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SAUDI ARABIA (February 25, 2009) - U.S. and
Royal Saudi Land Forces, observer controller/trainers,
participating in Friendship One 2009, a bilateral field training
exercise taking place in Saudi Arabia, walked through conducting a
Medical Evacuation on injured Soldiers, Feb. 24.
With a large scale exercise such as FS One 09, several weeks of
preparation, which is commonly referred to as Receiving, Staging,
Onward movement and Integration coordination, is necessary to
ensure interoperability with the host nation and training
objectives are met.
The MEDEVAC training was conducted to help prepare the OC/Ts,
who will observe and provide feedback to U.S Soldiers and the RSLF
during the field training missions that will take place the first
week of March.
"We have seen a definite necessity to ensure that we maintain
our ties with the Saudis," said Lt. Col. Tony Carbone, U.S. advisor
to the RSLF's 6th Brigade, U.S. Military Training Mission. "And in
all honesty, it is a step up from just doing simulation exercises
to now actually putting Soldiers on the ground and executing the
missions on the ground. That's where you are going to find out
where the problems are going to be so you can fix them and be
prepared for any contingencies you ever have to form with the
Saudis."
The training included a demonstration given by U.S. Army
Central's Surgeons Office on MEDEVAC terminology and first aid
techniques used when evacuating injured personnel.
In order to unify U.S. and Saudi MEDEVAC practices, U.S.
Soldiers posed as the injured, while Saudi forces and equipment
were used to evacuate the patient. One of the evacuated Soldiers
was then flown to a hospital where civilian employees simulated how
the patient should be assessed and treated upon arrival to the
emergency room.
"It's a matter of us coming together and blending the two
systems so that we can take care of the patient," said Lt. Col.
Michael Ripley, senior flight surgeon, U.S. Military Training
Mission. "We're working with another country who has a different
system, similar, but different. Therefore, we really need to
incorporate how they see things and how they go about their
business to see if we can blend it, so that we both get to the same
goal."
Maintaining the health and safety of servicemembers is necessary
in completing missions in the field, which is a reason why MEDEVAC
training such as this is necessary to teach troops how to handle
real life emergency situations. However, this training was unique
because it provided an opportunity for Forces from different
nations to learn to work together and take care of each other.
"I was pleased with the MEDEVAC training, especially the Saudis'
reaction." said Sgt. 1st Class Keith Blackmon, patient
administration noncommissioned officer, USARCENT's Surgeons Office.
"It was truly information sharing because we both learned from each
other."
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