Joint Readiness Training Center Exercise 09-09: Air evacuation liaison team's battle buddies wear Army green

Published Aug. 25, 2009
By Maj. Michiko R. Riley
Special to Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

FORT POLK, La. -- Airmen with an Air Mobility Command air evacuation liaison team and Soldiers from Army patient administration staff trained with each other during the Joint Readiness Training Center Exercise at Folk Polk, La., through Aug. 25. Their goal -- prepare for Middle East deployments.

"Our main goal is to show the Army folks how we do our job," said Maj. Scott Wilbert, a flight nurse assigned to the air evacuation liaison team, or AELT. "We've been training the staff on how to prepare patients for flight."

Major Wilbert, along with four other members of his team trained extensively with Army medical personnel during the JRTC exercise. The AELT was co-located with the combat support hospital at Fort Polk, "creating a lifeline" between the Army medical personnel and aeromedical evacuation units.

"I'm learning the job I'll be doing in future deployments to Afghanistan," said Maj. Wilbert. "It's so realistic. The amount of time and training performed is absolutely incredible."

Army medical staff also benefit from the joint training.

"Until I saw what happened on the other end at the mobile aeromedical staging facility [MASF], what I thought was just a small detail became really important", said Army Staff Sgt. Ava Bain, a patient administration specialist assigned to the 332nd Medical Brigade at Birmingham, Ala. "It's been a real learning experience," she said.

Sergeant Bain and her fellow Soldiers "deployed" to JRTC Forward Operating Base Warrior and were responsible for admissions, dispositions and transfers of patients in and out of the hospital. The patient administration team worked 24 hours a day with the AELT to transport patients out of the area of operation.

"I understand now their [Air Force] sense of urgency," said Sergeant Bain. "They can't miss that flight -- can't miss their C-17 flight because it won't wait."

Training with other services has proven difficult at times. "Working with the Army has its challenges," Major Wilbert said. "Different services use different words including forms. Air Force communication devices have to talk with Army communication devices.

"We overcame many challenges by working together and coming up with solutions that meet the needs of getting patients out," Major Wilbert said.

JRTC conducts ongoing field training exercises designed to simulate and replicate actual contingency environments, military operations, towns and villages, battlefields, and forward landing strips. The joint training allows Soldiers and Airmen to train together for rapid movement of patients to a higher level of care utilizing the aeromedical evacuation mission capability.

"It's important that we work as a team," Sergeant Bain said. "They taught me a lot."

"Anyone who deploys needs to come to JRTC," Major Wilbert added. "It's money well spent."