Photo By Capt. Katherine Sibilla | U.S. Army Maj. Jack Frawley, a physical therapist assigned to the Vermont National...... read more read more
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ZIGUINCHOR, Senegal — When U.S. Army Maj. Erin Graham, a physical therapist with the Vermont National Guard, tried helping a Senegalese woman with a broken femur out of bed, she immediately noticed something was wrong.
The hospital bed would not lower. Its wheels would not lock into place.
As Graham and her team worked to safely move the patient, the bed shifted beneath them, creating another challenge in an already difficult situation. It was a reminder that, in austere environments, many of the tools and systems Graham relies on back home simply may not be available.
“It’s the little things you don’t think about at home,” Graham said. “Things like adjustable beds, wedges, or even hooks for catheter bags. Here, you realize how much you rely on them.”
Currently, Graham and her colleagues are participating in a Medical Readiness Exercise (MEDREX) in Senegal, as part of African Lion 26. Running from April 25 to May 8, the exercise brings together U.S. Army medical professionals and Senegalese Armed Forces healthcare providers to strengthen medical readiness and interoperability while operating in expeditionary environments.
The training spans multiple facilities across the region, including Ziguinchor Regional Hospital, Hospital De La Paix and a local military hospital. There, U.S., Austrian, Italian and Senegalese medical professionals work side by side, treating patients while exchanging knowledge and techniques shaped by their respective environments.
Executed by the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the exercise prepares military health professionals to deliver care outside traditional clinical settings while strengthening partnerships with African allies.
For Graham, who previously supported hurricane Helene response and COVID-19 missions with the Vermont National Guard, the experience has pushed her outside her comfort zone and forced her to think differently as a physical therapist.
“You have to figure it out when you don’t have the equipment you’re used to having,” Graham said.
Throughout the exercise, Graham has had to rethink even simple tasks, from moving patients without adjustable beds to securing catheter bags without the hooks commonly found in U.S. hospitals.
“At home, if I need a wheelchair or walker, there’s one available,” Graham said. “Here, you learn to work with what you have.”
Experiences like these help train military medical professionals to operate in austere environments where medical infrastructure and equipment may be limited during future combat or disaster‑response missions.
Alongside Senegalese providers, U.S. and multinational medical professionals strengthen interoperability and build readiness while working in resource‑constrained settings.
The MEDREX also reflects the longstanding relationship between Senegal and the Vermont National Guard through the Department of War State Partnership Program, which has connected the two partners for decades through military cooperation and training exchanges.
Senegal gave Graham more than clinical practice. It gave her new ways to think, adapt and solve problems when the unexpected becomes the norm.
At home, a hospital bed lowers with a tap of a pedal, but here she learned how to move patients and complete the mission even when the equipment she relies upon simply doesn’t exist.
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.06.2026 15:53 |
| Story ID: | 564518 |
| Location: | ZIGUINCHOR, SN |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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