CAMP DODGE, Iowa – Soldiers assigned to the 108th Area Support Medical Company, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard rehearsed setting up a Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) as part of their field training exercise (FTX) at the Sustainment Training Center (STC) at Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center in Johnston, Iowa Aug. 12, 2019.
The 108th spent two weeks of annual training at Camp Dodge to accomplish individual medical validation and unit collective tasks that allow them to perform trauma patient care both in cantonment and on the battlefield. The company is considered a Role 2 medical unit, which means that it offers a higher echelon of care for patients who need unique medical aid.
The DRASH is a spacious tent the 108th practiced erecting for the purpose of housing their Role 1 medical treatment facility (MTF) during their FTX. Soldiers injured on the battlefield are initially brought to the Role 1 for stabilization. They are then transported to the Role 2 MTF where specialized personnel and equipment can be utilized if it is determined that further medical care is required.
“This is our latest generation tent and it’s a lot easier to set up than the old GP Mediums that took a whole platoon to set up,” said 108th ASMC 1st Sgt. Chad Schell. “This can be set up with four or five (Soldiers).”
Part of the DRASH rehearsal involved equipment familiarization with the tent, the camouflage netting, the power generator, the vehicles and the Environmental Control Unit that all make up the Role 1 complex. After the DRASH was set in place, Soldiers worked to hook up lighting and stock it with life-saving medical supplies.
“I’ve never set up a DRASH before and it wasn’t too hard to set it up, but just a bit different,” said Evacuation Platoon Sergeant Staff Sgt. Christopher Dowie. “It definitely went well, we just need to be more efficient.”
The DRASH is ideal for a medical treatment facility in the field because of the speed in which it can be completed and put into use. “We can get it up really, really quick and get our Role 1 started right away,” said Schell.
The spacious training area at the STC offered austere conditions that may be encountered on the battlefield, and allowed for fast-paced practice with all the equipment, medical supplies and different sections that the medical company needs to be familiar with to remain mission-capable.