EISENHOWER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, FORT GORDON, Ga. (June 27, 2016) -- In May, a team of five Army medical specialists boarded a flight to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the third annual information exchange about Combat Stress and Resiliency with members of the military medical staff of the Uzbek army.
Sgt. First Class Morris Porter, a respiratory therapist and NCOIC of Eisenhower Army Medical Center's Pulmonary Disease Services department, was among the five subject-matter experts chosen for the operation. He was chosen due to his extensive experience and background with the MEDEVAC/CASEVAC systems and Critical Care Air Transport team. He is a founding member of the Acute Lung Injury Rescue Team.
Other members of the training team were Capt. Matthew D. Taylor, medical planner, USARCENT Surgeon Directorate; Capt. Kendz M. Toussaint, USARCENT; Master Sgt. Marcus Guillory, USARCENT; Sgt. First Class Brian Hawkins, 274th FST, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The four-day exercise had 42 Uzbek participants, including three women, which was notable in this primarily Muslim country which is located in central Asia, north of Turkmenistan and south of Kazakhstan.
Porter's presentation on controlling bleeding demonstrated techniques for proper tourniquet application, dragging the casualty to safety, pressure dressings and combat gauze. Porter also discussed other elements of MEDEVAC-related care as well as capabilities derived from lessons learned since the start of the OEF-OIF campaign.
According to the after-action report, "The Uzbeks were particularly interested in the hemostatic agent that is embedded in the combat gauze that is included in the [Individual First Aid Kit.] The Uzbek combat gauze contains no hemostatic agent."
Field demonstrations followed classroom presentations.
"The U.S. SMEs demonstrated the proper procedures for applying a tourniquet and then separated the class into two groups," according to the AAR. "The groups were [divided] into buddy teams for tourniquet application. This was by far the best part of the [lesson]. The cadets turned this into a competition, as they were being timed by the U.S. SMEs. The winner of the contest was a female sergeant who properly applied the tourniquet to her partner in 14 seconds flat."
Other topics presented over the four days included the IFAK and its contents, changes to tactical combat casualty care over the past 15 years, care under fire, controlling bleeding, respiratory compromise and tactical field care.
Because the Uzbek's speak Russian and Uzbek, "communication was a barrier," said Porter, "but translators and the high interest in the subject made it work." The presentations were in English to the Soldiers then followed by a pause to allow for the translation.
In the AAR, it is reported that the Uzbek commanding officer said "the Uzbeks had just completed a trip to Dayton, Ohio, to discuss Aeromedical fixed wing evacuation, and a trip to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to discuss establishing a full-scale medical training center in Tashkent. … [They are currently] sending their providers to St. Petersburg, Russia, and Germany for training. He stated the Uzbeks now have the instructors and talent to train their military physicians in Tashkent."
The desire to train the Uzbek medical staff locally has been built partially on the success of the past three years training exchange with USARCENT personnel.
"This [year's training] was by far the most productive event over the past three years," according to the AAR. "The Uzbeks were open, honest and forthcoming with what they want [from] future exchanges with the U.S. The Uzbeks were, for the third straight event, completely prepared for the event and they sent the proper audience … There was also much more openness and trust from the Uzbeks during this event."
As for Porter, he enjoyed his first visit to this Silk Road country that is slightly larger than California.
He said he "learned a lot about another culture," and the people were quite hospitable and "very receptive to strangers … both the citizens and Army alike were very welcoming."
And, noting that the Uzbek culture is a blend of Asian and Russian, Porter said "the food was great."
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