OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:05 AM PT — Wed. Nov. 28, 2018
The Pentagon has deployed one of the Navy’s hospital ships to relieve countries swamped with Venezuelan migrants, who have fled the Maduro regime.
On Tuesday, the USNS Comfort docked off Colombia’s coast and took aboard hundreds of patients as it is set to treat thousands this week.
Venezuelans and Colombians were able to receive a number of free services from health screenings to surgery.
Comfort is fully equipped with a pharmacy, blood bank, operating rooms, labs and other medical devices.
Colombian and Venezuelan patients walk towards a helicopter to be flown from the USNS Comfort hospital ship to Riohacha, Colombia, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
The efforts are part of an 11-week humanitarian mission, with more stops planned in neighboring countries.
“I think it’s people taking care of people. I’m a father, so I know if someone takes care of my wife or daughter I’m willing to (say) ‘hey, let’s make an impact.’ And I’ll tell you…I’ve been in command here for 18 months and I’ve had all but a dozen people come up to me, either civilian or now in the military, that said that either the Comfort or our sister ship, the Mercy, came to my country when I was 5 or 6 years of age and they came to America, because they wanted to be a part of a country that does great things like this.” — Kevin Buckley, Commanding Officer – USNS Comfort
Colombia currently hosts one million refugees, and the government said it could be hosting four million by 2021.