FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Soldiers assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard's 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group, are engaged in a comprehensive two-week field medical exercise here.

The exercise is an effort to achieve validation for future deployments.

About 50 Soldiers are participating in this training exercise, which will span five days in the field and end on July 19. The command and control of the unit will be put to the test to ensure that communication and delegation of duties can be executed efficiently in a real-world scenario.

Staff Sgt. Mark McClenithan, the supply specialist with the 108th Medical Company Area Support, or MCAS, says a highlight of his unit’s members is their ability to be flexible and provide excellent care in high-stress environments.

“I’m really excited to see what our young men and women can do with months of training and preparation," McClenithan said. "We have the utmost confidence in our Soldiers, and I’m confident their hard work will exceed all expectations during this training event."

The 108th MCAS will focus on establishing a medical facility in an austere environment while still providing first-class care. The exercise allows them to simulate both role one medical care, which includes medical treatment, initial trauma care and forward resuscitation. They will simultaneously provide role two medical care, which includes advanced trauma management, emergency surgery and resuscitative care. This exercise will promote readiness and elevate their medical and basic Soldier skills.

“This is the first time in three years the unit has conducted this level of training," McClenithan said. "We will be out in the field, utilizing our full skill sets and using almost every piece of equipment we have."

McClenithan said the unit expects to treat nearly 100 simulated casualties and patients, with medical providers offering valuable feedback. He described the unit's expectations as "monumental."

“As a medical unit, we have a unique skillset to accomplish our mission because a lot of our Soldiers are currently working in the medical realm," McClenithan said. "We have one chiropractic doctor, three physician assistants, three registered nurses, five paramedics, one large animal veterinary technician, with another five in nursing school and two in PA [physician assistant] school. The vast pool of experience we can pull at any moment speaks highly of Soldiers' dedication to excellence and our craft."

Staff Sgt. Joshua Romig, one of the unit's platoon sergeants, is excited to see Soldiers thrive in new roles, including himself.

“We are fully embracing going through the forming-storming-conforming and executing stages," Romig said. "This is a common practice of team building, where we formulate our dynamic teams, go through the trial-and-error stage of storming, conforming to a cohesive group and finally executing at a high level as a team."

This exercise serves as a culminating training event for the unit members who have meticulously prepared over the last few months for this mentally and physically demanding field training exercise.