VIPs witness MEDCEUR intensity

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman David Dobrydney
  • MEDCEUR Public Affairs
DANILOVGRAD ARMY BASE, Montenegro --  The servicemembers participating in the 2010 Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe demonstrated what they had learned in two weeks of classroom training and live simulations of disaster and crisis situations Sept. 17.

The participants ran through a rapid-fire series of crisis situations including a large-building fire with evacuation, a traffic accident with a chemical spill, an explosion that led to a brushfire, and treatment of casualties from each incident first in "ROL 1" for initial triage and care, then in the Expeditionary Medical Support facility if more definitive care and stabilization was required.

The scenarios were observed by more than 100 visitors, including Montenegrin government ministers, flag officers from the ten participating nations and other officials.
Narrating the sequence of events were the co-directors for the exercise, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Brent Vosseller from RAF Lakenheath, England, and Maj. Ilija Daković of the Montenegrin Army.

The first MEDCEUR was held in 1995 in Albania, said Colonel Vosseller, and is designed as a multinational venue to build up interoperability between medics of different nations in the region. This year marked the first time the exercise has been held in Montenegro. To underline why Montenegro is hosting this year's exercise, Major Daković described some of the disasters from the country's history, such as the 1979 earthquake that left more than 100,000 people homeless and a train wreck in 2006 that claimed 45 lives.

Visitors applauded the speed with which the participants tackled each situation. Particularly impressive was the extinguishing of the brushfire with airborne retardant.

Among the visitors was Deputy Director of Plans, Policy and Strategy for U.S. European Command, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery. He spoke on MEDCEUR and its benefits to relations between the U.S., Montenegro, and the partner nations.

"Joint exercises such as these don't just build shared expertise and common understanding," said Admiral Montgomery. "The relationships established here serve regional readiness."

Montenegrin Chief of Defense Vice Adm. Dragan Samardzic said that in a world of unpredictable threats, both natural and manmade, cooperation between nations such as that at MEDCEUR is vital to help prevent disasters from happening and relieve suffering when they do.

"MEDCEUR represents the right example," said Admiral Samardzic. "I'm positive this exercise has achieved this goal, and full credit must go to the leadership and participants."

The day marked the completion of the live portion of the exercise. The participants are tearing down and packing equipment ahead of closing ceremonies.

For more information go to www.usafe.af.mil/medceur.asp and www.odbrana.gov.me.