Tropic Care 2024 returns to Kauai

Story by Staff Sgt. Stacey Thornburg

Air Force Reserve Innovative Readiness Training (IRT)

KAUAI, Hawaii – Hundreds of service members spanning across different branches joined together to execute the Air Force Reserve’s Tropic Care Innovative Readiness Training medical mission, June 13-20, granting service members real-world deployment and readiness training, while providing no-cost medical services to the community here.

The Tropic Care 2024 IRT team offered medical evaluations, dental care, complete optometry exams with prescription glasses fabricated on-site, mental health screenings, nutrition and for the first year veterinarian services partnered with the Kauai Humane Society and dermatology care were available to the community.

“While we are providing these services to the community, we are also allowing our service members to get that hands-on experience with the exact skills that they need to perform their jobs,” said Capt. Ian McEwen, mission officer in charge. “We have a phenomenal training team that came with us that’s also providing readiness training skills, which are all intricate in being a strong mobile force.”

The mission aimed to simulate military and civilian humanitarian operations and healthcare delivery within critical field conditions and logistical movements, enhancing the preparedness of service members for potential deployments in austere environments during times of crisis, conflict, or disaster.

“The Innovative Readiness Training program is a phenomenal platform, providing an avenue to build and validate medical knowledge, skills and abilities which align with department medical readiness training priorities in a joint and total force environment,” said Maj. Stephan Kesterson, Medical Readiness Training OIC.

Service members taking part in these kinds of missions are allotted the opportunity to not only network, but also receive joint operation experience with the other branches.

“IRT is where branches all come together to serve a purpose and they get expeditionary, classroom and trauma training to be ready in the event we are called to duty,” said Master Sgt. Joy Ottrix, senior enlisted leader for the training team. “The opportunity to collaborate with the other branches is great and we are prepared to work side by side to take care of one another and the community and wherever we’re needed.”

During the execution of this mission over 1,594 patients received care, saving over $821,000 in medical expenses, while service members contributed to a combined total force training of over 26,000 hours.

“I remember from the first time Tropic Care came in 2012, we didn’t know what to expect,” said Ray Holt, Department of Health mobile site liaison. “But it’s created a great relationship between the community and the military and has provided an opportunity for the military to really have a positive presence on our island just by the service they provide to the people here.”

As per the Department of Defense’s 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, there are approximately 766,000 selected reservists currently serving our country across all branches. At bare minimum, reservists work one weekend a month and perform at least 14 days of required annual training per year.

“As reservists and national guard members, we have three obligations– which are family life, civilian jobs and then also the military commitment, so it’s important to find opportunities to be alongside our active duty counterparts to maintain the training and readiness to continue to always be ready,” said Ottrix.

Since 1993, IRT missions, like Tropic Care, have provided lasting benefits to communities, exclusively to the United States and its territories. Aside from medical missions, they also offer civil engineering, cybersecurity, aerial spray, and transportation focused missions.

For more information on IRT or how to apply for a mission, visit irt.defense.gov.