Photo By Staff Sgt. Leanna Russell | The medic section of the 115th HHB conduct land navigation and medical assessment...... read more read more
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CURT GOWDY STATE PARK, Wyo. — Soldiers assigned to the 115th Field Artillery Brigade’s medical section conducted realistic, scenario-driven training during April drill weekend at Curt Gowdy State Park. The training tested their ability to navigate rugged terrain, assess casualties and execute complex patient evacuations.
The training was led by Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Boor, who recently assumed his role as medic section leader during his first drill with the unit. He emphasized the importance of conducting training in realistic environments that reflect both combat operations and domestic emergency response.
Boor began his military career as a line medic with the 2-300 field artillery and deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019–2020. Following his deployment, he served for several years in a medical detachment before joining the 115th, where he is now responsible for overseeing training and readiness for the unit’s medics.
“This was a very realistic scenario,” Boor said. “It’s one thing to train inside an armory where everything is controlled, but it’s completely different when you add terrain, elevation and environmental challenges. That’s what prepares Soldiers for real-world missions.”
During the exercise, Soldiers were assigned grid coordinates and required to plot points on a map before navigating to a simulated casualty location. Upon arrival, they conducted a full patient assessment, stabilized the casualty and prepared them for movement.
Medics used a sled system and rope techniques to transport the patient across the challenging terrain at Curt Gowdy State Park, moving over steep inclines, rocky surfaces and wooded areas to reach a designated helicopter landing zone. After arriving at the landing zone, Soldiers navigated back to the starting point, reinforcing their land navigation skills and endurance under load.
“It’s especially relevant to Wyoming,” Boor said. “The terrain here is very similar to areas we’ve operated in overseas. You’re not always going to have ideal conditions, so you need to be able to perform your job in any environment.”
For Molly Ialenti, a specialist in the unit who works as an emergency room technician and holds an advanced EMT certification, the training closely mirrors both her military duties and civilian career.
“We used the MARCH assessment — massive hemorrhage, airway, respirations, circulation and hypothermia,” Ialenti said. “That comes from combat medicine, but it’s also the foundation for what we do on the civilian side.” Ialenti said the most challenging aspect of the training was not reaching the casualty, but safely evacuating them.
“You can get up the mountain without a casualty fairly easily,” she said. “But once you add a patient, your gear and the terrain, everything changes. You have to figure out how to move them safely to a flat area where a helicopter can land.”
The medic team is composed of Soldiers with diverse civilian backgrounds, including nursing students, a pharmacy student, law enforcement officers and professionals pursuing careers outside the medical field.
“That diversity makes us stronger,” Ialenti said. “Some of us work with patients every day, and others don’t. Training like this brings everyone to the same level and helps us learn from each other.”
Boor said his focus moving forward is to continue building realistic, mission-oriented training that challenges Soldiers and improves overall readiness.
“My goal is to give these Soldiers the kind of training they need and want,” he said. “Training that’s going to make them better medics and better Soldiers for whatever mission they’re called to.”
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2026 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 563226 |
| Location: | CHEYENNE, WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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