Korean, US Soldiers brave cold, test medical skills

Photo By Sgt. Maj. Andrew Kosterman | South Korean medical soldiers tend to injuries of a simulated casualty during a training exercise with Soldiers from 65th Medical Brigade and other elements of the U.S. Eighth Army near Yangju, South Korea Feb. 26, 2015. The purpose of the combined Korea-U.S. military exercise was to synchronize medical operations in the event of a mass casualty situation caused by chemical or biological munitions. Col. Dallas W. Homas, commander of the U.S. 65th Medical Brigade and most of the American medical assets present for the training, said the key tasks of the exercise were accomplished during the training, but both the U.S. and Korean armies "must continue to train hard because there may come a day when this training and emergency care may be needed on the battlefield." (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Kosterman/Eighth Army public affairs office)  

YANGJU-GUN, 41, SOUTH KOREA

02.26.2015

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Kosterman 

8th Army

YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea - On a small military airfield about 20 miles south of the border that separates North and South Korea, Soldiers from South Korea's and America's armies have gathered in windy and cool conditions to test their ability to deal with a medical emergency caused by chemical munitions.

The scenario is simple; Soldiers from both armies were conducting an operation together when artillery rounds landed near their position, instantly injuring more than a dozen troops. The environment is also suspected to have been contaminated by weaponized chemicals when the first responders arrive.

This basic concept is the result of months of planning and coordination between the ROK Army and the U.S. Eighth Army that resulted in a one-day culmination exercise. Leading the efforts for the U.S. was the 65th Medical Brigade.

"Today's training exercise began with a discussion back in December at the (Republic of Korea) and U.S. combined (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) conference," said Col. Dallas Homas, commander of the 65th Medical Brigade and most of the American medical presence for the training. "From there, the medical community proposed this (field training exercise) to combine our CBRN efforts, doctrine and operations to synchronize our training between ROK and U.S. Role I and Role II facilities." Role is a term used to describe the four tiers of medical support, each of which is determined by its organization and capabilities.

Within the two months following the conference, military planners worked to combine CBRN and medical assets for a synergistic effort which some believe is necessary to handle a large medical emergency.

"Today's training prepares us for what we would do in the event of a mass casualty situation," said Maj. Lee Yong-woon, the head of the 27th ROK Army Division's medical staff. "This also strengthens the ROK-U.S. alliance."

The exercise consisted of four areas that medical and CBRN specialists focused their attention: triage and evacuation of patients, decontamination of patients and their equipment, advanced triage and treatment of patients, and ambulatory decontamination. Medics served as the first responders, picking up patients on a simulated battlefield with smoke serving as a chemical contaminant. The medics conducted first aid and then loaded and transported casualties to a waiting ambulance for transport to advanced stages of treatment.

An after-action review, or AAR, was organized after the training for both sides to learn and improve upon actions rehearsed.

"There are no major differences between the two countries on how they treat patients," said Lee, the ROKA medical officer. "However, in some method of treatments, such as detoxification and contamination control, the ROK and U.S. placed different importance on each of the steps. There were also some differences among some medical equipment. I believe we will be able to further discuss the differences and form a unified treatment method for both countries."

One of the improvements was for Korean medics to carry survival blankets commonly used by hikers and U.S. medics to control the body temperature of patients. This lesson came courtesy of a strong February wind that chilled role players during the drill as their gear was removed during simulated decontamination. Americans learned quickly the need for interpreters when conducting treatment.

Capt. Victor Morales, company commander of the 692nd Medical Company (Area Support), also noted differences in medical practice and procedure between the two entities.

"We have some differences in how we treat patients, but we want to understand what (the Koreans) do and we want them to learn from the way we've been doing this all these years," said Morales, referring to the American military's recent experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Participants from both armies agreed that future training together is inevitable that further testing of medical capabilities should continue. Among the suggestions from the AAR was to conduct another training exercise, but during warmer, summer months.

• Date Taken: 02.26.2015
• Date Posted: 03.01.2015 07:34
• Story ID: 155641
• Location: YANGJU-GUN, 41, KR