There are nearly 6,500 troops and support staff deployed to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands as part of the government’s relief response to the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Among the military units already helping is the 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. The Air Force Reserve unit is flying medical patients to the mainland U.S.
Bobbie O’Brien of WUSF visited the squadron’s staging area at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
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