Canadian Army Works With U.S. Navy and U.S. Army in Training Exercise

March 24, 2013. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

From the U.S. military public relations group:

FORT PICKETT, Va. — It’s not every day that Army Reserve soldiers get to travel in helicopters, let alone perform medical procedures while in flight. But, that is what happened here in a unique training exercise late February.

Soldiers of the 7236th Medical Support Unit stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., joined forces with the Canadian Army, Virginia Army National Guard (VAARNG) and U.S. Navy, to participate in a joint coalition exercise providing realistic training in a high OPTEMPO in a fast-paced environment called Southbound Trooper.

The 13th annual Southbound Trooper was conceived by Canadian Army Lt. Col. Vic Grandy, commander of Princess Louise Fusiliers from Halifax, Nova Scotia, as an infantry exercise. In 2011, Grandy turned to the Army Reserve Medical Command in an effort to add more medical training, from care under fire to medical evacuations, said the lieutenant colonel.

William Thompson, commander of the 7236th MSU, who led the medical portions of the exercise in 2012 and 2013 with his coalition counterpart Canadian Army Maj. Trevor Jain, senior medical authority for the 33rd Field Ambulance Company from Halifax.

“This exercise provides the opportunity to operate and train with the Canadian Army and U.S. Armed Forces in an effort to develop their medical techniques, skills and procedures while building a strong partnership,” said Thompson.

Both officers, Thompson and Jain, have developed a close working relationship, as well as a life-long friendship.

“The partnership between 7236th and 33rd Field Ambulance has been outstanding,” said Jain, who is a flight surgeon in the Canadian Army. “And to be out here working as a joint inter-agency brings battlefield situations to this exercise.”

Thompson has been instrumental in developing, sustaining and maintaining a close working relationship between his command and the 33rd FA Co, developing the relationship beginning in 2011 when the unit worked together for the first time leading up to Southbound Trooper 2012.

“This enables us to cross train, not only as mentors, but as a long time friends with our Canadian counterpart,” said Thompson, a native of Denton, Md.

Thompson, a firm believer of whichever nation he works alongside, knows to form a cohesive partnership that is built on trust and an honest relationship.

“Southbound Trooper was a great way to put our combat medicine skill to the test … and to do it in a joint coalition environment was an opportunity for participants to train with each other, build strong partnerships and develop their medical techniques, skills and procedures,” said Thompson.

Staff Sgt. Lisa Ortega, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the 7236th MSU’s trauma teams remarked, when Soldiers’ were not on missions, they conducted hip pocket training to familiarize themselves with different types of medical equipment, such as skedco stretchers and ultrasound machines, taking every opportunity to train and improve their skills.

The skedco stretcher is used to transport patients over uneven terrain for an air, hostile, and dense wood evacuation, added Ortega.

Participants had the opportunity to perform medical training and procedures for the first time during Southbound Trooper.

Royal Canadian Navy Leading Seaman Scott Carson, medical technician with the 26th Canadian Forces Health Services, Greenwood, Nova Scotia, remarked that Thompson showed his team how to use the ultrasound machine to diagnose tension pneumothorax, which is an injury to the chest that represents one of the preventable causes of death on the battlefield.

“To be able to provide medical care in the air is an opportunity that I get here, which is impossible to get in Canada,” said Canadian Army Cpl. Rob Blacklen, a medical technician, with the 28th Field Ambulance in Ottawa, Ontario.

Capt. Michelle Imlay, head nurse for the 7236th MSU, said the exercise used the Army’s crawl-walk-run training model to ensure the Soldiers build up muscle memory.

“It’s important that you start in the crawl phase,” said Imlay. “If soldiers know the correct way to apply tourniquets, start an IV, and perform these tasks now … allows them to be better on the battlefield amongst the chaos.”

“I think that the world is a small place,” expressed Imlay. “The more we can train with our allied forces, and learn to work together we can be a stronger force against terrorism or disasters, as we save lives.”

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