Army, Navy medical units gel together

Photo By Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke | Soldiers and Sailors from the 399th Combat Support Hospital based out of Devens, Mass. and naval reservists from Expeditionary Medical Facilities Team ONE, out of Dallas, treat a wounded Soldier from the 354th Military Police Company based out of St. Louis after a simulated attack during Combat Support Training Exercise 91 15-01 at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., March 7, 2015. The CSTX is providing integrated training for more than 5,000 active and Reserve component troops. During training scenarios, fully-functioning dummies and live role-players were used to enhance the realism of training. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Micah VanDyke, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)  

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, UNITED STATES

03.12.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Spradlin 

19th Public Affairs Detachment

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. — With sirens wailing, Soldiers and Sailors rush to action to the thumping sound of a UH-60 Black Hawk on approach. A combined team moves equipment to the landing pad, aware that injured troops are on board and every second counts.

The urgency is real, although the crisis is simulated.

The 399th Combat Support Hospital based out of Devens, Massachusetts, is one of two Army Reserve CSH units that participated in the Combat Support Training Exercise 91 15-01, at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, from Feb. 21-March 13. The CSTX provided integrated training for more than 900 medical personnel with Army and Navy reservists working side by side.

“In a real-world scenario, that’s what we would do, work with the different branches,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Alba M. Rivera, a patient administrator with 399th CSH. “Having them here is an asset.”

Working together can often require an understanding of the differences between branches with rank structure and standard operating procedures.

Rivera said after overcoming the service-specific language the integrated teams were quickly able to get on the same page and train as one unit.

It’s become routine for naval reservists to work within an Army CSH during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq; however, not all naval personnel have worked in conjunction with Army units yet.

“This training is going to get people up to speed,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Edward Cooley, a hospital corpsman with the Expeditionary Medical Facilities Team ONE out of Dallas. He said now if a corpsman is attached to an Army hospital during a mission or deployment, they’ll know how to setup and tear down a hospital and how it will be run.

Cooley has trained and deployed with the Army. He said the integrated experience has been a huge benefit to him.

Cooley said that despite wearing a different uniform the mission gets done, “[We] come together and work as one force.”

• Date Taken: 03.12.2015
• Date Posted: 03.17.2015 14:21
• Story ID: 157252
• Location: FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, US