DJIBOUTI - Thirty-five soldiers from the Djiboutian army completed a Combat Life Saver Seminar coordinated by Soldiers from Army Central Command and Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Aug. 6, at nearby Camp Chekh Osman.
The students took what they learned throughout the five days of classroom instruction and applied it into real-life scenarios Thursday.
"I think it's a great opportunity and a huge challenge to partner with other nations by demonstrating what we've learned throughout our military careers and to pass that knowledge on to another military," said Sgt. 1st Class Roddy Reiger of the Southern European Task Force.
A team of instructors from CJTF-HOA, pararescuemen from 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron and staff from Camp Lemonier's Emergency Medical Facility, joined Reiger and Army Pfc. Daniel Bateson to demonstrate U.S. armed forces emergency medical capabilities to Djiboutian soldiers. Bateson, like Reiger is from SETAF.
During the exercise, the Djiboutian soldiers participated in training scenarios involving close-quarters battle, where students, upon entering a room, found an injured person and treated that casualty's injury. Other scenarios included vehicle extrication, where soldiers found wounded soldiers inside a vehicle and subsequently treated those injuries while taking sniper fire.
The training was conducted in French and English, with five U.S. Embassy translators to assist with communication between the instructors and Djiboutian soldiers.
According to Maj. Fidelis Agbor, ARCENT's exercise coordinator for this training, "The 'mil-to-mil' training is a very good experience. It gives us a chance to work with foreign nationals, and in this case the Djiboutian army. It also helps boost morale for the Djiboutians because it breaks the monotony."
Djiboutian army Sgt. Nagueyeh Djama Moussa said "The American instructors are very good teachers. I enjoyed all the training. It is important for me to be able to help my brothers who are wounded and still be able to defend against attackers."
"It makes me feel happy to see that the Djiboutian soldiers enjoyed the training because that is what it is all about. If we provided this training and they did not enjoy it, then I did not accomplish the mission," said Agbor.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Hagerman, from the 82nd ERQS, was there to pass along his knowledge of life saving-skills to the Diboutian military. "I think it's great. I'm glad that we are able to come out and actually interact with the Djiboutian military. We have a lot to offer them, and in turn I learn something about these guys and about the African community as a whole."