Photo By Jean Graves | Capt. Mathew Slocum, a physician assistant assigned the Fontaine Troop Medical Clinic,...... read more read more
FORT JOHNSON, La. — Soldiers from Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital stepped out of their clinics and into the field March 31 through April 3 to take part in BJACH Forge, a four-day training event at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson, Louisiana.
BJACH Soldiers, joined by seven Airmen from the 2nd Medical Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana focused on building confidence, strengthening combat medical readiness, and reinforcing the warrior ethos across the joint force.
Sgt. 1st Class Eva Koenig, the noncommissioned officer in charge of BJACH Forge, was selected to lead the training based on her experience as a former drill sergeant.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to contribute and help make the training a valuable experience for our Soldiers,” she said. “We used a crawl, walk, run approach so that all participants—regardless of their experience level—could progressively build their skills.”
Koenig said the expectation was for all participants to demonstrate proficiency in Army Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills.
“This included tasks like land navigation, first aid, and reacting to contact,” she said. “This FTX was also designed to foster team building and esprit de corps within the unit.”
She added that working through challenging training scenarios helps build trust and camaraderie—essential elements for a cohesive and effective team.
Col. Alisa R. Wilma, hospital commander, said BJACH Soldiers must conduct field training regularly to maintain their readiness to answer the call to fight and win our nation’s wars.
“While it is critically important that we are all able to accomplish our military medical mission, we are of limited use to the Army if we cannot survive on the battlefield,” she said. “We must be able to move confidently with our troops, keep ourselves alive and ready to treat our patients, help defend our patients when they cannot defend themselves, and survive in contested territory.”
Wilma praised both the participants and organizers of this year’s Forge.
“As always, our training events focus on becoming proficient in mission-essential Soldier skills,” she said. “But this iteration, we added Combat Water Survival Training and the obstacle course to help our Soldiers build confidence by stepping out of their comfort zones and accomplishing something they may not have thought they were capable of.”
She emphasized the critical role civilian staff played in making the training possible.
“We will never compromise on the quality of care we provide at BJACH, and we could not train this way and still deliver that level of care without serious dedication from our civilian teammates,” she said. “Without their effort, we would have had to compromise on something—whether it was the number of Soldiers who could train, the length of time we could take, or the intensity and complexity of the scenarios we worked on.”
Wilma said teamwork is central to mission success — whether among civilian teammates at the hospital or in a joint military environment.
“This year, we invited the 2nd Medical Group from Barksdale Air Force Base to join us,” she said. “Not only did the Airmen gain valuable training, but our Soldiers benefited from spending intense time with their interservice partners. That experience helps demystify the differences between branches and lays the foundation for shared goals.”
She said the relationship with the 2nd Medical Group will continue beyond BJACH Forge.
“By the end of the week, people were already talking about future collaboration—finding new ways to bridge gaps and solve problems we both face,” Wilma said.
Maj. Marlon D. Peeler, chief administrator for the 2nd Medical Group, said his team joined BJACH Forge to help develop combat-ready medical professionals.
“This was a great opportunity to build a strong joint partnership with our sister service that enhances both units’ ability to deliver high-quality, safe peacetime care while balancing the need for more combat readiness training for our medics,” Peeler said.
Additional joint training efforts are already underway.
“We’re working with BJACH to develop shared dental and flight physician agreements, along with inpatient and emergency training opportunities” he said. “We want to support each other locally to become faster, more efficient, and more flexible in a dynamic healthcare environment.”
Peeler said this was just the beginning, and his team looks forward to the next Forge exercise in October.
“It’s not about Army or Air Force medics,” he said. “It’s about forging a team of combat-ready medics with the skills necessary to win the fight—anytime and anywhere our country needs us.”
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2025 16:03 |
| Story ID: | 494781 |
| Location: | FORT JOHNSON, LOUISIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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