Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      ACC EMEDS team deploy to support hurricane-ravaged Puerto RicoEMEDS team deploy to support hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico
                        
                        
                        Staff Sgt. Ionnis Gousis, 633rd Aerospace Medical squadron bioenvironmental engineer, says goodbye to his daughters Gabriela and Eleni at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Oct. 17, 2017. Approximately 90 JB Langley-Eustis Airmen deployed as a global response force to provide expeditionary medical care to Puerto Rico residents. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rasheen Douglas)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        ACC EMEDS team deploy to support hurricane-ravaged Puerto RicoEMEDS team deploy to support hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico
                        
                        
                        Airmen assigned to the 633rd Medical Group load a bus heading to the passenger terminal to deploy to provide aid to Puerto Rico from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., Oct. 17, 2017. Approximately 90 JB Langley-Eustis Airmen deployed as a global response force to provide expeditionary medical care to Puerto Rico residents. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rasheen Douglas)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

EMEDS team deploys to support hurricane-ravaged Puerto RicoPublished Oct. 20, 2017
                    
                    By Emerald Ralston
                    
                    
                    Air Combat Command Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS)  --**As Puerto Rico continues to reel from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria, Air Combat Command deployed medical assets Oct. 18, 2017, to provide relief to the community and supplement teams that have already begun relief efforts.The 633rd Medical Group from Joint Base Langley-Eustis has one of the Air Force’s four Expeditionary Medical Support groups. They train year round to ensure they’re ready and able to deploy in the event of a disaster like the one facing Puerto Rico.“We have the honor of having the EMEDS capability here at the (JB Langley-Eustis) hospital,” said Col. Mark Nassir, 633rd MDG commander. “We rotate call so we have a 72-hour on-call response time for any contingency or humanitarian need across the world. When we’re called to, we can deploy our team out to take care of patients’ medical and surgical needs.”The EMEDS capability includes a pre-planned set of equipment, personnel and medical materials.“We have certain types of physicians, nursing staff and other medical ancillary staff ready to go,” said Dr. (Capt.) Prabu Selvam, 633rd MDG emergency room doctor. “We also have a set of equipment we go down with and a style of setting up patient care tents. We’ll be treating whatever comes to us and ready for whatever we have to face.”The team will be working with other agencies, services and teams in Puerto Rico.“We’re going down to help provide support to (Federal Emergency Management Agency), medical capability support for the people that have been impacted by the hurricane as well as our military partners that are currently there. We’ll also be providing humanitarian relief,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jennifer Wampler, 633rd MDG 4N functional manager. “We are prepared for austere conditions, we do know that right now some of the areas we’re in don’t have power, they’re just now getting water capability, and we’re still trying to put up our tents to provide medical care.”The team is prepared to be in Puerto Rico for at least 30 days, and ultimately as long as their support is needed to mitigate the suffering taking place there. “Seeing what we see on TV, it’s pretty frustrating that there are so many people suffering there and you feel sort of helpless, but as a military we’re not helpless,” said Selvam. “We have a lot of resources and great people so we’re going to go down there and help the best we can.”Despite the conditions the team is walking into, many team members expressed an eagerness to be of assistance.“I’m very excited to go,” said Capt. Petra Holloway, an operating room nurse. “This is us helping out Americans; these are our people. This is one of the biggest things we sign up to do as military, to wear the uniform and help people in need.”Nassir echoed this sentiment, adding that this is a core function of the mission at their hospital.“Our job is to make sure the forces are ready to deploy, make sure we are ready medics and provide trusted health care to all we serve,” he said. “Our hearts go out to all the people in Puerto Rico that are struggling. It’s just an honor to be able to serve in military medicine and an honor to support when called upon to do so.”Air Force 



Humanitarian 



EMEDS 



FEMA 



Air Combat Command 



AF 



medical care 



ACC 



Federal Emergency Management Agency 



Puerto Rico 



633rd Medical Group 



joint base 



Hurricane Relief 



633rd MDG 



Expeditionary Medical Support Group 



JB Langley-Eustis Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil