Servicemembers Practice Litter Loads

Photo By Spc. Alex Elliot | U.S. Navy Corpsmen from the Expeditionary Medical Facility unload a litter off a running UH-60 Black Hawk during CSTX 91-21-01, at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif. June 7, 2021. CSTX 91-21-01 is a Combat Support Training Exercise that ensures America’s Army Reserve units and Soldiers are trained and ready to deploy and bring capable, combat-ready, and lethal firepower in support of the Army and our joint partners anywhere in the world. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. Alex J. Elliot from the 362nd MPAD)  

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, UNITED STATES

06.07.2021

Story by Spc. Alex Elliot 

362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The units are taking part in an annual Combat Support Training Exercise (CSTX). The exercise was developed to improve each units’ training readiness and to assess how they perform in a dynamic operational environment.
The litter loads took place during the rehearsal portion of the exercise.
Gregory Taylor, a U.S. Navy Capt. and reserve fleet surgeon in the EMF, says his goal is to use this time to train up the lower enlisted with little deployment experience and to use the ones with more real life experience to educate them.
Taylor also emphasized how much he appreciated the Army letting the Navy come out and train with them.
“We get to know how the Army does things,” Taylor said. “Most importantly, though, they let us use their equipment and their land.”
The U.S. Army posses many land training areas, tentage, and medical facility equipment, which the Navy lacks.
The two branches synergized with their different skill sets and equipment to bolster the training.
“We all do things a little differently, but we all have the same mission: patient care,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Donna Meador, an officer in EMF Jacksonville. “It’s definitely interesting to work with other branches.”
As reservists, Taylor said, the Navy Corpsmen are usually stuck at garrison doing administration work – they are not used to being in the field.
The dry grass and dusty environment was a stark contrast compared to what these Navy Corpsmen are used to.
“Coming out and taking care of Soldiers – to actually get boots on ground – is a totally different experience than being back at garrison,” Taylor said.
G-Company, 189th Aviation Brigade facilitated with the litter loads. They supplied two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and fired them up to practice loading litters into a running helicopter, also known as hot loads.
“It’s easy to train for cold loads,” Taylor said. “To actually train on getting on and off the birds just adds to the realism.”
Readiness is Job One of America’s Army Reserve and meeting the challenge of fielding a robust, capable, ready and lethal array of forces is no small task. This exercise allowed an opportunity for the U.S. Army and Navy to intermingle and learn from each other.

• Date Taken: 06.07.2021
• Date Posted: 06.16.2021 01:52
• Story ID: 398511
• Location: FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CA, US