Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    586th Field Hospital Conducts Pre-Deployment Casing Ceremony

    586th Field Hospital Conducts Pre-Deployment Casing Ceremony

    Photo By Fred Holly | FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky - 586th Field Hospital Commander Lt. Col. Frances Young and...... read more read more

    FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, UNITED STATES

    08.20.2024

    Story by Russell Tafuri 

    Blanchfield Army Community Hospital

    FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky - The 586th Field Hospital, Eagle Medic Team, and a portion of the 531st Hospital Center held a casing of the colors ceremony Aug. 20 at 2:30 p.m. on the 586th grounds, in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Kuwait this fall in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

    The 586th FH provides expeditionary and tailored Role 3 healthcare to warfighters and supported forces conducting joint and full-spectrum operations across the globe.

    “Our nested focus will be on people, partnerships, and innovations in healthcare during OSS,” stated Lt. Col. Adam Sokolowski, Deputy Commander of Nursing while forward deployed.

    “Serving as the commander of the 586th Field Hospital, Eagle Medic Team, has been a goal I’ve long aspired to achieve. The opportunity to serve and lead in an operational unit like this, with its critical mission of providing healthcare in dynamic environments, is both an honor and a responsibility I’ve sought out since the beginning of my service as an Army Nurse. My background as an Army nurse has prepared me to critically think, manage chaos with empathy, maximize the strengths of my team, and care for our Warriors and their families,” said Lt. Col. Frances Young, 586th FH commander.

    While deployed forward, “the 586th will be supporting Operation Spartan Shield with Role 3 hospitalization and medical care, with hospitalization and outpatient services as the unit’s primary mission focus. We will be working with our Joint and Host Nation Partners to provide an unparalleled level of healthcare to our Service members and partners as called upon,” said Young.

    Young also commented on the transition involved in the unit's deployment and how integral communication is to the success of that transition. “We have been in contact and received helpful communication from our counterparts in Kuwait; they have provided key aspects to assist in our upcoming transition period.”

    “Our current team includes service members who have previously served in OSS, some who have deployed in support of other missions, and some for whom this will be their first deployment overseas. We have worked hard to prepare for providing care in an ever-changing operational environment,” she added.

    As is often the case, a deploying field hospital finds that the mission takes on multiple faces, requiring focus on the main mission at hand. “Much of our mission will be in a fixed structure. However, we will have several Eagle Medics stationed in a sister location, providing care in another clinic. Some Eagle Medics will even provide special mission capabilities for enduring or emerging CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) requirements,” stated Sokolowski.

    The team has been training to support just this sort of mission, and according to their leadership, they’re ready.

    “The collective efforts of the 586th Field Hospital team over the past two years have successfully prepared the team for this upcoming mission. The team has participated in several exercises, including TNMAN (a joint Tennessee Maneuvers exercise, working with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee State Guard, and various other state agencies), a few field training exercises, and a culminating training exercise at Fort McCoy in April,” stated 586th Master Sgt. Eugene Morgan.

    “We have 17 MAP (Modified Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) Assigned Personnel, or MAP) Soldiers assigned to BACH; 14 are deploying with us at this time. Our MAP staff have several specialties ranging from primary care, critical care, and sub-specialties that we are excited to bring forward to OSS,” stated Morgan.

    MAP personnel working at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital have been able to maintain their readiness skills while back in the garrison. “Our Eagle Medics have had the chance not only to maintain Soldier skill sets but to hone their craft by maintaining medical specialty skills during medical skill rotations at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital. BACH has worked with both our enlisted and officer personnel to ensure we are ready to provide both Health Service Support and Force Health Protection through patient care and dynamic simulation training opportunities,” he added.

    The 586th commander also explained the significance of the casing ceremony. “The casing of colors is a valuable tradition for us for several reasons. The colors represent the unit’s legacy, history, honor, and achievements. Casing them signifies the unit’s readiness to deploy and carry its legacy into a new chapter of service, transitioning from peacetime duties to deployment duties. This ceremony also serves to connect Soldiers and their families to longstanding military traditions, reinforcing a sense of pride, duty, and continuity within the unit. It underscores and symbolizes the sacrifices and upcoming separation faced by both the service members and their loved ones,” said Young.

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.20.2024
    Date Posted: 08.20.2024 17:35
    Story ID: 479071
    Location: FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US

    Web Views: 1,009
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN