Delaware National Guard

In what has become a Delaware Guard community service tradition, the 59^th set up shop at Bancroft School in Wilmington and once again gave free medical examinations to disadvantaged children making them eligible to attend a summer camp for youths.

This marked the sixth year of Guard cooperation with the National Youth Sports Corporation (NYSC), a nonprofit group dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk boys and girls through education. The NYSC offers two and a half-week summer camps, over the course of which, children are introduced to such varied activities as swimming, basketball, dancing, fine art, music, math and science - things they might never be exposed to if it weren’t for NYSC.

Camp participants are legally required to undergo a physical within six months of starting camp, yet many children can’t afford the exam or don’t have easy access to the required health care. By providing free physical exams, the Guard allows many children to attend the NYSC camp, who otherwise would not have the opportunity to do so.

Col. Ted Harcke, commander of the 59^th Medical Detachment, said he was expecting nearly 300 children to show up for physicals during this year’s exercise. "Last year we found five kids to have high glucose, and their own doctors had not picked this up." Harcke said many of these children only see a physician in emergencies or when sick. This medical examination screens for many potential health problems. The children’s vital signs were taken, their height and weight recorded, blood sugar level is tested, and they are given a dental examination. The children’s parents are presented with a completed health record after the examination for future records.

While most of the 59^th was away on annual training this weekend, this group was more than able to hold down the fort. The remaining group of five medical doctors, one nurse practitioner, several physicians’ assistants and a host of motivated medics was more than up to the task. Three groups of about 100 children each were examined, at a rate of one hour per group.

Staff Sgt. Hodges Williamson, noncommissioned officer in charge of the 59th dental section said community service is not something new to the 59^th either at home or around the globe. The unit has conducted annual training in both the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, where they provided a full range of health care services to the local populations. This drill weekend, the 59^th worked only in a diagnostic role.

You can’t save the world in a drill weekend, Hodges mused, but you can certainly improve it. Hodges said any health problems that came up during the physicals would be made very clear to parents. One parent, Lyneka Jackson of New Castle, was pleased the Guard was on hand to help and she was eager to comment. "It’s good that they [the Guard] provide the physicals. It’s important to know the children are okay before sending them off to camp."

Although Lyneka’s daughter, Arleisha, didn’t care very much for the physical, she was also thankful – because now it was time to go out and play.