The 108th ASMC completes trauma-focused field training exercise in Iowa

109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Story by Sgt. 1st Class HollyAnn Nicom

Date: 08.14.2019
Posted: 08.15.2019 10:54
News ID: 335978
The 108th ASMC completes trauma-focused field training exercise in Iowa

CAMP DODGE, Iowa—The 108th Area Support Medical Company, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, completed their annual training with a culminating three-day field training exercise (FTX). The medical company, based in Allentown, Pa., attended two weeks of training that focused on individual and collective unit medical training at the Sustainment Training Center (STC) and the Medical Simulation Training Center (MSTC) at Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center in Johnston, Iowa from Aug. 3-16.

After refresher training, individual combat medic specialist classes, hands-on equipment familiarizations and rehearsals, the 108th ASMC spent three days being evaluated by STC staff while they set up and operated Role 1 and Role 2 medical treatment facilities (MTF) in a simulated battlefield environment. Medical members of the 108th ASMC are broken down into sections that include headquarters, evacuation, treatment and ancillary treatment.

The 108th ASMC was evaluated on every echelon of care they provided from the time they evacuated the “injured” from the field to the Role 1 MTF to the time they were transported to the Role 2 MTF for further care. The STC staff coordinated one year in advance with the medical company’s commander to determine which specific collective tasks he would like his Soldiers trained and evaluated on.

“We get about 40-60 patients pushed through the FTX over three days and they include everything from behavioral health to trauma to sick call to dental,” said Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Barnes, STC Medical Training Non-commissioned officer in charge. Barnes and his staff carefully observed the 108th combat medics’ responses to patient trauma, which included patient treatment, patient flow, documentation and communication between unit members.

Although the injuries the 108th ASMC encountered were not real, the scenarios were as life-like as possible and the combat medics had the opportunity to cut uniforms off the “wounded” actors and in some cases, administer real intravenous therapy. Some role-players wore medical prosthetics such as TC3 cut suits that could be “operated on”, emitting artificial blood.

Combat medic specialist, Spc. Gregory Mondragon, who is a registered nurse in his civilian career and attended annual training in Iowa six years ago, said the prosthetics the role players wore are more advanced than he remembered. Mondragon, who had the opportunity to administer a chest tube into a patient, said,” I’ve managed chest tubes on the civilian side, but never been a part of the insertion, so that was fun and interesting.”

The 108th ASMC was given feedback at the end of each day of their FTX so they were able to hone their movements as a team down to the smallest details. Although they were unfamiliar with some of the newer equipment they utilized, the 108th took full advantage of the FTX to learn and expand on their skill sets.

“The set up and establishment of the Role 1 vastly improved during the FTX,” said Barnes. “Everybody had a role, responsibility and a purpose and communication was great.”

The culminating significant event of the FTX was a mass casualty (MASCAL) scenario in which the 108th ASMC was overwhelmed with trauma patients and had to act quickly to organize the patients into categories for care. During this time, instead of having three combat medics working on each patient, sometimes there were only one or two, with other Soldiers jumping in to lend a hand as well. The scenario was designed to test the unit’s ability to put all of their trauma skills to use during a high-stress, high-volume situation.

The 108th ASMC will take the experience and knowledge they gained from this annual training and FTX and use it to refine their standard operating procedures back at their home station.