1st Air Force command chief visits Cajun Care 2014

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  • By Navy Medicine Education and Training Command
  • Public Affairs
ABBEVILLE, La. --  The senior enlisted leader for the 1st Air Force visited Air National Guardsmen and Sailors involved in one of the largest medical community outreach efforts in the Delta Region in Abbeville, La., March 1.

Chief Master Sgt. Ronald C. Anderson, Jr., 1AF command chief, visited nearly 110 Airmen and Sailors taking part in Cajun Care 2014 to see first-hand the efforts Airmen and Sailors are making during this Innovative Readiness Training.

"This is an opportunity to see the great joint work we're doing for the community," he said. "As Reservists and Guardsmen this is what we do - we support the community, and this is a huge example of what this joint work and synergy can accomplish."

Cajun Care 2014, a Department of Defense-sponsored ANG-led IRT mission is designed to provide U.S. military medical professionals valuable training as well as provide health care options to a medically underserved community.

After four days of operation, Cajun Care 2014 medical personnel continue to provide multiple services, including nursing evaluations, blood pressure screenings, and diet and health consultations. Dental services, including assessments and extractions are available, as are eye exams and eye glasses manufacturing services.

Anderson said this joint effort between Guardsmen and Sailors provides not only a training mechanism to further hone individual skills, but an exposure to the commonalities service members from all over the world employ.

"Our uniforms may look a little different - we come from a different heritage, a different culture," he said. "But if you ask these people that we're helping, they aren't worried about what uniform we wear or where the money to fund these sorts of missions comes from. They are receiving top-notch care, and that's what matters."

More than 2,000 patients have been seen so far during Cajun Care 2014, which is scheduled to conclude operations Mar. 6.