CAIRO, Ill. (June 15, 2019) — Cairo Jr./Sr. High School opened its doors June 14 for the surrounding community to receive no-cost health care. The health clinic is part of the Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation Tri-State Innovative Readiness Training 2019 mission. IRT missions are Department of Defense military training opportunities tailored to provide joint service experience as well as administering key services (health care, construction, transportation, and cybersecurity) with lasting benefits to American communities.
“The IRT mission is important because this [training] is something we are required to do anyway,” said Air Force Capt. Lance Burgess, Cairo site officer in charge. “This particular mission benefits us because it provides hands-on training as opposed to simulations.”
Guardsmen and reservists from all branches of the military are required to maintain proficiency in their career field throughout the year. Missions such the IRT offer extensive hands-on experience within a vast array of service opportunities. For the DAEOC Tri-State IRT 2019, medical personnel are broadening their expertise by providing a no-cost health clinic to the surrounding communities of Sikeston, Mo.; Barlow, Ky. and Cairo, Ill.
“This training provides a wide expansion of patient population that we would not normally see even in the military or our civilian jobs,” said Burgess.
The IRT mission also fosters an environment for military leadership to grow and develop.
“This is a good opportunity for us to be in a controlled environment where we can experiment with different leadership philosophies and methods,” said Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Daniel Abeyta, a health care admin assigned to the 175th Medical Group, Baltimore, Md., and Cairo site first sergeant. “[IRT] is giving me hands-on experience of what would work if I were in a deployed environment.”
Training programs extend from the top down, allowing all personnel to learn new skills and expand their career competencies.
“As a corpsman, we are able to be training in a lot of different areas of the medical field,” said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Maycee Frey, assigned to the Navy Operational Support Center Detroit. “At this IRT, I am being trained in optometry which has been really interesting for me, and its been a new experience and I can take this back with me to my unit.”
As a joint service operation, the IRT mission strengthens the bonds between service members from different branches and allows for creative thinking to be shared freely throughout the military as a whole.
“It’s been very different than what I’m used to, however it’s been really eye opening,” said Frey. “Working with the Air Force hand-in-hand, I get to see different cultures and how they run things versus how the Navy runs things.”
The DAEOC Tri-State IRT 2019 mission will offer no-cost health care to the community from June 14-June 22, 2019. The approximate 200 personnel tasked to this mission will utilize this training to ensure their readiness and expand their capabilities for future future service to their country.