1-501st Aviation and 2-7th Infantry Conduct Point-to-Point Blood Transfusions During Combined Resolve 25-2

HOHENFELS, Germany — Combat medics and medical personnel from multiple NATO units conducted live point-to-point blood transfusion training during Exercise Combined Resolve 25-2 at Hohenfels Training Area, Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC), Germany between May 18-20, 2025.
The scenario placed medics into high-pressure environments where they collected and administered blood on site, simulating the urgency of real-world battlefield trauma care. The “walking blood bank” approach draws from pre-screened donors within the unit allowing teams to practice stabilizing casualties in remote conditions where traditional medical evacuation might not be immediately available.
“A point-to-point blood transfusion entails taking blood from one person and ensuring that it’s the same blood type or something acceptable for the recipient’s blood type,” said Capt. Aaron Chapman, an air medical physician assistant with 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade. “We then transfuse that blood into our patient’s body to help try to save them to keep them from succumbing due to hemorrhagic shock.”
“We have people in our battalion who are typed and screened. We know everyone’s blood type, so we can call donors we’ve already vetted when someone is bleeding out and needs blood urgently,” Chapman said.
For safety, medics practiced an autologous technique, drawing a small amount of blood from each participant and then transfusing it back to rehearse the steps without cross-donor risk. British Army Maj. Catriona Kemeny, a general practitioner and medical officer with the 4th Regiment, Army Air Corps, said the practice has both historical roots and present-day relevance.
“This was something we did in World War I. We actually gave patients’ blood right in the trenches, and that really improved survival,” said Kemeny. “Now, blood is a difficult product to store. But if you have a lot of people, you have a lot of walking blood. The idea is that we use a natural resource and deliver point-of-care blood as quickly and as far forward as we can.”
Kemeny advised that front-line transfusions are gaining new importance in today’s evolving battlefield. “The implications of this are really significant. We’re not working in a counter-insurgency environment anymore,” Kemeny said. “Looking at the lessons from Ukraine, they’re taking significant casualties; major trauma. They need blood, and if we can make our patients survive, we can get them back to fighting fit.”
Sgt. David Alvarado with the 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division emphasized that the hands-on nature of the training was a welcome challenge.
“Everyone’s going to be doing them from now on. I don’t get to do this all the time, and I love training,” said Alvarado. “Whenever I get the chance to do something like this, I’m always hands up first. I’m going to get more practice, get better, and I’m going to be able to save real lives out there when the time comes.”
Kemeny highlighted the significance of joint training, noting that exposure to realistic scenarios builds both competence and confidence.
“The more you do something, the better you get at it,” Kemeny said. “This has been a really exciting opportunity. I’m glad I was able to witness this training. Hopefully, we can take some of these lessons back to the U.K. and start practicing this ourselves so that if we ever have to do it, we know how.”
Exercise Combined Resolve 25-2 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa multi-domain, large-scale combat exercise organized by the 7th Army Training Command (7ATC), bringing together U.S., NATO, and partner nation forces to train in a joint-combined environment. The training supports interoperability, combat readiness, and shared tactical proficiency across allied forces.