Photo By Lance Cpl. Lynsee Avila-Ramirez | U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Philipa Amofa, with the Officer Training School...... read more read more
Subscribe
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.—Officer Candidates School staff conducted a mass casualty drill in preparation for the summer cycle of candidates on OCS May 14.
The event simulated a mass casualty scenario, where officer candidates were divided into four large groups conducting training evolutions across the OCS grounds, mirroring the summer cycle of OCS.
“We're receiving around 2,000 candidates,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Mason Wildroudt, a general duty corpsman for John H. Bradley Branch Health Clinic at OCS, explained of the upcoming summer cycle. “So, we had to make sure our staff is adequately prepared for the worst-case scenario.”
During the drill, one company sustained five casualties: four heat cases and one spinal injury while in the field. The heat cases were stabilized with ice bags, shade and hydration.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alec Burns, a hospital corpsman with the clinic, explained that the spinal injury happened after a simulated fall from the Tarzan Tower, which is part of the Tarzan Course. The Tarzan Tower is a platform about 30 feet tall, supported by four wood logs, and candidates must climb the rope ladder to get to the top and zip line down.
“So, our corpsman out in the field assessed [the candidate’s] mental status and identified the need to put them on a spine board to protect their spine,” Burns explained. “They put them in a cervical collar as well and then transported them to the [John H. Bradley Branch Health Clinic] so that the staff could identify whether or not they needed EMS transport.”
Upon arrival, the candidate was assessed and a medical evacuation was called to extract the spinal injured candidate to the nearest hospital.
For every 15 to 20 minutes following this situation, another cycle of casualties would occur. The remaining casualties were heat related, a common condition that occurs during training.
“Virginia is hot. We’ll have black flag weather all the time, and I have seen it before from previous cycles [of candidates],” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Hayden Liebman, a general duty corpsman for the clinic. “We’ll have [over 2,000] patients come through, all for heat, casualties—different things.”
This mass casualty drill is an annual occurrence to help train for worst-case scenarios, equipping newer staff with capabilities while reinforcing learned practices with seasoned staff.
“The goal was to overwhelm the clinic and stress everybody out,” Burns said. “I think we … definitely got the stress level up there for everybody and identified some good training points for the future.”
| Date Taken: | 05.14.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.27.2026 14:19 |
| Story ID: | 566210 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, OCS staff prepare for summer cycle with Mass Casualty Drill, by Shaehmus Sawyer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
