927th ASTS Conducts TCCC Training at Patriot Warrior

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Xavier Lockley
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Members of the 927th Aeromedical Staging Squadron participated in patient rescue scenarios during the Tactical Combat Casualty Care training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, Aug. 12.

TCCC is used to treat preventable causes of death on the battlefield, but Airmen can be placed in dangerous predicaments if they aren’t careful. Critical thinking and decision-making skills were put to the test in this training.

In the scenarios, Airmen were faced with a situation where they had to enter an area with continuous warfighting, treat their injured patients and evacuate them into a transport vehicle where the patient would be taken to the nearest treatment facility.

“I felt like this portion of training really made me realize exactly what a deployed environment could consist of,” said Senior Airman Len McPhearson 927th ASTS technician. “Upon arrival we faced gunfire but still focused on saving our patients, we were able to rescue them from gunfire, treat them, and transport them over to the vehicle which would take them to the closest treatment area.”

The training is used to provide Airmen with a realistic perspective of what dangers they could possibly face attempting to save a patient’s life.

“We wanted TCCC to present our Airmen the best possible example of some things they could potentially encounter in the field,” said Master Sgt. James Finley, 927 ASTS medical technician. “The men and women in the squadron are going to come away from this training with a better understanding of how to evaluate a situation and make the best possible decision for themselves and the patients under duress.”

In pressured situations, it is extremely crucial for Airmen to be at their best. However, mistakes can happen in a training environment, the important part is to learn from them.

“When we did the after-action breakdown, I and others with the help of the instructors realized things that we need to clean up,” McPhearson said. “We’re fortunate to have this training at Patriot Warrior because this is only going to enhance our capabilities later down the line in a deployed atmosphere.”

Patriot Warrior is an exercise that readies expeditionary Reserve Citizen Airmen for world-wide deployments and provides knowledge and experience to strengthen home station training programs.