After three days covering more than 6,600-miles, a distance greater than a round trip between Los Angeles and New York, Coast Guard, Army and Air National Guard personnel and volunteers have visited the three communities of Kivalina, Koyuk and Wales.

The outreach efforts to these communities have resulted in the medical doctor having treated more than 40 patients, including one lady who was recommended by Lt. Col. Dixon Christian, a U.S. Air Force doctor, for immediate medical evacuation and surgery.

Lt. Col. Huey Frye, an Air National Guard optometrist, saw more than 45 individuals, while the two veterinarians, Maj. Mike Lewis and Capt. Rhonda Ellison of the Air National Guard, treated more than 115 animals with rabies shots and other vaccinations.

Operations have also proceeded forth on the North Slope with the veterinarian there having treated more than 20 animals in Barrow and Wainwright.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has also reached out within the communities, helping promote water safety, with an emphasis on the “Kids Don’t Float” campaign.  The “Kids Don’t Float” campaign promotes child safety while on the water by loaning life jackets for kids to use while at sea.

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In this photo released by the Coast Guard, an Air National Guard HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter helps transport Coast Guard and military personnel in an outreach program to foster understanding and relations, as well as provide essential medical and veterinary services to Kivalina, Alaska. (Coast Guard photo/ Lt. Cdr. Micheal McNeil)

In this photo released by the Coast Guard, the community of Kivalina, Alaska is shown.  Coast Guard and military personnel in an outreach program to foster understanding and relations, as well as provide essential medical and veterinary services visited Kivalina a community of 400, with half of the community under the age of 18. (Coast Guard photo/ Lt. Cdr. Micheal McNeil)

In this photo released by the Coast Guard, Air Force Lt. Col. Huey Frye performs an eye exam on Isabelle Booth, a Kivalina, Alaska native.  Frye is an optometrist for the Air National Guard. (Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jon-Paul Rios)

In this photo released by the Coast Guard, Air National Guard Capt. Rhonda Ellison and Maj. Mike Lewis are escorted by the children of Kivalina, Alaska.  Ellison and Lewis were taken by the children to houses in the village with pets in need of veterinarian care. (Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jon-Paul Rios)

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Small Boat Operations begin in Nome

In this photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard small boat crews retrieve one of two 25-foot defender class small boats after launching both boats in a successful assessment of the Nome harbor facilities, Aug. 11.  Further tests of small boat capabilities in the surrounding waters will be conducted over the next two weeks. (Coast Guard photo/ Petty Officer First Class David Mosley)

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Coast Guard kicks off Operation Arctic Crossroads

Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, Army National Guard, Air National Guard and U.S. Public Health Services personnel have deployed to Nome beginning a 20 day initiative to provide medical, dental, optometry, boating safety awareness and other community services to more than eight boroughs throughout Northern Alaska, and to determine operational effectiveness and overall capabilities of assets.

The operation kicked off today with a 10-member team, made up of a doctor, an optometrist, two veterinarians and support personnel visiting the community of Kivalina. Operational effectiveness operations also kicked off with the launching of Coast Guard small boats at Nome to assess asset capabilities and local infrastructure compatibility.

Operation Arctic Crossroads is a community outreach across northern Alaska, in an effort to integrate local knowledge with military expertise to meet the many challenges of Arctic operations.