PARAMARIBO, SURINAME -- 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 medical administration technician assigned to the 931st Aerospace Medical Squadron, 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 few people ever saw.
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 and Air Force Reserve Command. The two-week Global Health Engagement, 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.
“I provide mission-ready equipment, used to service patient needs, by fixing what was inoperable when it was delivered to me,” Atkins said. “It can take weeks, sometimes months, to get new equipment. We have to get innovative so providers can continue caring for patients.”
But unlike the doctors and nurses whose work was center stage, Atkins’ contribution unfolded behind the curtains as he serviced patient beds, electrocardiograms, blood pressure pumps, respiratory devices and “anything that touches a patient,” as he explained. His civilian career as a biomedical equipment specialist enabled him to support the hospital’s 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.
It was a job made even more complex by the tools he didn’t have.
“The Air Force provides us with a lot of resources,” he said. “Here, I’m 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’s been a valuable learning opportunity.”
Atkins wasn’t 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.
“What people may not know is how creative we have to be under pressure,” he said. “Panic can’t 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 ‘professional street-smarts,’ because there are always unique problems outside of what textbooks teach you.”
His approach didn’t 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.
“He is extremely helpful,” said Nico Djamikoen, one of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo biomedical technicians. “When 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’s been an amazing help, and he’s fun to have around.”
Another team member added with a laugh: “He can stay as long as he wants — we’d love to keep him.”
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.
“The [Surinamese] have been so welcoming and open to sharing how they do things,” Atkins said. “I’m glad to be here to help. I feel a great sense of importance, like what we’re doing here is genuinely mission essential.”
This was Atkins’ first AMISTAD mission, and one he volunteered for after previously deploying to Poland in a one-deep position.
“I like to push myself out of my comfort zone,” he said. “I 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.”
Atkins’ experience underscores one of AMISTAD’s 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.
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.
Despite the mission’s short duration, Atkins said he felt the urgency and necessity of his work from the first day.
“My impression of this mission is just how essential our help and resources are to these people,” he said. “It 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.”
Though AMISTAD 2025 was centered on medical care, Atkins’ role is a reminder that successful missions aren’t just measured in patients seen — but in the infrastructure that enables their care.
“I hope to walk away with the knowledge that I was able to help someone who needed it,” he said. “That’s what inspired me [to enlist], and it’s what continues to bring me fulfillment.”