MS unit’s humanitarian airlift

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala - A Mississippi-based Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft transported six Guatemalan children to the U.S. after they were injured by an eruption of the Fuego Volcano. U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) ordered the aircraft and team from the 172nd Airlift Wing in Jackson, Miss., as well as a team of aeromedical evacuation, pediatric intensive care, and burn victim treatment specialists to fly the children and guardians to Galveston, Texas, to receive burn and injuries’ treatment at Shriners Hospital for Children. The 172nd AW also donated equipment to assist Guatemalan emergency personnel working at the disaster site, consisting of hazardous gas detectors, tools, and personal protective equipment. The Guatemalan government requested the assistance through the U.S. Embassy for the humanitarian airlift. In foreign disasters, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead American government agency. SOUTHCOM has been in close contact with both USAID and the State Department while monitoring updates about the eruption. The U.S. military has a history of supporting USAID-led relief missions and host countries to aid people impacted by disasters. Most recently it was in the Caribbean, where hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), and Maria (2017) caused widespread devastation in Haiti, St. Martin, and Guadalupe. (Source: SOUTHCOM 06/06/18)