72nd Medical Group conducts Ready Eagle mission readiness exercise

Story by 2nd Lt. KASEYANN CORNWALL

72nd Air Base Wing

The 72nd Medical Group conducted a mass casualty exercise named Ready Eagle April 15-17, highlighting their expertise and critical role in patient care, particularly in challenging environments.
The primary objective of this exercise was to focus on patient care within a contaminated environment. The 72nd MDG demonstrated its capabilities by providing comprehensive care to simulated casualties at the incident scene, managing patient transport, conducting decontamination procedures, and offering clinical care to exercise patients. This exercise served as a rigorous test of the 72nd MDG’s readiness, ensuring they are prepared to handle various scenarios locally or in a deployed setting.
“Ready Eagle exercise is crucial because it showcases our capabilities and ensures that we are sharp and ready for any situation, whether here or in a deployed environment,” said Maj. Michael Broome, 72nd MDG medical management director/health care integrator. “It underscores our mission readiness, focus, and capabilities at all times,”
Ready Eagle is a service-wide exercise that ensures medical personnel are well-prepared and capable of responding effectively to various situations. The significance of “Ready Eagle” extends beyond individual readiness.
“This exercise is vital because it isn’t our daily job,” said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Ballard, 72nd MDG decontamination team chief.” “Practicing with actual scenarios and patients allows us to assess our skills and readiness for emergencies.”
The 72nd MDG plays a significant role in fortifying the Air Force’s medical preparedness and emergency response. Through rigorous training exercises such as Ready Eagle, the medical team is better equipped to deliver critical, life-saving interventions to the 10,500 personnel they support on Tinker AFB, ensuring peak operational readiness for any eventuality.