On a recent humanitarian mission to El Salvador, a team of Madigan Healthcare System staff members provided hundreds of life-changing procedures that helped local citizens see, sometimes for the first time in years. During that mission and the many others Madigan staff has participated in, Army medicine benefitted from training and the local citizens benefitted from medical assistance they would not have been able to afford otherwise.

"To see how these people live is pretty incredible," said Maj. (Dr.) Charles Redger, an anesthesiologist at Madigan. "They are simply happy to show up and have their eyes worked on. It makes you feel really good when you've been a part of a team and an effort when you have a grandma who sees her grandchildren for the first time."

Redger is one of a number of medical professionals who are given the opportunity during the year at Madigan to provide medical assistance in countries where the assistance is requested or as a part of a military medical training exercise.

Sergeant Richard Klein, NCOIC of the Madigan Opthamology Clinic and an eye technician has participated in five missions with a team of opthamologists. His role has been in coordination, supplies and packing and assistance during the procedures on-site. He has fond memories of some of the opportunities he has had participating in the efforts.

"We did surgery on a tiny woman on my first mission and when we went back several months later we were going to do the surgery on her husband and she remembered me, which was kind of nice," said Klein.

Lieutenant Colonel (Dr.) Adam Buchanan, an oculoplastic surgeon at Madigan has participated in a number of missions himself, both as a resident and then as a staff officer planning the trip.

"There's months of planning going into it ahead of time. We work with a number of commands and order a number of supplies," Buchanan said. Despite all of the work, the end result is memorable for most of the medical professionals.

"Children there can get an eye injury that causes a cataract to form and they may be blind in one or both eyes for the rest of their lives. Where in the United States we might get good care and good follow up and the child would recover from that no problem," Redger said. "To be able to correct that occasionally is a wonderful feeling."

Redger has been on two humanitarian missions; one to El Salvador and one to Malawi in Africa.

"I've been deployed a number of times, I've seen these types of living conditions, but when the plane lands back in the States I'm incredibly relieved to be back home with all of our conveniences," Redger said.

All three of the Soldiers spoke of the opportunity to pay the experience and the training forward. Buchanan spoke of being able to use the experience to hone skills working in a more austere environment than the established setting of a hospital. Buchanan has shared his experience through speaking engagements and school career days.

"A lot of it is using it as a tool to teach residents," Buchanan said. "There are a lot of lessons that they gather on the missions. Our department uses it as a part of the resident's education and we try to make sure every resident gets to go on at least one mission."

"It's probably the proudest thing I've been able to participate in," Klein said. "I feel like I made a difference."

During December the Military Health System recognizes the year-round efforts that assist in the delivery of quality health care in cities, villages and remote regions that span the globe.

The type of services MHS provides also covers a lot of territory, including; responding to the scene of disasters, providing direct health care in underdeveloped nations, mentoring host country military medical personnel, rebuilding critical health infrastructure and supporting research to fight disease. As part of the Department of Defense's commitment to supporting global health initiatives, MHS carries out its work in partnership with federal agencies, allied governments and international organizations.

The results not only improve the quality of lives but build bridges of understanding.

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