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Air Force reservists get certified at Patriot ‘06

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chance Babin
  • Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
While most of the more than 2,200 players in Patriot '06 are 30 miles away at Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, a group of 60 Air Force reservists here are getting their hands dirty setting up and running an expeditionary medical support system, all the while gaining their required EMEDS certification. Patriot runs July 15-28 with a capstone exercise taking place July 23-26.

Patriot ‘06 is a National Guard Bureau exercise with members of the Air and Army National Guard and Air Force reservists participating in joint operational environment. The exercise simulates a real-world deployment, which is enhanced by the presence of reservists, active-duty troops and coalition forces from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Turkmenistan and Canada.

The EMEDS system was built in 1999, replacing large cumbersome air-transportable hospitals of the past. EMEDS allows treatment from first responder to Level III medical care and is the core ground medical system used in the Air Expeditionary Force and Homeland Security.

Lead unit for the Fort McCoy EMEDS group is Air Force Reserve Command's 442nd Medical Group, Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The instructors are lead by Air National Guard people from Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan.

"I've done many exercises with Alpena," said Lt. Col. Joanie Peterson, commander for EMEDS at Fort McCoy and the 442nd Medical Squadron's chief of training. "They are excellent, professional and keep you motivated to a succinct schedule. And you walk away with experience that you can take with you to war, if that should happen. They give you all the tools and experience you'll need."

While Alpena is the lead, the cadre is also represented by instructors from Sheppard AFB, Texas, and Brooks City Base, Texas. Sheppard is the home of Reserve EMEDS, while Brooks is the active duty's EMEDS home.

"The students get their EMEDS certification out of this and they later play a role in Patriot ‘06 as a medical field hospital and a triage to prepare them for aeromedical evacuation," said Tech. Sgt. Chris Keller, an Alpena CRTC instructor.

The task of the EMEDS is to triage patients, treat them and prepare them for aeromedical evacuation, said Tech. Sgt. Christopher E. Miller, an X-ray technologist from the 442nd MDS.

After one week of training, the students receive their certification, which is a requirement every 40 months.

The Guard and Reserve medics bonded together quickly, according to Sergeant Keller.

"I can't tell one from the other," Sergeant Keller said. "The group has been great. They show a lot of initiative and are very willing to get out there and work hard."

The first two days the group was setting up the EMEDS, Wisconsin was experiencing a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"It was really hot," Sergeant Keller said. "We had to make sure people took breaks and kept safety in mind."

But the one thing that has stood out to all participants is the teamwork and camaraderie the group has enjoyed.

"It's been some intense training," said Sergeant Miller. "There's a lot of information they are throwing at you in a short time.

"They are trying to keep it as realistic as possible, which is going to enable us to be better prepared for a deployment," he said. "The best thing is the good teamwork. Everyone has chipped in and done their part. We're all on the same page. We are a cohesive unit." (AFRC News Service)