Gallery contains 22 images
×
Photo 1 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
French Forces in Djibouti wait for take off on a SA 330 Puma French Helicopter to deliver a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 2 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
French Forces in Djibouti wait for take off on a SA 330 Puma French Helicopter to deliver a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 3 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Soldiiers with Task Force Bayonet observe French Forces Djibouti personnel preparing a SA 330 Puma French Helicopter to deliver a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 4 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Medics with Task Force Bayonet and airmen stationed at Chabelley Airfield, load a patient into an ambulance during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French Forces in Djibouti in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 5 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
French Forces in Djibouti discuss patient care with Soldiers from Task Force Bayonet and airmen stationed at Chabelley Airfield during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 6 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Task Force Bayonet medics Sgt. Haley Miller (left) and Pfc. Mileah Kincade (center) discuss paitent care and movement with a member of the French Forces Djibouti medical flight team Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 7 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Medics with Task Force Bayonet and French Forces in Djibouti prepare for take off on a SA 330 Puma French Helicopter to deliver a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 8 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Medics with Task Force Bayonet and airmen stationed at Chabelley Airfield simulate emergency medical care on a patient during a medeical evacuation exercise Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French Forces in Djibouti in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 9 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
French Forces in Djibouti and Task Force Bayonet medical personnel load a patient onto a SA 330 Puma French Helicopter during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 10 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
A SA 330 Puma French Helicopter prepares to take off to deliver a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 11 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
A SA 330 Puma French Helicopter takes off to deliver a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 12 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Pfc. Mahougnon Agon, a Soldier with Task Force Bayonet, provides initial medical care to a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with French Forces in Djibouti, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 13 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Task Force Bayonet medic Sgt. Haley Miller searches for medical supplies while providing patient care during a medical evacuation exercise with French Forces of Djibouti, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 14 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Pfc. Mahougnon Agon, a Soldier with Task Force Bayonet, provides initial memdical care to a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with French Forces in Djibouti, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 15 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Sgt. Haley Miller (left) and Pfc. Mileah Kincade (right) provide patient care in the back on an ambulance during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 16 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Sgt. Haley Miller prepares an intravenous therapy bag for a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 17 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Medical supplies utilized by Task Force Bayonet during a medical evacuation exercise with French Forces in Djibouti, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 18 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Sgt. Haley Miller secures a nasopharyngeal airway with tape to the nose of Spc. Abby Linscott who played the role of a injured Soldier during a medical evacuation exercise with French Forces in Djibouti, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 19 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Soldiers with Task Force Bayonet, provide initial medical care to a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with French Forces in Djibouti, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 20 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
An airman stationed at Chabelley Air Field takes a patients vital signs during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 21 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
Spc. Hannah Larsen, a medic with Task force Bayonet, puts an intravenous therapy line into a patient during a medical evacuation exercise with Task Force Bayonet, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
Photo 22 of 22
34th Red Bull Infantry Division
A medic with Task Force Bayonet records a patients vitals during a medical evacuation exercise, Nov. 19, 2020, Djibouti, Africa. The exercise provided an opportunity for medical personnel with Task Force Bayonet to practice working with the French in the event of a medical emergency.
Photo by: Sgt. Sirrina E. Martinez
DJIBOUTI BASE CLUSTER, Djibouti – Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment from Minnesota, participated in a joint medical evacuation exercise with French Forces based in Djibouti, Africa, Nov. 19, 2020, in an effort to streamline medical evacuation processes between the two partner nations.
2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment is part of Task Force Bayonet, a group of over 900 National Guard Soldiers from Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois that are currently deployed throughout the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The training, which took two months to plan, was designed to provide an opportunity for Task Force Bayonet personnel to practice the utilization of French assets in the event of a real-world medical emergency.
“The process has not been looked at in over three years,” said 1st Lt. Jenna Heller, the security forces medical operations officer for Task Force Bayonet. “It was an opportunity to refine our battle drills and standard operating procedures.”
Although the French Forces have done many other joint exercises with the United States, this special medical evacuation exercise in the Djibouti Base Cluster was a first of its kind said Maj. Vincent Bay, the deputy of the French Combined Air Operations Center and the flight director for the exercise.
“Task Force Bayonet initiated the joint training in order to improve their knowledge of the (French) medical evacuation support,” Bay said. “The purpose was to share knowledge and procedures in case of a medical evacuation.”
Around 20 U.S. and French personnel participated in the exercise which started at one of the Djibouti Base Cluster outposts, where Soldiers in a randomly picked guard tower were presented with another Soldier facing a serious medical emergency. Initial aid was rendered to the casualty, and medics stationed at the outpost were requested to transport the patient for further care at the post aid station. From there, a 9-line medical evacuation request was sent to the Personnel Recovery Coordination Center at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, and a SA 330 Puma French helicopter was dispatched to transport the patient to Base Aérienne 188 (French Air Force Base), here in Djibouti.
Heller said that for the medics with Task Force Bayonet who participated in the exercise, it was an opportunity to train their response time and procedures in a scenario in which the pressure of time and outside resources were as close to a real-world situation as possible. “With Soldiers stationed at the outpost away from the main emergency medical facilities of Camp Lemonnier, and Soldiers conducting ranges off post regularly, it is very likely that French assistance would be needed in the event of a medical evacuation,” she said.
Some medics that were put to the test during the exercise said that it was the type of training scenario that helps them to improve their craft.
“As medics, we can rehearse our skills repeatedly,” said Pfc. Mileah Kincade, a medic that participated in the event. “These exercises offer situations that allow us to use our critical thinking to provide the best treatment for the casualty. These scenarios allow us to see the areas we are proficient in, the areas that need work, and make changes to ensure efficient patient responses.”
Sgt. Alexander Obanor, another medic with Task Force Bayonet that is stationed at the outpost where the exercise took place, said that the planning and execution for the exercise was exhausting and yet satisfying.
“Working with the French was a really exciting new experience for me personally,” Obanor said. “Being able to talk, plan, and execute the scenario so that it was beneficial for both sides was a really good thing to see.”
On a larger scale, Obanor said that he had a better understanding of partner nations in the area, and that no entity is alone in the region.
“We have very capable partner nations that we can call on and learn from and I believe the feeling is mutual,” he said.
As for the French, Bay said that he is thankful for everyone who helped to coordinate the event and those that participated in it, helping to maintain the positive working relationship between both nations.
“France and the United States have a very strong relationship thanks to mutual support we have in operations in Africa, the Middle East an elsewhere in the world,” he said.
