Operation Lone Star 2009 kicks off in Raymondville

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Andrew Dumboski
  • Operation Lone Star Public Affairs
Day one of Operation Lone Star 2009 at Raymondville High School opened it's doors at 8 a.m. today, and it wasn't long before visitors started to arrive. Customers were signing in and having their vitals checked as volunteers and staff made final preparations for the week-long clinic. "Day one is usually the roughest," said Texas Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Keleigh Estes, as she looked for prescription pads in the storage truck. Estes spent much of the morning taking care of loose ends like making sure signs were up so customers would not get lost, and that all of the stations had the supplies they need. And Estes wasn't alone. Volunteers, nurses and military personnel could be seen carrying sanitary wipes, boxes of gloves and plastic bags. "Things usually calm down within a few hours once everyone gets a flow going," Estes said. By 10 a.m., the team had ironed out many of the kinks in the system and customers were flowing through the stations and receiving the care they need. "OLS provides a huge benefit to a lot of people who don't have the opportunity to receive medical care, and we're doing it for free," Estes said. The services that the Raymondville clinic provides do not just benefit the customers. "I get personal satisfaction out of thinking that I may have helped make someone better," she said.