MSgt Amber Monio
National Guard Bureau Public Affairs

In June 2024, the Vermont National Guard led a multinational medical exercise in Senegal, bringing together National Guard Airmen and Soldiers alongside Austrian and Senegalese armed forces medical teams. The collaborative effort, including members of the Vermont and New Hampshire National Guard, spanned several hospital locations throughout Senegal, emphasizing medical support and exchange.

The Guard members met with their counterparts specializing in various medical fields at facilities in Tambacounda and Kedogou. Over two weeks, they toured these locations and worked in concert with local medical staff.

At the Gouidiry clinic, medical personnel identified critical devices in need of maintenance, including an operating room bed and a non-functioning autoclave that they were able to clean and repair. The teams collaborated with ambulance crews on proper preventive maintenance checks, equipment configurations, and refueling procedures. They also responded to multiple emergencies, including a motorcycle accident, and assisted in various medical procedures, such as an emergency C-section delivery that continued seamlessly despite a power outage at the hospital.

Throughout this multinational engagement, the providers performed numerous medical interventions, including respiratory resuscitation on a newborn and the surgical removal of a large ovarian cyst. The teams also participated in malaria testing under the guidance of their Senegalese partners, underscoring the exercise's comprehensive and collaborative nature.