Photo By Emily Peacock | MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — A hiker nears the top of the Manitou Incline Sept. 27,...... read more read more
MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. — Located approximately 16 miles northwest of the Mountain Post, the Manitou Incline offers hikers a stunning view of Colorado Springs and Cheyenne Mountain. To reach the views, however, requires a near-vertical climb up 2,768 steps. For participants and instructors of the NATO Medical Evaluation Course, every step together served as a testament to the partnership and cooperation they’ve come to develop while attending the course.
Hosted by the 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade in coordination with the NATO Military Medicine Centre of Excellence (MMCE) Sept. 16-27, 2024, the NATO MEDEVAL Course brought together military medical personnel from around the globe to establish a common standard for military and civilian medical units, ensuring seamless collaboration during multinational operations, disaster response and combat scenarios.
Service members from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Hungary, Bosnia and the Netherlands participated in learning modules and simulated exercises, with the goal of enabling all participants to be able to assess NATO and partner forces’ medical capabilities in accordance with NATO standards.
“With increasing global health challenges, from disaster medicine to combat care, the MEDEVAL Course equips attendees with essential evaluation tools to assess the readiness and effectiveness of military medical units,” said Maj. Travis Kaufman, 4th SFAB senior medical advisor and course instructor. “This is the first time the U.S. has hosted the course, underscoring our nation’s commitment to leading international medical collaboration.”
With the course complete, one challenge remained: conquering the Manitou Incline.
“At the conclusion of the course, both the students and instructors decided to tackle the Incline together to celebrate the course’s success and partnership,” said Kaufman. “In the military, shared physical challenges like this often foster camaraderie and teamwork, and this experience was no different.”
It’s not uncommon for Soldiers stationed at Fort Carson to spend their Friday morning hiking the steps of the Manitou Incline. Whether from the views or the climb, the incline leaves most hikers breathless. A quick search will show that, while some have completed the 0.86-mile hike in under 20 minutes, it usually takes an average hiker between one to two hours to complete.
Kaufman, along with 11 course participants, started the hike in near darkness with the hopes of catching the sunrise from the top of the Incline.
“That was very tough,” said Hungarian Defense Forces 1st. Lt. Eva Damásdi, Lessons Learned and Innovation Branch executive officer. “In Hungary, it is very flat. We don’t see this kind of elevation back home.”
Damásdi, who traveled from the NATO MMCE headquarters in Budapest, Hungary, reached the Incline’s final step in just under an hour and a half.
After summitting the Incline – and taking a moment to catch her breath – Damásdi reflected on her experience working with the 4th SFAB and other NATO partners.
“I’ve been very impressed with the professionalism and cooperation I’ve seen these past few days,” said Damásdi. “It’s always interesting when you go to different countries to deliver the same course and what you take away from those engagements.”
For everyone who attended the course or completed the Incline, the message is clear: multinational collaboration and cooperation are vital for mission success.
“The hike reflected the perseverance and collaboration we needed to make the NATO Medical Evaluation Course a success,” said Master Sgt. Jordan Dorn, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the course. “It was more than just a hike – it represented the hard work and unity that defined such an amazing development of our multinational bonds.”
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2024 16:31 |
| Story ID: | 482578 |
| Location: | MANITOU SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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