Twenty volunteers from the 86th Medical Group located on Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, volunteered Nov. 23 to assist the USAMMCE Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) in inspecting, cleaning, and preparing medical equipment for shipment.

From March 2012 to November 2013, airmen and NCOs have spent 10 Saturdays working on 483 pieces of medical equipment valued at more than $4 million. Their work has been in support of HAP missions to Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Africa.

According to Mr. Luis DeAndrade, Chief of the HAP, this last and largest group included bio-medical engineers, medical logisticians and other medical specialties. Five of them were on temporary duty at Ramstein.

This group technically inspected and prepared 121 individual pieces of medical equipment as well as cleaning and preparing 15 medical gurneys for shipment in support of the FY 2013/2014 Operation Provide Hope to Tbilisi, Georgia, and another mission in support of the Non Government Organization "A Call to Serve" also in Georgia.

Because the HAP is being phased out by Sept. 30, 2014, we are preparing as much materiel as possible for shipment to the countries the program supports, explained DeAndrade. Any materiel not shipped out will be turned into the Defense Re-Utilization and Marketing Office for disposition.

"Without this volunteer support over the past two years, millions of dollars worth of medical equipment would not have made it into the hands of those who need it," said DeAndrade. "Many thanks to these young airmen and NCOs who epitomize our military service values!"