Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Darrin Culp, medic instructor with 249th Regional Training Institute,...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Cory Grogan and Staff Sgt. April Davis
115 Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
PANCHKHAL, Nepal - Two Oregon citizen-soldiers displayed their proficiency and professionalism to a multinational audience using military and civilian experience to teach combat lifesaver techniques.
Staff Sgts. Darrin Culp and Joel Wilson, medic instructors with the 249 Regional Training Institute, Oregon Army National Guard, based in Monmouth, Ore., are participating in Shanti Prayas-2, hosted by the Nepalese Army and sponsored by U.S. Pacific Command as part of the Global Peace Operations Initiative program, at the Birendra Peace Operations Training Center in Panchkhal, Nepal. Exercise Shanti Prayas-2 encompasses a senior training seminar, staff officer exercise, and field training exercise.
The GPOI program is a U.S.-funded security assistance program designed to enhance international capacity to conduct United Nations and regional peace support operations by building partner country capabilities. The exercise takes place March 25 to April 7, bringing together military representatives from 23 nations to train United Nations standards for operating in future peacekeeping missions.
Culp, who lives in Grande Ronde, Ore., has been a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician for 15 years. He currently works for Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue and has served in the Oregon Army National Guard for 14 years.
Last year, Culp performed medical training assistance for Shanti Doot-3, which was also a GPOI peacekeeping exercise in Bangladesh, because of the State Partnership Program between Bangladesh and the Oregon National Guard. He said the work done there was part of the reason he and Wilson were invited to Shanti Prayas-2, and that being a firefighter and EMT is part of the reason for his success as a medical trainer.
"I do this every day and we train on a regular basis,” Culp explained. "U.S. Pacific Command invited medics to assist with first aid training during Shanti Prayas-2 in Nepal due to the great success of the training last year," Culp said.
The Oregon National Guard medics developed a training class on field medical care for Shanti Doot-3 based on guidance from U.S. Pacific Command that includes treatment of abdominal wounds, head trauma, open chest wounds, sucking chest wounds, splinting, improvised tourniquets, and techniques for evacuating wounded personnel from the field, such as buddy-carries and improvised litters.
Culp said the medical training was expanded this year.
"Last year’s training was more like a first aid class for improvised field care. This year’s training is more like a Combat Life-Saver Course with more advanced techniques," he said.
Platoons from 11 nations, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan (with a squad from Kazakhstan embedded in the Jordanian platoon), Mongolia, Nepal, Paraguay, Philippines, and Rwanda, are participating in the field-training portion of Exercise Shanti Prayas-2.
The platoons spend a full day of training on the medical lane. The Oregon National Guard medic trainers provide classroom training and then work with 10 Nepalese Army counterparts who lead the practical exercise portion where platoons treat simulated casualties.
"Working with platoons from other countries has been very enjoyable," said Culp. "Each platoon is very different.”
Culp added that being in Nepal is a meaningful experience and that he enjoys learning about new cultures.
"I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile here," said Culp. "This is valuable training for them. They are all learning new things and they all seem happy to be here."
Culp said soldiers from all of the platoons like the training and most want a video copy of the class to incorporate in their training back home.
Pfc. Agus Jarkahih, of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, said the training was great because he thinks it will help him if he ever needs to use it on a mission.
"This is good training and we really like it because our knowledge about how to help the casualty and to face and overcome the enemy is better," said Jarkahih.
Wilson, a real estate agent in Portland, Ore. who grew up in Damascus, Ore., also attributed his civilian experience as a reason for great success at the multinational training exercise.
"I am a real estate agent, so I am used to talking to people and using good communication skills," Wilson explained.
He has been in the Oregon Army National Guard for nine years and said his experience in Nepal has been great.
"It’s new and exciting, the people are very friendly," said Wilson. "They are very appreciative and respectful."
Wilson said he is impressed with the drive and ambition of the platoons at Shanti Prayas-2.
"They all pay attention and listen to what we have to say," said Wilson. "They ask a lot of ‘what-if’ questions to ensure they are doing everything the right way."
Wilson said he embraces the opportunity to learn from others too.
"We’ve also learned new things from them that we can take back to Oregon and incorporate in our training at the RTI," he said. "They can make something out of nothing. They’re like MacGyver with some of their homemade tourniquets and splints, and some of their improvised litters that they use to carry casualties."
Wilson said one of the great things about training in Nepal is seeing the bigger picture about what the nations at Shanti Prayas-2 are trying to accomplish.
"It’s rewarding to work with these platoons and help them train for peacekeeping missions," explained Wilson.
Capt. Shakhar Gurung, a Nepalese Army trainer, said the class was specifically requested at the Shanti Prayas-2 because it is practical and can be used by anyone. He was particularly impressed with how Culp and Wilson taught it.
"With the help of Culp and Wilson we have been able to figure out some of the things we were missing," Gurung said. "We know that if we do this it will be easier to save life on a mission if we need to."
He said Wilson and Culp have been doing a great job teaching their life saving skills the right way and praised the Oregon medics for their experience and patience with some of the inexperienced peacekeepers. To help the platoons understand the training, interpreters are assigned to each platoon.
"Because of their experience, this training has a chance to reach every peacekeeper here," explained Gurung. "They tell the soldier what they are doing and calmly explain why they should be doing it differently," he said.
Gurung added that he has been pleasantly surprised by the training and presentation from the Oregon soldiers.
"When I first heard we had trainers from the Oregon National Guard I didn’t know what to expect, but these guys were very, very good — some of the best."
Gurung said that personally he takes the training very seriously and mentioned a famous Nepalese battle that happened approximately 10 years ago where a soldier had a wound near his abdomen with arterial bleeding. No one knew how to stop the bleeding, he said.
"Now we know we could have found the artery and saved that guy’s life," said Gurung.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2013 08:36 |
| Story ID: | 104680 |
| Location: | PANCHKHAL, NP |
| Web Views: | 145 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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