An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Oct. 4, 2011

Massachusetts National Guard train first responders in Tajikistan

By Sgt. Jeremiah Clark Massachusetts Army National Guard

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - A dozen nurses and doctors sprint into the courtyard as a gruesome scene unfolds.

Casualties are sprawled out all over the ground. A man runs around screaming, another is spread out with a fractured skull from the brick lying next to him and right in front is a women, unconscious with a branch impaling her leg. It is utter pandemonium.

This is where all of the training is going to be put to good use.

Ripping through the packaging of a tourniquet, one nurse evaluates the victim, minor bleeding and unresponsive.

"Stop," says and interpreter in Russian.

As quickly as it started, the exercise is over.

The Sept. 22 field training exercise was the culmination of a four-day instructional period that Massachusetts Army National Guard Soldiers of the 51st Troop Command have been teaching to doctors and nurses of the Dushanbe Hospital, said Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Bruce, the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the operation.

The scenario had two parts; the first part was classroom instruction involving the medics of the 51st and the students, doctors and nurses of the Dushanbe Hospital. The classes included splinting, triage, tactical combat casualty care and hemorrhage control.

Also, the medics highlighted the use of evacuation and evaluation, using the DIME methods; Delayed, immediate, minimal and expectant.

The second part was the field exercise.

"Watching them improve from one iteration to the next gives us a feeling of accomplishment, especially after the field exercise," said Army Sgt. Michael Struppa, squad leader, 1st Battalion, 182nd Medical Company, Massachusetts National Guard.

The students worked so well the students completed all of the training, including the final exercise that was required in four days instead of the original five, Struppa said, who participated in the exercise for the second time.

"It was due to the excellent instruction put on by the medics involved," Struppa said.

Those medics were Army Staff Sgt. Robert Campbell, Army Sgt. Charles Rozier both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment, and Bruce and Struppa.

Also, on their list of accomplishments was making the Tajiks aware of the standards and equipment of the U.S. Army Medics whom work with a lot of field aid, Bruce said.

The equipment that they used to teach the Tajiks was also donated to them, he said. Some of the supplies are for further instruction and even more for actual use in case of a situation such as the earthquake.

"One of the most important things is making sure they are prepared in case something like this happens," Bruce said.

Another important accomplishment for the Soldiers was the relationships they created.

"You never know when we'll be here again, maybe due to an earthquake like the scenario depicts or maybe for other reasons," Bruce said. "Either way, we'll know that working together is possible."

 

 

Related Articles
Alaska Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Quintan Hecimovich, 176th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, supports wildfire containment efforts June 21, 2025, at Bear Creek, Alaska. The Alaska National Guard activated volunteers to support containment efforts in  the Interior.
Alaska Guard Works to Contain Fires
By Maj. David Bedard, | June 23, 2025
BEAR CREEK, Alaska – Alaska National Guard service members were activated on June 20 to support local, state and federal efforts to contain fires threatening Alaska Interior communities. Col. Christen Brewer, Alaska National...

Pennsylvania Air National Guardsman, Senior Airman Asa Henderson, assigned to the 171st Civil Engineer Squadron, operates an excavator to move riprap during a deployment for training, Assateague Island, Virginia, June 17, 2025. The 171st engineers are the 5th rotation of 8 during the deployment for training on the island. The DFT has provided engineers with unique training consistent with installing a runway while creating a new road for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Air Guard Engineers Build Roads, Skills in Assateague Island Project
By Master Sgt. Bryan Hoover, | June 23, 2025
ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, Va. - Air National Guard civil engineers from across the country are rotating through Assateague Island in support of a months-long deployment for training, where they’re building vital...

SEA John Raines, the senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, attended the African Senior Enlisted Leader Conference in Rabat, Morocco, on June 12 as the keynote speaker, reaffirming commitment to counter terrorism, strengthening national security abroad, and bolstering alliances and partnerships.
2025 African Senior Enlisted Leader Conference Highlights National Guard Role in Africa
By Sgt. Maj. Pete Morrison, | June 20, 2025
RABAT, Morocco – National Guard senior leaders reaffirmed their commitment to counter terrorism, strengthen national security abroad and bolster alliances and partnerships, particularly with countries throughout Africa,...