Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Davis | American and British medical sections pose in front of the British encampment at Cincu...... read more read more
Cincu, Romania. – The medics of Resolute Castle 16 did not just sit and wait for something to happen. They conducted their sick calls, had medics working with engineers and visited the work sites on a daily basis.
Their greatest achievement for their rotation was to reach out and encourage a sense of interoperability in the form of cross-training with medical personnel from other U.S. Army units and foreign allied units. Medical staff from multiple units came together at Cincu Training Range, Romania, on June 16, 2016 on their own initiative and furthered their medical treatment skills.
“I never have seen cooperation on this level between active Army, National Guard and multinational forces,” said Cpt. Jamie Rigoni, medical section officer-in-charge for the 877th Engineer Battalion, Alabama National Guard, at Cincu Training Range. “British, Romanian and American units were working together to conduct training.”
The Regimental Engineer Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based out of Grafenwoehr, Germany, was at Cincu Training Range as part of a multinational joint force operations training with Romania Land Forces. Their medical section was led by Cpt. Tyson Hunter who offered to host the training events.
The major training events between the various medical groups included intravenous access, intravenous fluid administration and field litter ambulance operations. Each group focused on the equipment each other uses and how it operates.
“It helps to expose medics to new equipment when you have NATO forces in the same area,” said Rigoni. “So if you fall in on someone else’s equipment, having trained on it in the past, it will give you an advantage to be able to use it.”
For the junior enlisted, this was also an opportunity for them to broaden their skills by training with their peers.
“Educating our allies is beneficial because it betters our relationship and future training events,” said Jared Anderson, medic with Regimental Engineer Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment. “It gives them a new set of tools for the tool box.”
Opportunities for expanding one’s repertoire was considered a plus for all involved in the training. These opportunities come when command supports the initiative of those willing to commit and make it happen. According to Rigoni, it was being a good neighbor to invite his counterparts to cross-train and accept the offer to further the training of his own medics.
The Regimental Engineer Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment had robust facilities and materials available to train the growing number of individuals now coming to the training. As the expression goes that metal sharpens metal, each medic brought something to the table for others to learn from.
“It just sharpens your skills and things that you do not realize you lose,” said Spc. Tara Johnson, medic with the 186th Engineer Company. “It really brings it to your attention.”
The 82nd Civil Affairs team joined the training as they coordinated with the 1st CIMIC, Romanian Civil Military Coordination team, to explore allied medical capabilities and how they could be utilized in a joint force environment.
No matter the type of unit or the nation the unit comes from, the cross-training conducted benefits young medics preparing them for joint force operations they might be part of in the future.
“My biggest takeaway is there is more than one way to do something,” said Spc. Joseph Palmer. “It seems like that across the board most of the medical professionals who we will work with are very knowledgeable.”
| Date Taken: | 06.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.05.2016 07:40 |
| Story ID: | 203098 |
| Location: | CINCU, RO |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Alabama Army National Guard Leads Medical Training and Support in Romania, by SFC Christopher Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
