Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Army Doctor Earns Top Honors at Air Assault School at Fort Campbell

Image of Army Doctor Earns Top Honors at Air Assault School at Fort Campbell. Army Capt. (Dr.) Gabriel Paris, assigned to Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, was recently named honor graduate at the Sabalauski Air Assault School for earning the top scores on a series of written and performative tests that measure curriculum knowledge and ability. (U.S. Army photo by Maria Christina Yager)

A pediatrician from Blanchfield Army Community Hospital recently distinguished himself as the class honor graduate at the Sabalauski Air Assault School on Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

On May 2, Capt. Gabriel Paris, who is assigned to the hospital's Young Eagle Medical Home, was among 167 soldiers who in-processed for class 26-22. After the equipment inspection, two-mile run and obstacle course on the first day, 142 soldiers made it to the first phase of training. By graduation May 17, only 100 soldiers remained.

It is a 10-day course that is both physically and academically challenging teaching soldiers the foundations of heliborne operations to include troop transportation, sling loaded cargo and equipment transportation, medical (MEDEVAC) and casualty (CASEVAC) evacuation operations, and air assault operations.

"As you can imagine, my medical background helped me tremendously in quickly learning a large amount of information. I was very interested in the school and set it as one of my professional/military development goals. I wanted to test my physical abilities and get a better grasp of what 'regular' Army is like, since this is my first duty station after residency training," said Paris. According to Paris' leadership, he knocked it out of the park.

Honor graduate is awarded to the student who achieves the highest scores on written and performative tests administered during the three phases of Air Assault School. The tests encompass detailed information on rotary aircraft specifications and capabilities, sling load rigging and inspections, path-finder skills, and air assault missions.

"Soldiers must know the specifications and capabilities of every rotary wing aircraft in service in the Army, and also throughout the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force to enable soldiers to facilitate joint air-ground operations," said Capt. Huy Nguyen, BACH's Medical Company commander, who works closely with his TSAAS counterparts in order to send BACH soldiers through the course.

During the class, soldiers learn the principles and parameters of establishing safe and usable helicopter landing zones. They also learn and are tested in the configuration of sling loads for ground vehicles, equipment, and supplies. Upon completion, graduates are able to certify loads for air movement that enhance a unit's operational reach, freedom of action, and endurance in the execution of unified land operations, explained Nguyen.

"We are fortunate to have regular access to the Sabalauski Air Assault School. We are able to send soldiers to every Air Assault class and we have a high success rate. Over 90% of the soldiers we send graduate; those who do not, often are able to recycle and pass at a later time. This is the first time I can recall BACH having the honor grad. It is quite an accomplishment," said Nguyen.

BACH soldier, Sgt. Sangoh Choi, a behavioral health specialist assigned to the Department of Behavioral Health graduated from Air Assault School nearly two years ago and has put the skills he learned to use.

"During EFMB [Expert Field Medical Badge], there was a task where I had to establish the landing zone for the [helicopter]," said Choi. More recently he used a technique he learned at Air Assault School called the Swiss Seat method while competing in the Regional Health Command-Atlantic Best Leader competition to safely move a casualty from one place to another using a rope.

"Army Medical Department soldiers who graduate from Air Assault School provide capabilities for their commanders. When commanders get a soldier who has the Air Assault Badge on their chest, they know they are getting a highly skilled and motivated soldier who will be a force multiplier for their unit," said Nguyen.

You also may be interested in...

Transformed U.S. Army Pharmacy Readiness Training Course Enhances Force Sustainment for Future Combat Operations

Article Around MHS
5/31/2023
U.S. Army Capt Lauren Kaminski of Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rosalinda Bermea-Arriaga from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, log controlled substance medications in the pharmacy at the training field hospital at Camp Bullis, Texas. Proper management of controlled substances is vital to the safety, security, and legal compliance of our forces. (Courtesy photo)

U.S. Army pharmacists and pharmacy specialists from across the country traveled to Camp Bullis, Texas, this week to participate in a 40-hour deployment readiness course hosted by the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence. The course is designed to prepare personnel to provide efficient pharmaceutical in an austere, multi-domain, large-scale operating environment.

Medical Exercise Certifies Mission Ready Casualty Receiving Treatment Ship

Article Around MHS
5/16/2023
U.S. Navy sailors from Fleet Surgical Team 6 treat a simulated patient aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan in the operating room during a medical mass casualty drill. Sailors from USS Bataan and Fleet Surgical team 6 participated in an all-day medical training evolution to increase operational readiness. (Photo by U.S. Navy Mass Comm.  Spc. Seaman Apprentice Levi Decker)

Sailors from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Portsmouth enhanced a casualty receiving treatment and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and conducted a three-day certification exercise as part of a continued commitment to mission readiness, March 21.

Local Health Care Partners are Critical to Blanchfield’s Medical Mission

Article Around MHS
5/3/2023
U.S. Army Col. Vincent B. Myers, commander of Blanchfield Army Community Hospital talks with TRICARE network providers from the local community about the hospital's medical mission during a network partner event on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on April 13. Regional TRICARE contractors provide health care services and support beyond what's available at military hospitals and clinics for eligible beneficiaries. (Photo by Fred Holly, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital)

Army Medicine, Defense Health Agency, and TRICARE East region contractor Humana Military representatives welcomed local TRICARE network health care providers to the Sabalauski Air Assault School on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on April 13.

Ultimate Caduceus 2023 Tests Defense Health Agency Readiness in Emergencies

Article
4/27/2023
Ultimate Caduceus 2023 Tests Defense Health Agency Readiness in Emergencies

For the first time, medical representatives from the Defense Health Agency participated in a combatant command movement exercise, the Ultimate Caduceus 2023 held in March. The objective was to test the Department of Defense’s aeromedical evacuation and critical care transport capabilities.

86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Makes History

Article Around MHS
4/20/2023
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brendon Bowman, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight examiner and emergency medical paramedic, unloads medical equipment from a C-21 Learjet at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.  (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jordan Lazaro)

The 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron embarks on the U.S. Air Force’s first-ever AE paramedic-led flight in charge of an all-enlisted medical crew.

Project 112 SHAD

FAQs
4/19/2023

Questions and answers about Project 112 SHAD

Human Subject Research at Fort Detrick

FAQs
4/19/2023

Questions and answers about Human Subject Research at Ft. Detrick

New Center a ‘Seismic Shift’ in Army Fitness

Article Around MHS
4/7/2023
U.S. Army Col. Kent Solheim, 165th Infantry Brigade commander, pauses for a moment while climbing a rope during the “Kay Workout of the Day” at the Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center. (Photo by Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office)

The Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center, “represents a seismic shift” towards how the U.S. Army approaches how troops are trained, evaluated, and sustained, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, Fort Jackson’s commander. “It is an investment in individual soldier preparedness.” The Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center, “represents a seismic shift” towards how the U.S. Army approaches how troops are trained, evaluated, and sustained, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, Fort Jackson’s commander. “It is an investment in individual soldier preparedness.” U.S. Army Col. Kent Solheim, 165th Infantry Brigade commander, pauses for a moment while climbing a rope during the “Kay Workout of the Day” on March 24 at the Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center. The workout was part of the facility's grand opening. (Photo by Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office)

New Training Course Offers Medics and Nurses Hands-On Experience in Austere Environment

Article Around MHS
3/14/2023
U.S. Army Capt. Morgan Bobinski and U.S. Army Capt. Lauren Blake, burn intensive care unit nurses, treat a simulated patient during the Tactical Trauma Reaction and Evacuation Crossover Course at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (Photo by Jason W. Edwards, U.S. Army)

Battlefield trauma simulations, evacuation procedures, and trauma care are just a few of the scenarios that medics and nurses experience in a new training platform. Find out what makes the TTREX course so impressive that participants are volunteering to teach it.

Operation Blue Horizon Fosters a Joint Medical Environment

Article Around MHS
2/24/2023
U.S. Air Force, Army and U.S. Navy service members carry a mannequin to an Army UH-60 Blackhawk for a casualty evacuation during Operation Blue Horizon 2023 at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Derrick Bole)

They say teamwork makes the dream work, and it's happening at MacDill AFB. Find out how Airmen and Sailors are collaborating to save lives.

Medical Surveillance Monthly Report Volume 30 Number 2, February 2023

Report
2/1/2023

This issue of the peer-reviewed monthly journal published by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD) features the articles: Changing of the Guard: MSMR’s Second Editor-in-Chief Retires; Brief Report: Hospitalizations Among Active Duty Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Fiscal Year 2021; Historical Perspective: The Critical Role of Disease and Non-Battle Injuries in Soldiers Isolated on Pacific Islands During the Second World War; From the Editor’s Desk.

FLOTEX-22

Photo
1/31/2023
U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Dante Horner, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, performs tactical combat casualty care during Spanish FLOTEX-22 near Rota, Spain, June 9, 2022. This exercise features tactical level actions ashore, combined with joint training and planning, aimed at increasing overall bilateral interoperability between nations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Dante Horner, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, performs tactical combat casualty care during Spanish FLOTEX-22 near Rota, Spain, June 9, 2022. This exercise features tactical level actions ashore, combined with joint training and planning, aimed at increasing overall bilateral interoperability between nations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

Eyes on Vision Readiness

Article Around MHS
1/27/2023
Military personnel gets eye exam

Good eyesight is often take for granted, but vision impairment can be the difference between mission success and mission failure. Find out what's happening on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling so airmen in the National Capital Region remain sharply focused on their U.S. Air Force missions.

I Am Navy Medicine - and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist - Lt. Jason Balazs

Article Around MHS
1/27/2023
Military medical personnel administers ultrasound on patient.

National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Week is January 22-28, 2023. Learn why CRNAs like Lt. Jason Balazs use extraordinary precision and focus to support critical mission readiness and their impact on this profession's long history and enduring record of patient safety.

U.S. Army Medical Laboratory Forges Relationship with Australian Defence Force Institute

Article Around MHS
1/25/2023
Military personnel in medical laoratory

American soldiers from the 1st Area Medical Laboratory were hosted by their counterparts at the Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute in Brisbane, Australia. Find out what was discussed at this meeting to strengthen critical relationships, save lives, and enable both sides' mission readiness.

Page 1 of 38 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: July 20, 2022
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery