130th Medical Group Conducts High-Intensity Night TCCC Exercise at Camp Branch
MCLAUGHLIN AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE — Airmen with the 130th Medical Group pushed through extreme fatigue, chaotic simulated gunfire, and dark, austere conditions to hone life-saving skills during a Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) Combat Life Saver night tactical evacuation exercise at Camp Branch, West Virginia on September 18, 2026.
Designed to simulate large-scale combat operations (LSCO) against peer and near-peer threats, the high-stress training put Airmen to the test. Facing realistic small-arms fire from Opposing Forces (OpFor) using blank rounds, airsoft and smoke grenades, students navigated Care Under Fire, Tactical Field Care, Casualty Collection Point (CCP) establishment, and 9-line MEDEVAC requests.
The exercise culminated in securing landing zones (LZs) under darkness to conduct hot-load operations into a CH-47 Chinook and hoist extractions with a UH-60 Black Hawk provided by U.S. Army National Guard Maryland Aviation assets.
“First of all, [it gives] an appreciation for what our Airmen and troops go through in an exercise like this,” said Lt. Col. John Adams, Commander of the 130th Medical Group. “It’s going to help us learn lots of lessons of what not to do and what to do—involving aeromedical evacuation, logistics, radio communication, and just a greater appreciation for what actually goes on so that we take this training that much more seriously going forward. It's invaluable training.”
Adams emphasized that despite the grit, sweat, and physical toll of the night operations, the joint exercise built crucial trust across units.
“The best experience is seeing my medical group come together—that’s the GMU and the CERF-P—and learning together,” Adams added. “The camaraderie we’re building, the morale, and the joint experience thanks to Sergeant Pack and his team with the U.S. Army Aviation assets has been eye-opening and wonderful.”
For participants on the ground, the exercise served as an intense, eye-opening introduction to the demands of tactical medicine under fire.
“You don’t know what you’re going to do in a scenario with this amount of chaos until you do one of these,” said Tech. Sgt. Kristian Anderson, a flight and operational medical technician attached to Operations. “The biggest thing to get you through something like this is just to maintain communication with your team to be successful. Everyone here was willing to jump into a leadership role whenever they needed to at that moment.”
For junior members of the wing, the opportunity to train in realistic, high-pressure environments alongside experienced cadre left a lasting impression.
“I just experienced a big wake-up call for what our combat medics do,” said Airman Basic Garrett Slack, a dental technician with the 130th Medical Group. “This is definitely what I was hoping for when I joined... It’s not every day you get to fly in a Blackhawk for work with some awesome people. It’s tough work, it’s grit work, but it’s fun work. It gives you a purpose for life—it’s meaningful, and you’re really a part of something.”
By executing realistic night evacuations, hot loads, and hoist operations in contested environments, the 130th Medical Group ensures its personnel remain disciplined, adaptable, and ready to respond whenever duty calls.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
