Medical Rangers prepared to help

Temple Daily Telegram ^ | July 17, 2006 | Larry Causey

[fgoodwin]

Medical Rangers prepared to help

http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/local/2006/7/17/33092

by Larry Causey
Published July 17, 2006

Temple will be represented when the Texas Medical Rangers provide medical aid for about 6,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley during Operation Lone Star, July 22-Aug. 5.

Gov. Rick Perry formed the Texas Medical Rangers as part of the Texas State Guard in March 2003, to reinforce emergency workers at large disasters. In 2005, the Rangers supported relief efforts for evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They also took part in last year’s Operation Lone Star.

About a dozen volunteers from the Temple Texas Medical Rangers will join Operation Lone Star this summer, said Maj. Robert Feldtman, commander of the Temple group and a vascular surgeon at Scott and White Memorial Hospital. The Temple organization has about 25 members, most of them from the Temple area. A few members are from Waco, Killeen, College Station and Austin.

Among Temple Rangers going on Operation Lone Star this year are Capt. Arthur Resa, 51, and Maj. Laurie Benton, who both work at Scott and White Memorial Hospital. Resa is a registered nurse and Maj. Benton is a physician’s assistant in internal medicine.

They joined the Temple Texas Medical Rangers when it was organized about two years ago. They went on Operation Lone Star last year and assisted in the 2005 hurricane relief efforts.

Operation Lone Star is a partnership between military, civilian and public workers. It gives basic dental care, physicals, immunizations, eye exams and blood pressure screenings in poor rural subdivisions along the border.

Feldtman said the two-week operation largely equates to getting children ready to go back to school. This year it will have three locations, Brownsville, Mission and Rio Grande City, he said.

“It’s a good training exercise,” he said. “We interface with the Army National Guard, the U.S. Naval Reserve and public health workers.”

Resa spent four days in Brownsville during Operation Lone Star last summer.

[fgoodwin]

I am a member of the Texas State Guard (449th Air Support Group of the 4th Air Wing) at Lackland AFB in San Antonio. I encourage Freepers who want to support our military to consider joining their State Guard (some are called state defense force or state military reserve). For a list of legitimate state defense forces, go to:

http://www.sgaus.org/States.htm

Beware that some unofficial "militias" exist that are not state guards. Official state guards report to the adjutant general and to the state governor.