OHIO
OKLAHOMA
Ohio National Guard trains with NATO partners
“It’s really great to have experienced instructors,” said Latvian air force Capt. Janis Kudums, an intercept controller. “They can give us insight and help us build this capability to, one day, train ourselves.”
Oklahoma Air Guard Airmen train for casualty combat care
They evaluated and triaged the injured, removed them from danger and prepared them for evacuation.
Lithuanian air force Staff Sgt. Kristina Dabuzinskiene, an intercept controller, said the training provided her with new experience and skills.
By Shane Hughes 178th Wing | MAY 5, 2023
“They had grenade launchers, smoke bombs, there was yelling, and more patients than Airmen,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jason Luper, 138th Medical Group superintendent. “You’re automatically in a situation where the teams have to work together to get patients evacuated under fire.” Staff Sgt. Shamus Klemme, 138th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, participated alongside the 138th MDG. He planned to return to the Tulsa Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma and help others become Tier 2 certified. “We train like we fight,” said Klemme, a TCCC instructor as a drill status Guardsman and a full-time paramedic. “During the final test, they had non-lethal explosive ordinances going off with a lot of loud booms and smoke.” “It was a great training opportunity,” Luper said. “... Everyone did a good job as far as communication, moving patients, and proper carrying techniques.” “I feel pretty prepared after this training,” said Airman Zoe Spille, 138th MDG health services technician. “If I encounter someone who can’t breathe or if a car crashes, I feel more competent in helping them than I was before because of this training.” With training completed and their certification secured, Airmen of the 138th MDG can use these lifesaving techniques in a deployed military environment or back on the homefront.
“It’s a tough situation in the world these days,” Dabuzinskiene said. “We need to train together so we can support each other.”
BLUE ASH, Ohio – Airmen assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 123rd Air Control Squadron hosted a two-week combined training exer- cise with six service members from NATO allies Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary. The training, which included air battle management, ground control intercept, large-force employment and air-to-air combat beyond visual range, was conducted April 24-May 5. “This training is a way for us to build multinational partnerships,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. William Rief, senior operations officer assigned to the 123rd ACS. “It allows us to provide them with training they can’t get at home.”
By Airman 1st Class Addison Barnes 138th Fighter Wing | AUG. 25, 2023
Rief said this was the first time a training event like this had been done at the 123rd ACS. Kudums added that the training allows everyone to learn the same tactics to be prepared to operate in a joint, multinational environment. In addition to gaining more training experience with NATO allies, the event provided another opportunity for the Ohio National Guard Airmen to work with their counterparts from Hungary, which has been paired with Ohio since 1993 through the State Partnership Program. Ohio also has maintained a partnership with Serbia since 2006. “Our strength is through our relationships with our state partners,” said U.S Air Force Brig. Gen. David B. Johnson, assistant adjutant general for Air, Ohio National Guard. “When our adversaries see our capabilities and the joint interoperability we have day-to-day with our partners, that demonstrates our resolve.”
PERRY, Fla. - Loud booms sound all over the training field and smoke drifts in the air as Airmen from the 138th Fighter Wing rush to tend to simulated casualties. The scenario was the final test for Oklahoma Air National Guard members of the 138th Medical Group in achieving their Tactical Casualty Combat Care (TCCC) Tier 2 certification, the new standard that replaced Self Aid and Buddy Care. The four-day course began in the classroom in July. Students used the massive hemorrhage, airway, respiration, circulation, and head injury (MARCH) process, reviewing techniques such as applying a tourniquet, splints and needle decompression. Airmen then split into teams and encountered simulated injuries that required in-depth medical knowledge. They practiced evacuating under fire, stabilizing patients, and tracking the care provided. Once they gained confidence in these tasks, it was time for a written test and simulated mass casualty event.
Hungarian air force 1st. Lt. Mape Molmar, an intercept controller, agreed.
“We have limited opportunities to train on these missions at home,” Molmar said. “We can share experiences with each other here. When we know each other and how to work with each other, it improves our capabilities.” The Airmen at the 123rd have extensive experience operating in forward-deployed locations around the world, and this experience allowed them to provide unique insights to the students during the exercise.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the state partnership pairing between Ohio and Hungary.
“We have deep personal relationships with our partners and that makes a huge difference,” Johnson said. “You don’t think about that when you’re looking at these exercises; you see technical expertise being ex- changed, but what is inherent in all this training are those relationships.”
They encountered smoke, fake rounds, yelling and chaos as they discovered comrades on the floor with simulated injuries.
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