Photo By Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton | A team of El Salvador Primera Brigada Aérea members accomplish a tactical combat...... read more read more
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More than 50 international forces trained to provide care under fire during a Tactical Combat Casualty Care exercise in Ilopango, El Salvador, June 17-20.
The training, part of the ongoing AMISTAD campaign, brought together U.S. and Salvadoran medical personnel to build readiness and enhance cooperation in resource-limited environments across Central and South America.
U.S. Air Force Airmen demonstrated lifesaving procedures for providing care in combat conditions to El Salvador’s Primera Brigada Aérea. Salvadoran participants practiced applying tourniquets, dressing wounds, carrying litters, and performing tactical movements to treat casualties under fire.
“They did very well,” said Senior Airman Marissa Poindexter, a medical technician with the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron. “Being able to perform cricothyrotomies, needle decompressions, and administer correct medication dosages after only a week of training is impressive. They were very invested.”
The training culminated in a simulated convoy attack where Salvadoran forces responded to casualties under simulated gunfire. Teams moved patients to safety, applied care, and prepared them for aeromedical evacuation.
“They quickly identified, treated, and moved their patients to the extraction site without issue,” said Capt. Sam Hendricks, a critical care nurse with the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron.
Teams carried the wounded to a nearby landing zone, where Salvadoran pilots arrived in a Bell 412 helicopter to evacuate select patients to the Central Military Hospital for further treatment.
Poindexter noted that while the language barrier presented challenges, the enthusiasm and willingness of Salvadoran forces overcame them.
“Their eagerness to step up and participate made all the difference,” she said.
The exercise enhanced participants’ ability to respond to real-world emergencies in austere, expeditionary environments.
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2025 13:27 |
| Story ID: | 501590 |
| Location: | ILOPANGO, SV |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, US Air Force, Salvadoran forces train in simulated combat environment during AMISTAD campaign, by TSgt Justin Norton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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