A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to 1-52D General Support Aviation Battalion, Arctic Aviation Command, 11th Airborne Division, lands near Fort Greely, Alaska, as part of a medevac (medical evacuation) rehearsal ahead of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 25-02, Jan. 18, 2025.
JPMRC 25-02 is held during the coldest part of the Alaskan winter, exposing roughly 10,000 joint, multi-national service members to unforgiving conditions, building the division’s expertise in the Arctic in support of the Army, the DoD and the Nation’s Arctic and Defense Strategies.
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Salvador Castro.
Story by Pfc. Makenna Tilton, 11th Airborne Division
FORT GREELY, AK (Jan. 18, 2025) — In the frigid early morning on the Alaskan frontier, the Army 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and the 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Arctic Aviation Command, both of the 11th Airborne Division, conducted a medevac (medical evacuation) rehearsal ahead of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 25-02 (JPRMC 25-02), near Delta Junction, Alaska, Jan. 18, 2025.
The medevac rehearsal comes only days before the start of JPMRC 25-02, the Army’s newest Combat Training Center, focusing on Large Scale Combat Operations in remote and extreme Arctic winter conditions, where the ability to reach and treat casualties is key.
“Rehearsal is very important,” said 2nd Lt. Allen Sanchez, a platoon leader assigned to Charlie Company, 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. “We have to practice our skills because, at the end of the day, we have to be prepared for things that may change in real-life situations.”
The Donnelly Training Area and its extreme cold temperatures, high winds and ever-changing conditions presents challenges, but learning to operate in that environment is vital for building soldiers that live up to the division’s motto: Arctic tough.
The Arctic is a dynamic environment requiring 11th Airborne Division leaders and soldiers to be prepared, adaptive and capable of operating in a harsh environment that changes quickly and suddenly, and JPMRC 25-02 is key to testing some of the best leaders and soldiers in the Army.
U.S. Army video by Sgt. Samuel Boney.
1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion.
11th Airborne Division.
U.S. Army Aviation.
“This rehearsal is essential because we are in an Arctic environment, where resources are limited,” said Spc. Brandon Martinez Segura, a combat medic assigned to Charlie Company, 25th BSB, 1st IBCT, 11th Airborne Division. “So we need to practice getting all casualties out of this environment and to safety.”
With mere hours of daylight during the winter months, rehearsing in darkness is nearly unavoidable, but is critical to ensuring combat medics are prepared to treat any injury, no matter the conditions.
“It is crucial that we practice how to properly aid a patient in the cover of night; we hope to gain experience and learn from our mistakes,” Sanchez said.
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