{"id":561507,"date":"2025-07-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=561507"},"modified":"2025-07-30T15:28:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T15:28:34","slug":"making-it-work-airman-brings-maintenance-grit-to-medical-mission-in-suriname","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=561507","title":{"rendered":"Making it work: Airman brings maintenance grit to medical mission in Suriname"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AFNS) — \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

While patients waited in crowded clinics and medical staff in crisp uniforms moved from room to room, a small maintenance shop tucked into the corner of Academic Hospital buzzed with a different kind of energy: one less visible, but no less essential.<\/p>\n

Senior Airman Adrese Atkins, a 931st Aerospace Medical Squadron medical administration technician, spent most of his days not in scrubs but in a cluttered workspace no larger than 700 square feet. Surrounded by boxes of loose wires, aging equipment, scattered tools and instruction manuals, he supported a critical component of AMISTAD 2025<\/strong><\/a> few people ever saw.<\/p>\n

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Atkins is one of nearly 40 Total Force Airmen who deployed to Suriname in support of the medical readiness mission supported by Air Forces Southern<\/strong><\/a> and Air Force Reserve Command<\/strong><\/a>. The two-week Global Health Engagement<\/strong><\/a>, held from July 14 to 25, spanned three sites across the South American country: Wanica Hospital, Brownsweg Clinic and Academic Hospital Paramaribo. It brought U.S. military physicians, technicians and support personnel together with Surinamese partners to provide dental, family and emergency care while exchanging vital medical knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI provide mission-ready equipment, used to service patient needs, by fixing what was inoperable when it was delivered to me,\u201d Atkins said. \u201cIt can take weeks, sometimes months, to get new equipment. We have to get innovative so providers can continue caring for patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

But unlike the doctors and nurses whose work was center stage, Atkins\u2019 contribution unfolded behind the curtains as he serviced patient beds, electrocardiograms, blood pressure pumps, respiratory devices and \u201canything that touches a patient,\u201d as he explained. His civilian career as a biomedical equipment specialist enabled him to support the hospital\u2019s four-person biomedical technical operations team, which was critical to maintaining the functionality and safety of the equipment that care teams relied on every day.<\/p>\n

It was a job made even more complex by the tools he didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Air Force provides us with a lot of resources,\u201d he said. \u201cHere, I\u2019m fixing equipment while patients are actively being treated in the same room or patching rusted gear with paint instead of being able to replace it outright. It\u2019s been a valuable learning opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atkins wasn\u2019t always in the medical world. He began his career on active duty as an aircraft metals technology specialist, where he learned to diagnose problems, think creatively and adapt to unpredictable maintenance challenges. That foundation, he said, shaped how he approaches his job now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people may not know is how creative we have to be under pressure,\u201d he said. \u201cPanic can\u2019t be the first button you press – it has to be critical thinking and creativity. Doctors and nurses use equipment they rely on every day, and we have to keep it in service no matter what. I call it \u2018professional street-smarts,\u2019 because there are always unique problems outside of what textbooks teach you.\u201d<\/p>\n

His approach didn\u2019t go unnoticed by the team he embedded with throughout the two-week mission. In a department where visitors typically observe rather than dive in, Atkins quickly earned a reputation for initiative and reliability.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is extremely helpful,\u201d said Nico Djamikoen, one of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo biomedical technicians. \u201cWhen the phone rings, he gets up and goes [to repairs] on his own, which we did not expect. He does not complain, and he makes sure the job gets done. He\u2019s been an amazing help, and he\u2019s fun to have around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another team member added with a laugh: \u201cHe can stay as long as he wants – we\u2019d love to keep him.\u201d<\/p>\n

AMISTAD 2025 was designed to improve access to care and strengthen regional health infrastructure in cooperation with the Suriname Ministry of Health. The mission also allowed U.S. and partner nation medics to share procedures, gain cultural insight and prepare for future humanitarian and disaster response operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [Surinamese] have been so welcoming and open to sharing how they do things,\u201d Atkins said. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be here to help. I feel a great sense of importance, like what we\u2019re doing here is genuinely mission essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was Atkins\u2019 first AMISTAD mission, and one he volunteered for after previously deploying to Poland in a one-deep position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to push myself out of my comfort zone,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to see if I could help, or if I could make a positive difference. I really learned what I was capable of on that deployment, and it made me want to volunteer for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Atkins\u2019 experience underscores one of AMISTAD\u2019s core objectives: preparing medics to operate in resource-constrained, expeditionary environments. Working with limited tools, unfamiliar systems and cross-cultural teams mirrors the very conditions these Airmen may face in real-world contingencies.<\/p>\n

Missions like AMISTAD test the agility and adaptability of medical teams while building trust and interoperability across the total force. By integrating active duty, reserve and partner nation personnel, the mission strengthens the collective ability to respond effectively to future medical crises.<\/p>\n

Despite the mission\u2019s short duration, Atkins said he felt the urgency and necessity of his work from the first day.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy impression of this mission is just how essential our help and resources are to these people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be great to see this mission last even longer in the future, to really be able to get our feet under us and do good in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though AMISTAD 2025 was centered on medical care, Atkins\u2019 role is a reminder that successful missions aren\u2019t just measured in patients seen – but in the infrastructure that enables their care.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope to walk away with the knowledge that I was able to help someone who needed it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what inspired me [to enlist], and it\u2019s what continues to bring me fulfillment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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U.S. Air Force Logo<\/title><\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AFNS) — \u00a0 While patients waited in crowded clinics and medical staff in crisp uniforms moved from room to room, a small maintenance shop tucked into the corner of Academic Hospital buzzed with a different kind of energy: one less visible, but no less essential. Senior Airman Adrese Atkins, a 931st Aerospace Medical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":108410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=561507"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":561508,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561507\/revisions\/561508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/108410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=561507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=561507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=561507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}