U.S. Air Force Airmen offload disaster assistance cargo from a C-17 Globemaster III in Medellín, Colombia, Aug. 16, 2026. The C-17 airlifted the life-saving supplies from the Department of State’s disaster response warehouse in Miami. U.S. Southern Command is supporting the Department of State-led U.S. humanitarian response following the Aug. 10 earthquake in western Colombia. (U.S. Southern Command Video)
LA VEGA, Dominican Republic — Inside a small exam room at Hospital Regional Universitario Dr. Luis Manuel Morillo King, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Hector De Los Santos moves from patient to patient alongside another optometry technician, checking vision and preparing patients for examination.
Outside the exam room, his connection to the hospital is just as apparent. Dominican staff stop to talk and joke with him, and bring him local food...
