Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Capt. Alyssa Brown, 82nd Medical Group (MDG) flight surgeon, shows Airman 1st Class Ethan Stettner, 97th MDG dental technician, how to do a needle thoracostomy on a mannequin during the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. Leaders from the 97th MDG intended to utilize both medics and non-medics to safely transport injured individuals to a higher level of care facility while providing critical first aid by Tactical Combat Casualty Care and MEDIC-X training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Rebekah Clifford, 82nd Medical Group independent duty medical technician, packs her bag in preparation for the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. The scenario for the exercise was meant to simulate how to give life-saving care to several blast victims before air evacuation arrives. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Brenda Khamthingath, 97th Medical Group bioenvironmental engineering flight chief, fashions a head wrap around a patient during the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. This type of wrap is common to us during Tactical Combat Casualty Care. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Thorne, 71st Medical Group diagnostic and therapeutics flight chief, assists a patient during the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. The real life patients were actors from the 97th Medical Group who were tasked with giving realistic responses to the Airmen assisting them. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Thorne, 71st Medical Group diagnostic and therapeutics flight chief, places a tourniquet on a mannequin during the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. The intent of the exercise was to identify training gaps in the comprehensive medical readiness of the Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Capt. Alyssa Brown, 82nd Medical Group flight surgeon, explains how to write up identification cards for injured patients to Airmen during the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. Participants in the exercise were a mix of medics and non-medics, to ensure all Airmen involved would receive training in life-saving skills before air evacuation can arrive. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Robert Throne, 71st Medical Group (MDG) diagnostic and therapeutics flight chief, and Staff Sgt. Rebekah Clifford, 82nd MDG independent duty medical technician, perform first aid on a mannequin during the Caduceus Spear exercise on a C-17 Globemaster III from Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. The team was tasked with giving life-saving medical care to patients throughout the flight from Clinton Sherman Airfield Park to the 97th Medical Group at Altus Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

Patients are loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III before take-off during the Caduceus Spear exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023. Once in the air, medics were charged with keeping patients alive during unregulated patient movement. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed)

Caduceus Spear offers joint training opportunity for 97th, 82nd and 71st MDGs

Published Nov. 2, 2023
By Airman 1st Class Kari Degraffenreed
97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --

Airmen from the 97th Medical Group partnered with Airmen from Sheppard and Vance Air Force Bases for a readiness exercise at Clinton Sherman Airfield Park, Oklahoma, Oct. 26, 2023.

The Caduceus Spear exercise was focused on MEDIC-X and Tactical Combat Casualty Care concepts, which multiple teams of Airmen were expected to perform during the scenario.

The teams were comprised of Airmen from different squadrons with skill sets varying from casualty care to rudimentary knowledge, providing an opportunity for experienced members to train others within a controlled environment.

Before the exercise began, the moulage crew aimed to make the scene as realistic as possible. The scenario was set around a rocket striking seven people at a smoke pit. In this type of scenario, the team would have to focus on treating multiple wounds associated with a rocket blast.

Four of the seven patients were real people with fake wounds filled with shrapnel and blood, while three mannequin casualties were missing limbs. Having actors present provided an opportunity for the teams to care for patients experiencing trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in real time.

“Everyone out here is not clinical,” said Col. Daniel Roberts, 97th Medical Group commander. “It’s an opportunity for us to take a myriad of different medics, put them in a somewhat austere environment and expect them to keep as many of the patients alive as possible.”

Through MEDIC-X, all Airmen within medical fields, regardless of their specific roles, will be required to demonstrate competency in 52 essential skills. The aim of this training is to ensure medical personnel are fully prepared for future combat situations.

“We have a whole new generation of medics out there who were not old enough to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Lt. Col. Shanti Jones, 97th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron commander. “This training is about preparing multi-capable Airmen and incorporating tactical combat casualty care and MEDIC-X.”