Medical Unit Learns 'Fight Tonight' Readiness Skills

By William Wight (Pacific Regional Medical Command)March 23, 2015

Medical unit learns 'Fight Tonight' readiness skills
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Shonda Tukes, a licensed practical nurse with the 121st Combat Support Hospital, utilizes her combat critical care skills during a March 11, 2015 mass-casualty exercise on Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea as part of the peninsula wide Key Reso... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Medical unit learns 'Fight Tonight' readiness skills
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – As part of the peninsula wide Key Resolve 15 exercise, Soldiers from the 121st Combat Support Hospital (CSH) honed their critical trauma care skills during a March 11, 2015 mass-casualty exercise on Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea. One unique asc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Medical unit learns 'Fight Tonight' readiness skills
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Medical unit learns 'Fight Tonight' readiness skills
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Medical unit learns 'Fight Tonight' readiness skills
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The old adage 'Train as You Fight' became a symbol of realism for the Soldiers of Bravo Company, 121st Combat Support Hospital (CSH), Yongsan Army Garrison, South Korea as they dug in for some cohesive unit training that addressed their readiness capabilities if called upon should hostilities occur along the Korean peninsula.

The training, as part of the peninsula wide Key Resolve 15 exercise, provided the Soldiers an opportunity to hone their critical trauma care skills during a mass-casualty (MASCAL) exercise.

Aside from the MASCAL, other events such as live surgical procedures with volunteer patients, evacuation procedures, establishing a field hospital and relocating it as well as reacting to various medical scenarios, tested the medical personnel's abilities to stand up the Critical Care Corridor portion of the 84-bed CSH and react to various trauma scenarios.

"We successfully and field expediently managed MASCAL trauma casualties through skillful and deliberate integration of all the hospital sections," said B. Company Commander, Capt. Robert Chu. The unit was able to overcome all challenges and hone the skills needed to 'Fight Tonight.'

Emplacing a CSH was no easy task, according to unit 1st Sgt. Frank Caudill, the unit took three months planning the setup of the CSH and learning the critical care tasks.

"For about three months we trained and set up each area of the critical corridor separately of itself next to the BAACH (Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital) to learn the processes. The emergency room took on patients; the operating room took on patients all culminating to the establishment of the Critical Care Corridor."

A normal CSH (88-bed) timeline consists of 72 hours planning to fully emplace.

Bravo Company established the critical care corridor emplacement in under 24 hours.

One of the challenges the unit faced was to complete a "jump," a movement of the temporary hospital from one location to another.

This required the Soldiers to tear down the tents and all the equipment necessary to make the hospital function, transport them to a different location and re-establish them at a new location.

Everyone participated in the physical setting up of the tents and came together as a team by working together, a critical task to learn when dealing with mass casualties.

Amid the MASCAL, the medical personnel immediately began the triage process and placed patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) or operating room (OR) depending on their wounds, according to Lt. Col. Alicia Madore, Chief of Clinical Education Division, of Brian Allgood Community Hospital, Yongsan, South Korea.

"These training scenarios were designed to be as realistic as possible in order to test the processes of the medical personnel and how well they could come together as a cohesive team."

The 121st CSH is a critical component of the military response to hostile acts against the Republic of Korea.

"The 121st CSH can conduct their everyday mission of armistice health care, but knowing what to do in time of war and how to step out of the comfort zone and deal with the unexpected, builds trust and ultimately saves lives on the battlefield," said Madore.

The commander of the 121st CSH, Col. Mark Reeves, said that in an effort to maximize the training opportunity and enhance partnership of South Korean and U.S. medical units, Soldiers from both the Korean and American armies treated patients during the MASCAL.

"We pair the (South Korean) Soldiers with their like counterparts and they are hands-on participants, or they are engaged as patients during MASCAL," said Reeves. "They've been awesome in all of those roles."

The joint training is important to mission readiness should there be an event that would warrant the CSH to move to the battlefield, Reeves added.

"It's great partnership; we work very well together," said Reeves. "The importance of this 60 year alliance is invaluable. Our ready to 'Fight Tonight' mission was validated in that everyone came together amidst both real-world challenges and exercise scenarios to enhance our ability to apply training and increase performance as an integrated team. The purpose of setting up the CSH was to build on the 121st capability of saving lives during hostilities."