Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from Kosovo Force 14's Liaison Monitoring Team load a simulated casualty onto...... read more read more
By Staff Sgt. Matt Scotten
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - The air was white with snow as the UH-60 Black Hawk landed in a training site at Camp Atterbury Jan. 28. Soldiers of Kosovo Force 14’s Liaison Monitoring Team had squint at the incoming aircraft as the cold snow bit at every exposed piece of skin on their faces.
These soldiers weren’t outside just enjoying the weather though, and the helicopter was providing a valuable training tool that day as soldiers used it to practice medical evacuation skills - a skill-set every soldier needs to know and all many hope they never have to use.
“This is a really good reiteration of the basics,” said Sgt. Brian D. Pohl, Farmington, N.M., native and nongovernment official coordinator for the LMT. “It’s repeating skills like this that gives you the muscle memory to do it effectively under pressure when it counts.”
The helicopter used for the training came from Detachment 1, Company C, 169th Aviation (Medical) of the Pennsylvania National Guard, who will also be deploying as part of KFOR 14. Sgt. Jason Kling, a flight medic with 169th Aviation, said he was glad he could help ensure that all KFOR 14 soldiers are receiving the best and most consistent training possible here as well as in Kosovo.
“These are perishable skills,” Kling told the LMT Soldiers during the training. “Any time any of you feel like you need to practice this some more, all any of you have to do is tell me. I don’t care if we only have one month left on the deployment. I’ll show you this all over again.”
Even though taking part in a medevac situation is nothing anyone looks forward to, 1st Lt. Ray M. Pierce, Las Cruces, N.M., native and LMT team officer in charge said he was glad to have the opportunity to sharpen his skills.
“Hopefully I never have to do this in real life,” Pierce said. “It was great training, though. I’ve been really impressed with all of our training here at Atterbury so far.”
On Jan. 28, the LMT trained on medevac training, but throughout the weeks they are spending at Camp Atterbury, they will train in several skills necessary to their deployment. Capt. Henry L. Theisen, LMT executive officer, said the climate and terrain at Atterbury make it an ideal location to train for their deployment to Kosovo.
“They have top-notch facilities here and with the hilly terrain, the woods and the weather, it all adds a definite realm of realism to our training,” said Theisen.
Many of the soldiers in the LMT have never worked together before being assigned to KFOR 14, but that didn’t matter, said Pohl. He said they have all started to bond very quickly.
“I feel extremely confident in our abilities at this point,” Pohl said.
Pohl added that what he is looking most forward to is completing his mission successfully and then going home to Farmington.
| Date Taken: | 01.28.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2011 16:47 |
| Story ID: | 64961 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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