Hoopes Vision is proud to recognize Dr. Kirk Drennan for his recent service with the Utah Air National Guard during Exercise Amistad 2026 in Asunción, Paraguay.
Dr. Drennan is an optometrist at Hoopes Vision and serves as an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel assigned to the Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Medical Group. During the mission, he joined more than 20 National Guard medical professionals from across the United States to provide care, share clinical experience, and work alongside Paraguayan medical teams.
Exercise Amistad is an annual medical training mission designed around the needs of the host country. This year’s Paraguay mission took place June 15-26 and included Guardsmen from Utah, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The teams provided care at clinics selected by Paraguay’s Ministry of Health, with a focus on optometry and audiology services, along with dental and family care.
For Dr. Drennan, the mission centered on something he does every day: helping people understand and care for their vision. According to the National Guard Bureau, Dr. Drennan performed eye exams at a medical facility in Asunción as part of the mission.
One part of his role was especially valuable. Dr. Drennan is fluent in Spanish, which allowed him to communicate directly with patients and work more closely with his Paraguayan counterpart. In eye care, that kind of communication matters. Patients need to understand what is happening with their vision, what their options are, and what steps may help them see more clearly.
Dr. Drennan also spoke about the long-term impact of the mission. His hope was that the care and training provided during Exercise Amistad would continue helping patients after the National Guard teams returned home.
“Hopefully that translates into perpetual care, where they can go on to treat more and more patients, and we can snowball this into bigger and greater things,” Dr. Drennan told the National Guard Bureau.
That is one of the most meaningful parts of medical outreach. The work is not only about the patients seen in one clinic on one day. It is also about sharing knowledge, strengthening relationships, and supporting local medical teams as they continue caring for their communities.
At Hoopes Vision, we are grateful for Dr. Drennan’s service and proud to see his commitment to patient care extend beyond our clinic and into communities around the world.
To read the full National Guard Bureau article and watch the video from Exercise Amistad 2026, visit: https://www.war.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/4526135/national-guardsmen-bring-medical-expertise-to-paraguay/
