MDG keeps Kunsan Airmen in fight

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Angela Ruiz
  • 8th Fighter Wing, Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  When Kunsan Air Base goes to "war," hot, bulky, Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear doesn't stop a group of Airmen from providing care, saving lives, and defending the base to the best of their abilities. 

Airmen of the 8th Medical Group provide care to more than 700 Airmen every month and when it is time to play "war" in the Beverly Bulldog 08-03 exercise none of that changes. 

"I think it's great way to spin up and learn how to treat people in a war time situation" said Capt Brigitte French, a public health officer with the 8th MDG, "keeping our troops fit to fight tonight is the mission of the medical group and public health takes great pride in helping out with that mission." 

Beverly Bulldog 08-03 exercise is a peninsula wide operational readiness exercise among United States Forces in Korea. During the exercise MDG Airmen are diagnosing, treating and caring for patients all while wearing individual protective equipment, MOPP gear and adhering to force protection conditions actions and alarm conditions. 

With all of this equipment on it adds approximately ten pounds to each person's body weight and the FPCON levels combined with a raise in alarm conditions can affect the amount of time they have to care for patients. 

"Sometimes we don't get them [patients] soon enough, they are out there when we are in alarm black " said Staff Sgt. Reth El, independent duty medical technician, 8th Medical group " Once we are in MOPP 4 gear we can't care for patients injuries we can only monitor them." 

During peace time the 8th MDG acts as a clinic equip with no emergency or in-patient wards. 

"In wartime the 8th MDG can expand making 75 hospital beds with two surgical units" said Sergeant EL. The expansion of service allows the group to treat and care for patients. However, if they receive more casualties then they can handle, or receive a patients with injuries beyond their capabilities, they airevac those patients or other medical treatment facilities in the area. 

"A lot of people are doing a different role then they typically play on a day-to-day basis, " Said Tech. Sgt. Robert Yeager, an evaluator for the medical group. 

According to Sergeant Yeager, the group is organized into teams designed for rapid response to different situations--a clinical team, delayed team, and triage team. 

"During the exercise they all come together for the readiness mission of receiving combat casualties," he said. "administering care to them and either sending them back to duty or stabilizing for air evacuation". 

The 8th Medical Group Airmen are equipped to handle anything from a skinned knee to a chemical burn. If faced with a chemical exposure they have a decontamination team that would clean the patient before being brought into the facility said Sergeant Yeager. Once they are totally decontaminated they would be treated like any other patient from serious to minor injuries. 

Even with Airmen responding to missile attacks, ground attack and ever changing MOPP levels, the MDG Airmen still have a responsibility to provide care to real world patients.

"We actually have non-players in the emergency room they have the blue band on" said Tech. Sgt. Yeager. "If we have a real world injury during the exercise we immediately escort those individuals in." 

The ORE is intended to prepare the 8th Fighter Wing for 2009's Operational Readiness Inspection. Because of this, the evaluation team members have put in place a demanding scenario designed to test Kunsan Airmen to the max. 

"I expect the med group to perform excellently and just to do their jobs," said Sergeant Yeager. "I hope we'll gain some experience, better ourselves, learn from our mistakes and successes, and prepare ourselves for the operational readiness inspection." 

As one of the Airmen playing in the exercise, Captain French said she has been impressed by the professionalism displayed by those working alongside her. 

"I love it," she said. "I think the teamwork is excellent and that concept [teamwork] is truly exemplified here."