CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia National Guard Airmen from the 130th Airlift Wing’s Medical Group recently concluded the Green River Area Wellness mission, providing vital healthcare to underserved communities in Western Kentucky, June 11-21, through the Innovative Readiness Training, or IRT, program.
Innovative Readiness Training is a Department of War initiative that pairs military training requirements with the needs of underserved American communities. The program allows Active, Guard and Reserve service members to practice their wartime deployment skills by providing free medical services.
More than 150 service members from diverse military branches collaborated to provide free dental, vision and basic medical services, as well as sports physicals and nutritional counseling. By blending expertise across branches, the mission provided hands-on leadership and deployment-readiness training to enhance survivability in complex contingency environments.
“This is where the Guard really shines,” said Col. Richard Switzer, 130th Airlift Wing commander.
During a visit to the facilities, Switzer was impressed by the volume of patients.
“Citizen-Airmen leveraging their military and civilian expertise to serve local communities where they are needed most – it’s really a testament to the flexibility and versatility of the National Guard,” Switzer said.
Among those serving at the North Middle School clinic in Henderson was Tech. Sgt. Dustin Millington, an aerospace medical technician from the 130th Medical Group. As the triage non-commissioned officer, Millington led the personnel responsible for identifying patient needs and directing them to appropriate medical offices.
"So far it's been extremely busy in the mornings," Millington said, describing a constant rush from the moment doors opened until mid-afternoon.
As one of the first to see many of the patients coming into the clinic, Millington experienced the morning rush and saw the hard work the Airmen around him did.
When not managing triage, service members shifted to high-demand offices or completed additional training, ranging from Airmen Leadership School tasks to ride-alongs with local emergency services. Some members learned about veterinary services available to wounded service animals.
For Millington, the grueling pace was outweighed by the community's response. While it was difficult to measure who was more grateful – the patients or the service members – the hallways were filled with smiles as the two groups interacted.
“I’m very humbled for the opportunity,” Millington said. “I’m thankful for my command allowing me to leave the great state of West Virginia to come to Kentucky and get to serve this community.”
The Green River Area Wellness event fostered growth through training and civilian-military partnerships. While the morning lines have dwindled and the clinic doors have closed, the profound impact of this global team will continue to be felt throughout the community.