An official website of the United States government         Here's how you know         
**Official websites use .mil**
A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
**Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
 A **lock (lock )** or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content (Press Enter).

U.S. Southern Command

Search
Search

Search

-  Home		 
-  About    -  About Main             
  -  Area of Responsibility             
  -  Leadership             
  -  SOUTHCOM Components and Units             
  -  History             
  -  SOUTHCOM Inspector General 
-  Commander's Priorities    -  Commander's Priorities Main             
  -  Strengthen Partnerships      -  Theater Maintenance Partnership Initiative (TMPI) 
  -  Counter Threats             
  -  Build Our Team 
-  Media    -  Media Main             
  -  News             
  -  Press Releases             
  -  Photos             
  -  Videos             
  -  Speeches | Transcripts             
  -  Special Coverage             
  -  SOUTHCOM Podcast 
-  USAG-M / Military-Family Services    -  U.S. Army Garrison-Miami      -  Equal Employment Opportunity Office 
  -  Overview of Services at SOUTHCOM             
  -  About the SOUTHCOM Installation and Local Community             
  -  Miami Family and MWR      -  Army Community Services             
    -  Child, Youth and School Services             
    -  Leisure Travel Services             
    -  Fitness Center 
  -  Visiting SOUTHCOM             
  -  Army Health Clinic SOUTHCOM             
  -  Hurricane Preparedness Info             
  -  Conference Center of the Americas             
  -  Theater Clearance Info             
  -  SOUTHCOM Chaplain             
  -  TEAM SOUTHCOM - Total Engagement for All Members of U.S. Southern Command             
  -  Logistics Readiness Center-Miami             
  -  Public Notice – Environmental Assessment for the Construction of a Military Housing Development             
  -  SHARP (SAPR) 
-  Newcomers    -  Newcomers Main             
  -  Sponsor Request             
  -  Directions to SOUTHCOM             
  -  Army Newcomers             
  -  Navy Newcomers             
  -  Air Force Newcomers             
  -  Marine Corps Newcomers             
  -  Coast Guard Newcomers             
  -  Reserve Newcomers             
  -  Civilian Newcomers             
  -  Contractor Newcomers             
  -  Family Member Newcomers             
  -  Newcomers to Overseas Locations in SOUTHCOM 
-  Work With Us    -  Employment | Careers             
  -  Public / Private Cooperation             
  -  Operational Contract Support             
  -  SOUTHCOM Industry Engagement 
-  FOIA    -  FOIA Main             
  -  How to file A FOIA Request             
  -  FOIA Fees and Exemptions             
  -  Your FOIA Rights             
  -  ​FOIA Reading Room 
-  Contact    -  Contact SOUTHCOM             
  -  Community Requests             
  -  FAQ             
  -  Contact SOUTHCOM Inspector General             
  -  Directions to SOUTHCOM 

HomeMediaPress Releases

# RELEASE: U.S. Air Force to airlift Guatemalan children injured by volcanic eruption

**GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala –** A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft will transport six Guatemalan children injured by the recent eruption of the Fuego Volcano to the United States June 6 to receive medical treatment.

At the direction of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the aircraft from the 172 Airlift Wing in Jackson, Miss., as well as a team of aeromedical evacuation, pediatric intensive care, and burn victim treatment specialists, will fly the children and their guardians to Galveston, Texas, to receive treatment at Shriners Hospital for Children for burns and other injuries sustained during the eruption.

The command has also donated equipment to assist Guatemalan emergency personnel working at the disaster site, consisting of hazardous gas detectors, tools, and personal protective equipment.

The government of Guatemala requested the assistance through the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City and granted approval for the humanitarian-airlift mission.

In foreign disasters like this one, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. government agency and SOUTHCOM has been in close contact with both USAID and the U.S. State Department while monitoring updates about the eruption.

The U.S. military has a history of supporting USAID-led relief missions and working with international relief organizations and host countries to aid people impacted by disasters, most recently in the Caribbean, where hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), and Maria (2017) caused widespread devastation in Haiti, St. Martin, and Guadalupe.

Prior to the volcano’s eruption, SOUTHCOM provided assistance to Guatemala to help it prepare for natural disasters, including the construction and donation of an emergency operations center and a disaster relief warehouse in Guatemala’s Escuintla department, activated and utilized by the country’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) following the eruption.

Earlier this year, the command also sponsored a multinational disaster-relief exercise, hosted by Guatemala, with a simulated response to an eruption of the Fuego Volcano. More than a dozen nations participated in the annual exercise, called Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias (Humanitarian Allied Forces), including residents of the communities of La Trinidad and La Reina, which are adjacent to the volcano.

SOUTHCOM is one of the nation’s six geographically-focused unified commands with responsibility for security cooperation with partner nations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America, as well as U.S. military operations in the region.

###

**Links to additional information:**

Photos and videos of mission (when available):

https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/fuegorelief

 

****

About the U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III:

http://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104523/c-17-globemaster-iii/  

 

About Air Mobility Command aeromedical evacuation:

http://www.amc.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/785739/aeromedical-evacuation/

 

About SOUTHCOM support to foreign disaster relief and humanitarian assistance in the region:

http://www.southcom.mil/Lines-of-Effort/Enabling-Rapid-Response/ 

 

About the U.S. Agency for International Development:

https://www.usaid.gov/who-we-are

**                    SHARE                

**                    PRINT