regional medical response capabilities.
Leadership from all partner nations gathered in Iquitos for the closing ceremony, where U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Tara Nolan, mobilization assistant to the commander, Air Forces Southern, praised the accomplishments of the multinational teams and highlighted the broader context of the mission.
“This year’s mission holds special significance,” said Nolan. “As we mark 200 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Peru, we are reminded that partnership is not just about proximity, it’s about shared purpose.”
Nolan’s remarks echoed the mission’s emphasis on collaboration and mutual growth, commending participants for their professionalism, cultural exchange, and long-term impact.
“The collective work here, from medical readiness to community outreach, humanitarian assistance to critical logistics support, creates a long-term positive impact,” said Nolan.
Joining Nolan at the ceremony were several distinguished guests who represented the strength of civil-military and multinational collaboration. From Peru, Maj. Gen. Carlos Cerna-Barra, General Commander of the 5th Air Wing; Dr. Guillermo Angulo Arévalo, representing the General Director of Gerencia Regional de Salud (GERESA); Technical Director Dr. Raúl Chuquiyauri; and Chief Nurse Juana Pinedo of Loreto Regional Hospital were present. Their participation underscored the commitment of Peruvian leadership to supporting joint health initiatives.
Hospital De Loreto Technical Director Dr. Raúl Chuquiyauri speaking at the closing ceremony, emphasized the long-standing challenge of visual impairment in underserved areas and highlighted the difficulty local health systems face in meeting vision care needs.
“In the city of Iquitos, it is not possible to carry out a total coverage of attention in screenings, evaluations, and treatment of patients in the region due to the lack of professionals.”
Chuquiyauri also noted that efforts like AMISTAD help bridge critical care gaps in remote regions.
“To reduce blindness and visual impairment, it is necessary to increase access to eye care services by strengthening public services in the poorest areas of each country,” said Chuquiyauri . “Collaborative missions like AMISTAD are vital to closing that healthcare gap”.
The AMISTAD team’s efforts were further strengthened by the presence of Counselor Andrew Ng of Canada, highlighting the mission’s trilateral engagement and symbolizing the shared commitment to health cooperation in the region.
As AMISTAD 2025 transitions to its next phase, the work completed in Iquitos stands as a reflection of what is possible when service, partnership, and purpose come together.
Brig. Gen. Nolan concluded, “This mission, it is about people first, about partnership, and about the job, to be ready.”
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For more information, visit the AMISTAD 2025 DVIDS page at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/AMISTAD25.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2025 18:43 |
| Story ID: | 500907 |
| Location: | IQUITOS, PE |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, AMISTAD 2025 Teams Wrap Up Two Weeks of Care in Iquitos, by SrA Victoria Edwards, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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