MARSECDET conducts medevac training

Photo By Pvt. Kourtney Grimes | A Coast Guardsman with the Joint Task Force Guantanamo's Maritime Security Detachment stands ready on a Port Security boat to support medevac training in the bay at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay July 31.  

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA

08.07.2014

Story by Pvt. Kourtney Grimes 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY Cuba-Out on the bay, the list of duties
of Joint Task Force Guantanamo’s Maritime Security Detachment, Port Security Unit 312 are many. From offshore patrols to emergencies within the bay, the MARSECDET is ready to respond. One of the most important duties of the MARSECDET is responding to medical emergencies that require an escort across the bay. To prepare for these emergencies, the MARSECDET conducts bi-monthly training with the Marine Corps to ensure efficiency.

Beginning with a call and ending when the “injured” Marine is transported to the U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, this high-speed drill is one that must be conducted with the highest level of accuracy.

“We’ll receive information from the Marine Corps, usually that will come through our hammerhead and will come via nine-line medevac,” said Coast Guard Lt. Michael Henson, operations officer with the MARSECDET. “Once we receive that information we will respond to one of three locations on the Leeward side. So the Marine Corps will take the Marine to one of our landing sites where we can then proceed in. They are placed on a stokes litter when we bring them on board and we will then transport them over to the Navy hospital for care.”

While the training is necessary for the working experience of responding to a medevac, it is also crucial to the working relationships of those in the bay.

“We found many deficiencies when we first arrived at GTMO, primarily our interoperability with the radios. We’re now able to communicate directly with the field supervisors with the Marine Corps,” said Henson. “With that we can respond much quicker with the valued information that we need to respond on.”

A single drill requires the effort of many service members from different branches. It takes a crew of four Coast Guardsmen to occupy one boat, the Marine point of contact, his men and a vehicle as well as the Coast Guard logistics team that works in the hammerhead to successfully accomplish this training exercise, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Curtis Clinton.

Because the unit that occupies the MARSECDET is a reserve port security unit, they haven’t had the chance to do training like this before.

“Primarily, the training that we do back home is anti-terrorism force protection, but we’re not primarily working with other services. So giving us the opportunity down here to work with the Marine Corps and the Army just gives us a much broader respect to our mission down here,” said Henson.

• Date Taken: 08.07.2014
• Date Posted: 08.07.2014 15:16
• Story ID: 138611
• Location: GUANTANAMO BAY, CU