Tier III Medical now a part of Army Europe training center rotations

Photo By Sgt. Juanita Philip | 30th Medical Brigade leadership, along with distinguished visitors who attended the capabilities overview at Camp Aachen, Grafenwoehr Training Area, May 24. The overview showcased the brigade’s capabilities to multi-national Allies, partner nations and U.S. Army units not familiar with a Role III medical capability facility.  

GRAFENWOEHR, BY, GERMANY

05.27.2015

Story by Sgt. Juanita Philip 

7th Army Training Command

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- The 30th Medical Brigade hosted a distinguished visitor's day and capabilities overview at Camp Aachen, Grafenwoehr Training Area, May 24, as part of exercise Combined Resolve IV.

The intent was to showcase the brigade's capabilities to multi-national Allies, partner nations and U.S. units. This is the first time that Role III medical capabilities have been incorporated into the Combined Resolve series of exercises, a new Army requirement for combat training center rotations. The capabilities overview also served to increase the understanding of a medical Echelon-Above-Brigade-Combat Team.

During Combined Resolve IV, the CSH will be providing Role III medical capabilities to 'real world' (actual casualties) and 'notional' (exercise casualties) patients who need care higher than can be provided at the Role II and I facilities. The CSH will receive most of their patients via air and ground medical evacuation.

During the visit, the 212th Combat Support Hospital, or CSH, showcased their set-up of a 32-bed Modular Early Entry Package. A standard CSH contains emergency medical services, surgical capability, intensive care services, pharmacy, radiology and laboratory all in one tent. It is self-sustaining and includes a maintenance department to repair equipment, and a laundry service.

The CSH operates as a Role III medical facility, a combat support hospital, and can provide inpatient and outpatient services for all categories of patients in a theater.

To some of the visiting group, a Role III CSH is not new, but this particular CSH was still impressive.

"I know what a Role III hospital looks like, but I'm always excited to see as a demonstrational Role III hospital on the field," said Capt. Dragos Zaharia, chief medical officer with the 634 Infantry Battalion, 15th Mechanized Brigade of the Romanian Land Forces.

"The organization, people -- everyone who works together is a great example for us. Hopefully, we'll be at our best in a few years."

Zaharia, who served in Iraq with the 21st Combat Support Hospital in 2006, expressed the desire to see a similar set up where Romanian military medical personnel could train and serve in the future.

The visiting doctors, physician assistants, nurses, nurse estheticians, medical logistics officers and combat medics are participating in Combined Resolve IV at Hohenfels Training Area -- about 80 kilometers south of Grafenwoehr -- and took a break from the exercise to visit the capabilities overview.

For many of them, this is not the first time working with the brigade. According to Sgt. 1st Class Marc Migala, plans and operations non-commissioned officer in charge, the 30th MED Bde. has conducted training with many of the visiting multinational forces.

"The brigade participates with 21 of the 28 NATO nations, we do engage more with some of the larger militaries, Bulgaria and Romania specifically, as well as the Germans and a few others," Migala said.

"Previous engagements with the Bulgarians and Romanians included advanced first responder training, Viper Pit training, which is our premier medical simulation center located in Baumholder, as well as air evacuation training with the Romanians on their platforms as well as ours," Migala explained.

"We have the ability to showcase what the 30th MED Bde. can bring to the fight while supporting 'Strong Europe'. In doing so, they can see what we have as a capability, how we can look at their capabilities, and we can offer a specific aspect tailored to what they have so when we go forward training with the Regionally Aligned Force…we can work side by side simultaneously and build that partner capacity now," said Migala.

Combined Resolve IV takes place at the Army's Hohenfels and Grafenwoehr Training Areas (Germany), May 1-June 26 and features more than 4,700 participants from 13 NATO and European partner nations. The Combined Resolve series is designed to train the U.S. Army's Regionally Aligned Forces to Europe -- currently the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division out of Ft. Stewart, Georgia, and the 4th Infantry Division Mission Command Element out of Ft. Carson, Colorado. -- to function together with Allies and partner nations in the region.

• Date Taken: 05.27.2015
• Date Posted: 05.28.2015 05:14
• Story ID: 164767
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, BY, DE