Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis Published April 16, 2025 By Julian Hernandez 433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis -- In military affairs, the definition of success is often driven by data: metrics that must be met, reports required up and down the chain of command, definitive documentation of mission accomplishment. But as the Honorable Terrance M. Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, pointed out during the closing ceremony for phase three of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025, “Progress is measured not only by policies, but by lives touched.” One of the many lives touched during this global health engagement: a three-month-old child. When her father brought her to the emergency room at Alexandria Hospital on Nevis, the infant was unresponsive, struggling to breathe and barely had a pulse. The Nevisian emergency room team, along with a contingent of U.S. Air Force medical professionals working alongside them as part of LAMAT 25, jumped into action. Doctors decided to intubate the child, but still she went into cardiac arrest. 20 minutes of resuscitation attempts followed, with multiple team members pitching in. Suddenly, it seemed the fight was lost. “At one point in the resuscitation, the code lead made the decision to call off the effort,” said Lt. Col. Lawrence Onyejekwe, a 349th Medical Squadron family physician and one of the doctors fighting to save the child. “It seemed the baby had passed, that further efforts would be futile.” And as suddenly as hope seemed to fade, signs of life. “While the entire team was crestfallen, the baby decided that she had other plans,” Onyejekwe said. “Her pulse returned, along with weak, but encouraging movements that indicated that she was still willing to fight.” Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roman Calloway, 433rd Medical Squadron medical technician, works with other Air Force medical professionals to treat a three-month-old infant in the emergency room at Alexandria Hospital in St. Kitts and Nevis, March 28, 2025. As part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025, Air Force and host nation healthcare providers worked together to provide enhanced care capabilities while bolstering Airman readiness through extensive patient care experience. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force Maj. Ann Kronenwetter, 433rd Medical Squadron pediatrician, reviews and coordinates the medications being used to treat a three-month-old infant in the emergency room at Alexandria Hospital in St. Kitts and Nevis, March 28, 2025. As part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025, Air Force and host nation healthcare providers worked together to provide enhanced care capabilities while bolstering Airman readiness through extensive patient care experience. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force Maj. Mohammed Osman, 433rd Medical Squadron neurocritical care physician, works with a team of Nevisian and Air Force medical professionals to treat a three-month-old infant in the emergency room at Alexandria Hospital in St. Kitts and Nevis, March 28, 2025. As part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025, Air Force and host nation healthcare providers worked together to provide enhanced care capabilities while bolstering Airman readiness through extensive patient care experience. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res After that point, LAMAT 25 team members shifted from St. Kitts to Nevis to support the case. Maj. Ann Kronenwetter, a 433rd Medical Squadron pediatrician, and Maj. Mohammed Osman, a 433rd MDS neurocritical care physician, made the urgent journey from one island to the other, providing additional expertise. “The events in the resuscitation bay were particularly unique,” Osman pointed out. “Having several medical professionals with different specialties put their minds together to help this incredibly young patient in dire need, along with the amazing and outstanding professional efforts of nurses and medical technicians, it was all a humbling experience.” Reflecting on the intensity of the case later, Osman noted “Medicine is the ultimate team sport. The best doctor in the world can’t do everything on their own. The best surgeon in the world cannot do everything on their own.” Ultimately, the cooperation between the Nevisian and Air Force medical teams allowed the three-month-old an opportunity to receive a higher level of care. Thanks to the joint Nevisian-American team’s lifesaving efforts and the generous support of a medical charity, the child was airlifted out of the country to receive more specialized care. During the St. Kitts and Nevis phase of LAMAT 25, more than 2,200 patients received treatment, 600-plus people underwent surgical and non-surgical interventions, thousands of hours of readiness training were accomplished, and Air Force medical professionals helped deliver a grand-total of at least $80,000 worth of care to the host nation’s populace. Representatives of all the partner nations participating in the St. Kitts and Nevis phase of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission hold hands during the singing of “Heal the World” as part of the closing ceremony for this phase April 4, 2025. LAMAT, a global health engagement initiative, enhances U.S. Air Force medical readiness while strengthening partnerships with allied nations. Through hands-on collaboration, LAMAT fosters knowledge exchange, improves healthcare capabilities, and builds lasting relationships with host nation medical providers.(U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Leaders from Air Forces Southern, Air Force Reserve Command, and the government of St. Kitts and Nevis celebrated these accomplishments and the tireless effort of those involved during the closing ceremony held April 4 held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort just outside the capital city of Basseterre. “Military medical personnel are tasked with being ready to deploy anywhere in the world at a moment's notice to provide support in crisis or conflict,” said Col. Brian Gavitt, AFSOUTH command surgeon and one of the lead planners for LAMAT 25. “LAMAT tests our ability to do that… It tests our ability to plan, move, organize, and deliver results,” Gavitt said. “It tests our adaptability and interoperability. It tests our teams by exposing them to diagnoses, conditions and equipment they aren't familiar with.” As a global health engagement, LAMAT is designed to bolster Airman readiness through extensive patient care and training opportunities, all while enhancing host nation medical capabilities and building enduring partnerships through knowledge exchange and cooperation. “LAMAT is critical to achieving and demonstrating our deployment readiness,” said Maj. Gen. Frank Bradfield III, AFRC deputy commander, who visited St. Kitts and Nevis to see first-hand the critical contribution of Citizen Airmen to the mission. Of the more than 60 Airmen supporting this phase of LAMAT 25, at least 48 were members assigned to AFRC units like the 433rd Medical Group. “More importantly, the future measure of success lies in the enduring partnerships we have built here,” Bradfield added. “We have forged a powerful partnership rooted in mutual respect, shared knowledge, and the collective goal of improving health and wellbeing of St. Kitts and Nevis. Illustrating those elements of partnership, respect, and exchange… another case involving a young life positively touched by LAMAT 25. At Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, a 433rd MDS surgical team spent their two weeks on the mission embedded in the hospital operating room, working alongside Kittitian surgeons and surgical staff. Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Daisy Victoria (left), 433rd Medical Squadron surgical technician, and Capt. Albert Scott (right), 433rd Medical Squadron certified registered nurse anesthetist, prepare to move a patient following a procedure at Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 27, 2025. The Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 missions strengthened U.S.-Kittitian capabilities, trust, and partnership while enhancing Air Force medical readiness.(U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jocelyn Raymundo Grinstead (center right), a 433rd Medical Squadron lead surgical technician, assists Dr. Natalie Osborne (center left), a Kittitian general surgeon, during a surgical procedure to repair a hernia at Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 27, 2025. The Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission enhances U.S. Air Force medical readiness while strengthening partnerships with allied nations. Through hands-on collaboration, LAMAT fosters knowledge exchange, improves healthcare capabilities and builds lasting relationships with host nation medical providers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Nicole Davidson (left), a 433rd Medical Squadron surgical nurse, and Staff Sgt. Daisy Victoria (center right), a 433rd Medical Squadron surgical technician, assist Dr. Natalie Osborne (right), a Kittitian general surgeon, during a surgical procedure to remove a coin lodged in a 3-year-old boy’s stomach at Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 27, 2025. As part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission facilitates the exchange of medical knowledge, strengthens partnerships, and improves the capabilities of both U.S. and host nation medical personnel.(U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res One of the more unique cases they fielded; a six-year-old boy who swallowed a coin which became lodged in his stomach. The 433rd MDS team not only supported the surgical staff but also provided additional experience and expertise which proved critical in the successful removal of the coin. Dr. Natalie Osborne, a Kittitian general surgeon, and other medical professionals listen to a lecture about traumatic brain injuries at Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, April 1, 2025. The lecture, part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission, served as an opportunity for host nation physicians like Osborne to exchange knowledge and build partnerships with the U.S. Air Force medical professionals, strengthening trust between the U.S. and partner nations throughout the Lesser Antilles (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “The purpose of this mission is for our team to be strengthened when you are not here,” said Dr. Natalie Osborne, the Kittitian surgeon who performed the coin extraction. “Everything comes down to education when we are building these relationships. We do so much with the little we have… we appreciate and benefit a lot from these teams like LAMAT.” Knowledge exchange is a pillar of the LAMAT missions. That exchange was happening not only in the hospitals and clinics, but also in other training settings including a joint U.S. Army, Air Force tactical combat casualty care class for Kittitian and Nevisian first responders, an advanced cardiac life support refresher course, and a lecture on the latest traumatic brain injury treatments. Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S Air Force Maj. Mohammed Osman, 433rd Medical Squadron neurocritical care physician, delivers a lecture about traumatic brain injuries at Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, April 1, 2025. The lecture was part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission, a global health engagement designed to facilitate the exchange of medical knowledge, while enhancing host nation medical capabilities and sharpening Airman readiness through extensive patient care experience. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis Kittitian health care providers practice advanced cardiac life support techniques following a training session offered by U.S. Air Force medical professionals at Newtown Dental Clinic in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 28, 2025. Part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission, the training session allowed for the exchange of knowledge and the strengthening of partnerships between host nation and Air Force medical professionals. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res 250325-F-RT683-2034 U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Luther Alston, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade Medical Operations NCO, demonstrates a bandaging technique on U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Anibal Espinoza, a 433rd Medical Squadron medical technician, outside Joseph N. France General Hospital ins Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 25, 2025. Reserve Citizen Airmen and Soldiers hosted a casualty care training event for first responders across St. Kitts and Nevis as part of the LAMAT 2025 mission, a global health engagement focused on enhancing U.S. medical readiness and strengthening host nation healthcare capabilities. The training facilitated an exchange of knowledge, with Airmen and Soldiers providing in-class instruction followed by hands-on practice. First responders from the St. Kitts and Nevis Defense Force, Coast Guard, and local paramedics participated, helping to improve overall emergency response capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The lessons Air Force personnel learned from carrying out this mission, and working alongside the host nation partners, were also a vital part of that knowledge exchange. “Our contingency operations look a lot like what they do every day,” said Col. James “Matt” Bershinsky, 433rd Medical Group commander and LAMAT 25 commander. “The medical professionals down here, they have to figure out how to do these things in an environment we aren't used to working in, so we are learning as much from them as they are from us.” The spirit of cooperation was evident throughout the mission. 250325-F-RT683-1492 Dr. Heather Jensen (left), a Non-Government Organization (NGO) audiologist, conducts a hearing test on an 11-year-old Kittitian boy at the Halliday-Smith Primary School in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis March 26, 2025. As part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission, U.S. Air Force audiologists partnered with an audiology-focused NGO to visit schools in St. Kitts, providing hearing screenings and specialized care otherwise unavailable on the island. LAMAT 25 is a global health engagement aimed at enhancing Airmen’s readiness while strengthening U.S. partnerships in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S Air Force Capt. Jessica Hall (center left),910th Medical Squadron dietician, provides nutritional education to a Kittitian couple during a health fair at the Newtown Community Center as part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission in St. Kitts and Nevis, April 2, 2025. As part of LAMAT 25, a team of Air Force nutrition experts worked with the St Kitts and Nevis Ministries of Health and Education representatives to educate people about proper dietary habits. LAMAT, a global health engagement initiative, enhances U.S. Air Force medical readiness while strengthening partnerships with allied nations. Through hands-on collaboration, LAMAT fosters knowledge exchange, improves healthcare capabilities, and builds lasting relationships with host nation medical providers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jessica Harvey (right), 433rd Medical Squadron dentist, and Master Sgt. Carmen Depaola (left), 349th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental technician, repair a patient’s chipped tooth at Pogson Dental Clinic on St. Kitts and Nevis, April 1, 2025. Dental support is one of the capabilities that partner nations most commonly request as part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) missions. The St. Kitts and Nevis phase of LAMAT 25 featured a team of eight dentists and dental technicians working alongside host nation professionals to help hundreds of people on the island while enhancing Airman readiness through extensive patient care experience. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Whether it was the audiology team, teaching local nurses how to assist with hearing aids, after fitting some 168 patients with new hearing aids, ensuring the service can continue even though there are no audiologists on the island. Or the nutrition team, providing dietary counseling and education to hundreds of patients, and working with the staff who prepare meals for school children, all in an effort to combat the rate of diabetes on St. Kitts and Nevis. Plus, a team of Air Force dentists and dental techs, who worked with local providers at a host of clinics across both islands to treat some 276 patients. All these efforts showcase the success of LAMAT 25, which not only left Active Duty and Citizen Airmen better prepared to respond anytime, anywhere… but also left thousands of lives better off and the partnership between the United States and St. Kitts and Nevis stronger than ever. U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Frank Bradfield III, Air Force Reserve Command deputy commander, and Col. James “Matt” Bershinsky, 433rd Medical Group commander, pose for a photo with the Honorable Dr. Terrance M. Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, following the closing ceremony for the St. Kitts and Nevis phase of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission April 4, 2025. Bradfield presented the prime minister with a token of appreciation, in recognition of partnership between the United States and St. Kitts and Nevis, which has been strengthened by the LAMAT global health engagement. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Prime Minister Drew concluded the closing ceremony with a message of gratitude and an invitation. “May a spirit of collaboration continue to ripple across our shores,” Drew said. “May it remind us that when we work in harmony, our possibilities are limitless.” He added “To all who played a role in this mission… Thank you! Your hands healed, but your hearts inspire. On behalf of the government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis, we look forward to LAMAT 2026. We commit not only to welcoming you back, but to build upon the legacy we are creating together.” Click here or the full coverage of all LAMAT 2025 missions Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force members participating in the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission pose for a group photo outside of Joseph N. France (JNF) General Hospital in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 25, 2025. JNF is one of the key locations where Airmen are augmenting local medical capabilities while enhancing their own readiness through extensive patient care experience, which is the goal of LAMAT 25, a global health engagement spanning four nations and involving hundreds of U.S. service members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis Members of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025 mission pose for a group photo with the Honorable Dr. Terrance M. Drew (center), the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Minister of Health, and other key Kittitian and Nevisian leaders at the Governor General’s official residence in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, April 2, 2025. The prime minister organized a reception as a gesture of gratitude for the work the LAMAT 25 team performed as part of a global health engagement which helped more than 2,000 patients on the island throughout the course of two weeks. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Saving Lives, Building Partnerships: LAMAT 25 Delivers Critical Care, Reserve Readiness in St. Kitts and Nevis U.S. Air Force medical personnel pose for a group photo outside Alexandria Hospital in Charlestown, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 26, 2025. As part of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2025, these Airmen are supporting the staff at Alexandria Hospital, boosting the facility’s capability while enhancing Airmen readiness through extensive patient care experience. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res