PEORIA, Ill., - Two Illinois National Guard Soldiers recently joined the Wyoming National Guard and Nevada Army Reserve for a joint training mission called Medlite-10 to Kharrouba Air Base in Tunisia, the northernmost country in Africa.
Chief Warrant Officers Lucas Bohm and Chief Warrant Officer Lance Stafford spent about a week in April enhancing medical capabilities and improving medical interoperability between the two forces by participating in a disaster response and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives (CBRNE) exercise. Both Soldiers are assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Battalion based in Peoria.
“We showed them the type of equipment we have, how we use it and what works for us,” said Bohm.
The Wyoming National Guard has a State Partnership Program with Tunisia like the Illinois National Guard has a State Partnership with Poland. Medlite started in 2000 between Wyoming and Tunisia and just completed its seventh combined medical exercise.
Medlite-10 included approximately 140 Tunisians and 37 U.S. military personnel.
The first two days of the training were spent in the classroom where Bohm and Stafford demonstrated the different CBRNE equipment used, such as gas masks and suits. Then they participated in an exercise based on a local chemical plant explosion causing multiple casualties suffering from CBRNE exposure.
“It was good hands-on training because they didn’t have much experience using any of the gear,” said Stafford. “They were able to gain knowledge from our experience.”
After CBRNE familiarization, Soldiers trained by performing casualty evacuation procedures.
Currently the Tunisian Air Force operates the HH-3 Pelican helicopter. Bohm and Stafford are both CH-47 Chinook helicopter pilots for the Illinois National Guard.
“It worked out really well because the litter system in both our aircraft and theirs are very similar,” said Bohm.
Bohm and Stafford deployed together, to Iraq in 2003 to 2004 and then to Afghanistan in 2009. As a result of their time overseas, they were able to take their first hand medical evacuation experience and show the Tunisian Air Force what techniques they used, said Bohm.
“I think for a growing country that doesn’t have a lot of experience with the equipment, they got a lot out of it by the end of the exercise,” said Bohm.
After the exercise the Soldiers had an opportunity to venture off base and explore part of the country and its culture.
“The Tunisians are very proud of their culture and it was a great opportunity to not only share military techniques with them but also learn about their culture,” said Bohm.