Medical readiness keeps Airmen healthy, fit to fight Published Aug. 24, 2010 By Master Sgt. Robert Kimrey 59th Medical Wing Readiness Flight LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Over the last year, the 59th Medical Wing Readiness Flight has trained more than 3,000 San Antonio area Airmen and deployed over 1,000 personnel to 33 geographic locations in support of both wartime and humanitarian operations. In accordance with recent Base Realignment and Closure law changes, the 59th MDW oversees deployments for all medical assets assigned within Joint Base San Antonio. 64 percent of all Air Education and Training Command deployment requirements are filled through the readiness office. The 59th MDW also accepts and fills 18 percent of Air Force medical service taskings Air Force wide, while maintaining a less than .07 percent discrepancy rate. The readiness team who makes all this happen consists of deployment operations, customer service, medical readiness training, and readiness resources. The deployment process is collaborative and the readiness team works intimately with each group's deployment manager to prepare the Airmen for their deployment. The team ensures our Airmen are fully trained, equipped and prepared to accomplish their mission whether into a war zone or on a humanitarian operation. The readiness team orchestrated two major medical humanitarian relief missions in support of Haiti and Chile operations, by assisting with aggregation and the deployment of 190 personnel from 14 bases. This ensured first class medical care to millions of earthquake victims. As part of the readiness training team, the training instructors maintain the only full-time medical readiness training site in the Air Force. This 12-acre, 15-facility field training site is where they provide instruction on topics such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons. self aid and buddy care, field sanitation, and disease prevention. They also teach the hazardous material response first receiver and operators course, to ensure that the San Antonio military medical community is fully qualified to handle contaminated patients during homeland defense emergencies. This process happens every day of the year and the readiness mission never stops. It is because of the dedication and hard work of the men and women of the readiness flight that the 59th MDW medics are the best trained, best equipped and best prepared and stand ready to respond to any operation at home or abroad.