Photo By David Kujawa | U.S. Army Col. Gunnar Kiersey, senior advisor to the office of the Army Surgeon...... read more read more
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GRAYLING, Mich.- Training is important to every service member, however, the ability to practice skills with hands-on training is invaluable for the medical professionals getting to do just that at during exercise Northern Strike 21-2 at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Grayling. Two Missouri National Guard medical units have come to Camp Grayling for their annual training July 31- August 14. While here, they are receiving real-world training along with the opportunity to shape what training will look like in the future.
“Exercises such as this are important to Army medicine in general, making sure that these units are equipped properly,” said U.S. Army Col. Gunnar Kiersey, the senior Army National Guard advisor to the office of the Army surgeon general. “Here at Northern Strike, we are making sure that these units are testing their allocation of equipment and that everything is working properly. Any changes that we need to make we can document and then help update.”
Kiersey visited the medical units who are in Grayling this summer on a fact-finding mission to find out what works for the units, what doesn’t, and what can be improved.
“Finding out what works and what doesn’t, and noticing any training gaps is important,” said Kiersey. “This allows us to know that when our medics are called upon, they can perform their mission as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”
While at Camp Grayling, Kiersey visited with the 206th Area Support Medical Company (ASMC) and the 205th Medical Company Ground Ambulance (MCGA). These units were tasked with operating a field hospital for the entirety of the exercise, ready to treat any potential injury or treat those who become ill.
“Everything that I’ve seen today shows me that their experience in doing this exercise has paid huge dividends to the training of the personnel and all the equipment that they are using,” said Kiersey.
Every year Northern Strike brings Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and Sailors together to test their skills in real world missions, building interoperability not only between the different forces, but also between the multinational forces who participate each year.
“We have to practice in a joint environment because that is how we fight,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Sidney Martin, Northern Strike medical director. “We’re trying to enable them to complete their real world mission as well as their training mission. We want Northern Strike to become a one-stop shop for medical units, so they’re able to get both here.”
Martin, a board certified orthopedic surgeon, is a doctor with the Michigan Air National Guard, knows how important it is for those in the medical field to have not only the newest equipment available, but also understand the newest practices. This year Camp Grayling is hosting a brand-new unit in their first annual training.
“Northern Strike has been a great learning environment,” said U.S. Army Capt. Miranda Young. “I think it’s great for the medics out here to have this multinational interaction. We are learning more about different cultures and how different armies work, as well getting some excellent first-hand training.”
Young is the commander of Missouri’s newest unit, the 205th MCGA, which stood up in St. Louis last year. This is their first annual training as a unit and they are working alongside their older sister unit, the 206th ASMC, who are based in Springfield, Missouri. The 206th was at Northern Strike two years ago.
“Working with both Air Force and Navy brings different perspectives on how we run our operations,” said Young. “It’s good to look at from a joint-service point of view so that we are all working toward a common goal of good patient care. Working with our NATO partners, and having the ability to see what their capabilities are versus ours and finding that common ground is great.”
“I think coming together as a joint force has made us stronger,” said Young. “This training experience has been a good step moving forward showing us that when deployed, we can work with anyone.”
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2021 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 402834 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 190 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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