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MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – Five Airmen from the 22nd Medical Group participated in Amistad 2026, a bi-lateral health cooperation and medical engagement exercise from Aug. 1-15, in La Vega, Dominican Republic.
The five medics involved, Maj. Jini Foy, Maj. Stuart Walstrom, MSgt. Haile Lane, SrA Raquel Kos, and SrA Arien Nativdad, were part of a 29 member team who completed 1,100 patient encounters alongside Dominican Republic health professionals.
“Serving as the team lead for Amistad 2026 was an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Maj. Jini Foy, 22nd Medical Group education and training flight chief. “Our bi-lateral team provided medical, dental, optometry, nursing, pediatric, dermatology, and mental health services while also exchanging knowledge and strengthening our partnership.”
The Amistad mission supported a population of 445,000 as well as providing medical participants with the experience of working in different clinical environments, with limited resources, language barriers, and unfamiliar equipment.
“What stood out most to me was how quickly everyone came together, adapted to challenges, and remained focused on providing the best care possible with the resources available,” said Foy. “We were placed in an unfamiliar environment with limited resources and had to rely on teamwork, communication, clinical judgement, and adaptability-the same skills we need in a deployed or contingent environment.
The McConnell members now have the hands-on experience to bring back to their respective shops and impart the wisdom and lessons learned to their team members.
Foy added that participating in such exercises ensures their team members have the opportunities to gain experience, confidence, and competence which allows them to be better prepared for the mission as a whole.
Increasing readiness is a core tenant, not just here at McConnell, but for the United States military as a whole.
“Most importantly, I want our Airmen to understand that readiness is more than completing a readiness requirement,” said Foy. “It is having the confidence and ability to adapt, lead, and provide quality care wherever the mission takes us.”
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.02.2026 12:16 |
| Story ID: | 573761 |
| Location: | MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, McConnell Medics Mobilize for Amistad 2026, by SrA Amelio Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
