Kadena Air Base, Japan. -- Behind every mission-ready aircraft, every deployment, and every operational success lies a force few see but everyone depends on: Public Health. At Kadena Air Base, the 18th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron’s Public Health team plays a vital role in preserving mission readiness, quietly ensuring that health threats never derail operations.
Charged with overseeing the health and safety of 82 food establishments and 31 public facilities across the installation, this team provides essential protection for the thousands of service members and families who live, work and train here.
Whether inspecting a dining facility, commissary, or childcare center, they enforce strict sanitation standards that prevent illness and safeguard operational capability.
The team’s scope spans four critical focus areas: communicable disease surveillance, food safety and public facility sanitation, occupational health oversight, and deployment readiness. Each area contributes directly to force health protection by identifying risks before they become mission-compromising threats.
“Food safety is critical,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Reina Morales, 18th OMRS public health technician. “We’re not just inspecting kitchens, we’re preventing disease that can take Airmen out of the fight.”
As the lead for food and sanitation efforts, Morales conducts both scheduled and emergency inspections, ensuring infrastructure across Kadena remains safe and resilient. The Public Health team also responds to potential outbreaks and enforces strict hygiene practices to keep the mission on track.
Their work extends beyond dining halls. Facilities like the Wakaba Child Development Center fall under their purview, where inspectors ensure proper sanitation, facility safety and immunization compliance; helping protect not only the force but also the families who support it.
“Our job is to prevent illness before it impacts the mission,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Afua Kwenua Owiredu Gyamera, 18th OMRS non-commissioned officer in charge of community health. “Keeping our Airmen healthy is our priority, so we’re out there every day ensuring facilities are safe, clean and compliant.”
From proactive inspections to rapid emergency response, the Public Health team at Kadena stands as a quiet cornerstone of readiness, ensuring that health threats never get the chance to compromise the mission or the Airmen who carry it out.