U.S. Airmen from the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron completed a two-week Medical Readiness Training Exercise in Honduras in June 2026, gaining hands-on experience providing patient care in resource-limited environments alongside U.S. and Honduran medical professionals.
The U.S. Southern Command managed MEDRETE, brought together Airmen from multiple Reserve units, Joint Task Force-Bravo, the Honduran Ministry of Health and local healthcare professionals. Teams rotated between community outreach medical locations and local hospitals, where Airmen applied their training to real patients while adapting to unfamiliar conditions and limited resources.
“This mission reinforced exactly why we train,” said Maj. Erika Oquendo, 944th ASTS mental health nurse and mission officer in charge. “Our Airmen delivered compassionate care while operating in an austere environment, enhanced partnerships with our Honduran colleagues, and returned home better prepared to support future contingency operations.”
944th ASTS Airmen supported 1,398 patient encounters, including 1,230 at community outreach medical posts and 168 in hospitals. Their work included trauma, emergency care, operating room support, labor and delivery, intensive care and optometry services.
For Staff Sgt. Jezarae Van Zile, a 944th ASTS aerospace medical service specialist, the mission provided an opportunity to apply skills normally practiced through simulated scenarios. Van Zile supported community outreach before rotating to a local emergency room, where she checked blood sugar levels, provided wound care, drew blood, guided patients through care and assisted with surgical procedures.
Van Zile previously trained in austere conditions during Nexus Forge in Hawaii, but Honduras added the challenge of treating real patients with limited equipment and supplies.
“Being prepared allows us to be thrown anything and be able to make it work with what we have,” Van Zile said. “In Honduras, supplies and resources were limited, so we truly had to think and use what we could to make sure patients were being properly cared for.”
Senior Airman Xochitl Sepulveda, 944th ASTS medical administrator, supported the team as both an administrator and translator. She tracked patients during community outreach before moving to the hospital, where she documented patient encounters and translated between medical teams, patients and their families.
“This mission reminded me of the importance of being prepared for any environment,” Sepulveda said. “When we deploy, we may not know what challenges or conditions we will face, so experiences like this help us develop adaptability, resilience and confidence.”
The mission also brought 944th ASTS Airmen together with members of the 302nd ASTS throughout community outreach and hospital operations, allowing Airmen from both units to combine their knowledge and work together to support patient care. The experience provided an opportunity to apply home-station training in an unfamiliar environment while strengthening the adaptability and teamwork required for future operations.
“For the 944th ASTS, MEDRETE 2026 represented more than humanitarian assistance,” Oquendo said. “It demonstrated the Air Force Reserve team’s ability to rapidly deploy highly trained Citizen Airmen capable of providing outstanding medical care while maintaining combat medical readiness.”