Courtesy Photo | Senior Master Sgt. Bryan Hammonds of Roy, Utah, first sergeant of the 151st...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Whitney Houston
AGADIR, Morocco – A group of U.S. and Moroccan military veterinary professionals worked together to provide needed veterinary services in villages surrounding the area of Taroudant, Morocco, during the humanitarian civil assistance portion of Exercise African Lion 2010, May 17-21.
The joint effort included veterinarians from both countries' militaries as well as the Moroccan ministry of agriculture and was a boost to many herders in the region as sheep, goats and cattle are a major source of food and income.
"Livestock is extremely important to these people," said Maj. Chris Larsen of Ephraim, Utah, who serves as a veterinary medical officer for Group Support Company, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Utah National Guard. "The country is still agriculturally based, and any Moroccan medical provider would tell you that the animal aid is just as important as, if not more important, than the human side of things."
The animals were treated for a variety of possible ailments including parasites and tetanus-related disease.
"For the sheep and goats we give a shot for a disease called enterotoxaemia which is in the tetanus family," said Larsen, who came to Morocco with the 151st Expeditionary Medical Group, Utah Air National Guard. The 151st EMG was in charge of the U.S. side of the medical, dental and veterinarian portions of the HCA. "We also give them a dose of medication that kills parasites. The horses and cows get similar medications."
Larsen also explained that they gave honey farmers antiviral strips for their beehives as honey is also a staple product of Moroccan agriculture.
The medications given the animals and bees were provided by a pharmaceutical company through military contracts.
"All of the medications were purchased as part of a contract with a pharmaceutical company for the overall mission," said Col. Paul Byrd of American Fork, Utah, commander of the 151st EMG.
"We had a planning conference in January and we went over all the numbers of what we thought we would need and then we gave that list to a pharmacist," said Larsen.
Larsen was assisted by three Moroccan veterinarians provided through various Moroccan government entities.
"We have three Moroccan vets here with us, one with the army, and two with the government," Larsen said. "There's one over the whole Taroudant region, and another is over the whole Agadir region."
Over the five-day period Moroccan and U.S. officials visited the villages of Manizla, Tafingult, Tiout, Aouloz, and Tamaloukt. According to statistics maintained by Moroccan and U.S. leaders of the HCA, 7,966 animals were treated as well as 1,219 beehives against viral diseases.
In addition to veterinarians, six volunteers from the 151st EMG were trained to assist in the administration of medicine for this particular mission, providing an opportunity to experience another side of humanitarian assistance as their primary focus is in the medical field and not in veterinary science.
"It gets me out here doing stuff outside of my job. I'm kind of confined in an office all day, so it's good to get out and get some hands on experience," said Senior Airman Timothy Larsen of Tooele, Utah, who serves with the 151st EMG as a health technician. "I love working with the locals, and animals particularly."
The five-day veterinary mission was one part of a bigger healthcare-based HCA mission that also gave medical and dental help and treatment to the citizens of the same villages the veterinary team worked in.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2010 17:35 |
| Story ID: | 50204 |
| Location: | AGADIR, MA |
| Web Views: | 351 |
| Downloads: | 159 |
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