By 2nd Lt. Andrew Porter
557th Medical Company (AS)
OKSBOL, Denmark - Soldiers from the 557th Medical Company (Area Support), 421st Medical Battalion (Multifunctional), 30th Medical Brigade provided "Role I" Army Health Systems support to NATO joint training with the Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, and the Royal Danish Army during exercise Brave Lion 15 at the Oksbøl training area in Oksbøl, Denmark, from May 29 to June 23, 2015.
Over a three week period, 557th Medical Company medics along with Capt. Fernando Eguiluz, a physician's assistant, and 2nd Lt. Andrew Porter, an evacuation platoon leader, assisted the medics of the Danish battle group in their annual certification exercise. The exercise focused on offensive and defensive operations while protecting Danish towns from an invading Army.
Eguiluz, Porter, and the 557th medics trained side by side with the Danish soldiers, sharing and learning from personal experiences as well as forming new best practice standards by comparing American and Danish medical care on the battlefield. Daily training in tactical combat casualty care, or TCCC, treatment of trauma and medical patients, patient evacuation, and aid station procedures were useful in providing both sides with valuable lessons learned.
"All of the Soldiers were excited to work with the Danish teams, learning all about the new vehicle platforms," said Staff Sgt. Roscoe Hawkins, the "Role I" aid station noncommissioned officer in charge.
Many of the Soldiers were impressed by the Danish hospitality and great medical training events laid on by American and Danish leadership. In the first week of training a three-day trip to Aalborg, Denmark allowed the 557th medics to work at the primary medical training facility for Danish military (One Battalion Train Regiment), experiencing firsthand the rigorous teaching standards of their medical simulation training staff.
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