Hohenfels - It was a cold and rainy day, as six Soldiers from Delta Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade worked to complete their maintenance mission during exercise Saber Junction 16, held here, April 14.
Little did the Delta Troop Soldiers know, the scenario-based training would take a turn into a real-world crisis within minutes, as lightning warnings buzzed over the radio.
"I was listening on the radio and heard the warning for lightning strike," said Capt. Jose L. Otero, an observer coach trainer, or OCT, with Joint Multinational Readiness Center's Grizzly Team. "Boom - the first strike. I didn't see it was that critical until I got close enough to see there were two unconscious Soldiers."
Lightning had struck two Soldiers as they were resupplying their vehicles, leaving them both in critical condition. The OCTs from Grizzly Team had the experience, assets and quick-response skills to get the casualties to paramedics just in time to save their lives.
"When I called the (medical evacuation), I wasn't thinking about bringing assets to the field," said Otero. "I was thinking about, 'get ready, I'm bringing somebody there. Get an ambulance open the gate.' I told the Soldiers on the ground to put them in my truck."
Command Sgt. Maj. Charles W. Gregory, OCT for the Grizzly Team was also nearby when the lightning struck the two Soldiers. He organized the evacuation convoy and made the crucial decision to move past the ambulance exchange point, or AXP.
Gregory decided to push through the AXP, because it is a big intersection with a lot of traffic as the entry control point between Hohenfels' main post and the surrounding maneuver training area.
"My intent was to breach the distance between the two," he said.
Otero and Gregory transported the casualties, along with help from the four other Soldiers who were at the scene of the incident.
Gregory saw the fire rescue coming up the hill and pulled over to meet them. That's when Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. Belt, the OCT medic for the Grizzly Team, pulled up behind one of the casualty vehicles.
"I parked my truck and immediately got out, because I saw they were trying to unload the casualties to help the paramedics out," said Belt, who took over carrying the litter.
Belt performed CPR on one of the casualties. Once the second paramedic arrived, Belt moved on to help the second casualty who had not yet been assessed.
"He knew what was going on but was still in shock," said Belt. "I was trying to get him in a position of confidence, trying to help keep his mind off everything else and let him know that he was going to be OK. At some point, somebody put a poncho over us; I don't know who. They were trying to help us keep dry."
His medical skills helped the Soldiers survive until they could be treated by the emergency medical team, and then evacuated to the hospital.
"Time was of the essence," said Gregory, "and our job - not just as OCTs but as leaders - our job is to take care of our Soldiers."
All of the OCTs go through first aid and response training, said Gregory. When tragedy hits, having the experience and initiative to make fast decisions can literally save a life.
"You have to make a quick decision. But before you make a quick decision, you have to think for a few seconds and see the whole picture," said Otera. "So when I made the decision to put the Soldier on the truck, I had to think, 'it's going to take longer to bring someone to a place that was raining and muddy that was in the middle of nowhere and there was no place to land a helicopter.' So the decision was simple, and I was confident I was capable to do it."
The troops stuck by the lightning are recovering at Nurnberg South in Nürnberg, Germany, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany. While it's not often that the OCTs of JMRC have to save a life, incidents like these prove they are more than capable to do so.
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