A cough, runny nose or fever keeps some Americans at home and out of the office. This not an option for the selected few who provide the medical care to U.S. service members, during exercise Eager Lion 2017.
Command Task Force 51-5 Marine Expeditionary Brigade is responsible for providing medical care to U.S. service member during the two-week long exercise held at the Joint Training Center in Jordan. The battalion aide station, capable of managing minor illnesses and injuries, is a joint service function combining the medical talents of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force service members.
“Last year, we had some issues with overtaxing the base aide station,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Kevinn Harris, CTF 51-5th medical planner. “We wanted to make sure we were taking care of that this year by bringing our own staff.”
U. S. Army Central provided doctors and physicians whom are currently deployed to Qatar and Kuwait. The U.S. Air Force offered 2 aeromedical evacuation liaison teams, whose primary job is to transport an injured military member from the point of injury to a higher care of level. CJTF 51-5 provided personnel from a Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force to operate the battalion aide station.
“Our training in the field simulating different patient injuries or illness tremendously helped me prepare for this exercise,” said U.S. Navy Corpsman Sean Owens, field medic, Special MAGTF 17-2. “This is my Eager Lion exercise and I plan to provide U.S. service members the best medical care possible, if called upon for action.”
Eager Lion 2017 is an annual U.S. Central Command exercise in Jordan designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships between the U.S., Jordan and other international partners. This year’s iteration is comprised of about 7,200 military personnel from more than 20 nations that will respond to scenarios involving border security, command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management.