USARPAC MEDEX 12 gives opportunity for Japanese and US medics to train

News: USARPAC MEDEX 12 gives opportunity for Japanese and US medics to train

18th Medical Command (Deployment Support)

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Story by Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Jackson Subscribe To This Journalist

Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Jackson

Brig. Gen. Keith W. Gallagher, commander professional filler system, 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support) talks to soldiers of the 325th Combat Support Hospital, deployed from Independence, Mo., during the close U.S. Army Pacific’s Medical Exercise 2012. The soldiers set up an 84 bed combat support hospital during the exercise on Sagami General Depot in Sagamihara, Japan, Aug. 23– Sept. 2.

SAGAMIHARA, Japan – The 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support), U.S. Army Pacific’s lead medical unit coordinated, supported, facilitated, and executed USARPACs Medical Exercise 2012 in Sagamihara, Japan, Aug. 23 – Sept. 2.

The exercise, performed for the second time, focused on disaster relief efforts in the event of natural disasters and the set-up of an 84 bed combat support hospital by 325th Combat Support Hospital, deployed from Independence, Mo.

Soldiers from 325th CSH received, set-up, tore-down, repacked and turned-in an 84 bed combat support hospital from Army Prepositioned Stocks at Sagamihara General Depot.

The 18th MEDCOM (DS) leaders addressed the success of the soldiers and recognized them for their dedication and hard work:

"I want to thank you for being available, doing this at the same time you deployed soldiers to Kuwait for that mission and for taking time out of your schedule to come here to Japan to make this happen, stated Brig. Gen. Keith W. Gallagher, commander professional filler system, 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support).

This was about a truth of principals. If a disaster were to happen, we would need this combat support hospital here to take care of the wounded and that’s reality, he went on to say. “You were able to demonstrate that you could do this and that what is in the Army Prepositioned Stocks actually works, is well maintained, and it will function.”

“I think you’ve totally hit a homerun,” said Col. Judith A. Bock, commander 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support), describing the efforts of 18th MEDCOM (DS) and 325th Combat Support Hospital.

“I hope you realize what an accomplishment this is; you’ve strengthened our partnership with the Japanese community, said Bock.

She went on to say that through all of our core efforts that relationship is extremely strong now, and the unit has shown the medical capability by just setting-up a slice of the combat support hospital during the disaster preparedness drills to demonstrate what we really can do.

As well as escorting nearly 180 distinguished visitors through the CSH and showing its operations, the unit performed a mass casualty drill with support from 374th Medical Support Squadron, Yakota Airbase, and trained with Japanese soldiers on loading and unloading medical helicopters, ambulances and performing medical first responder tasks.

“The Japanese medical soldiers are well experienced,” said Staff Sgt. Chad Brown, combat medic, 325th Combat Support Hospital, 139th Medical Brigade, 807th Medical Command (Deployment Support). “As for the cultural differences there haven’t been a lot. They find a lot of our medical concepts humorous as we find some of theirs as well. It’s been very enjoyable and I think we’re both growing, and were both given the opportunity to teach one another things.”

We trained to load and unload ambulances and helicopters, and trained on performing lifesaving skills with the U.S. military, added Pfc. Naho Sokiyama, combat medic, Japan Eastern army.
Sokiyama also stated the training with the U.S. Army was very interesting, because she doesn’t have combat experience, and this was a very good opportunity to learn emergency medical procedures.