News United States Air Force
 Airmen reflect on lessons learned at Patriot Medic 23Published Sept. 6, 2023
                        
                        By Julian Hernandez
                        
                        
                        433rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
                **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) --**
                The 433rd Medical Group returned home after validating its readiness to deploy by participating in Patriot Medic 23. The training, part of a larger exercise called Global Medic, involved more than 7,100 Reserve, active duty and allied forces as well as coalition partners.Seventy Reserve Airmen from the 433rd MDG spent 19 days undergoing rigorous and realistic training at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio and Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. On top of validating the Airmen’s readiness to deploy, the annual exercise served to enhance interoperability between units, medics, individual reservists and the joint force.Patriot Medic 23 provided “Alamo Wing” reservists opportunities to sharpen their skills beyond what can typically be accomplished during monthly unit training activities.“What I’m grateful for is that I’d never seen our people in the 433rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron come together before, they’d never had too before” said Maj. Reginald Whittington, 433rd ASTS Bravo Flight commander. “I was very impressed with the junior Airmen, the senior leadership ... I would go to war with these people ... we have people in the unit that I would trust with my life.”Loadmasters from the 433rd Operations Group unload equipment used in Patriot Medic 23 after the 433rd Medical Squadron returned to JBSA-Lackland on Aug. 29, 2023.Loadmasters from the 433rd Operations Group unload equipment used in Patriot Medic 23 after the 433rd Medical Squadron returned to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Aug. 29, 2023. Participation in the 19-day exercise involved more 7,100 Reserve and active-duty service members from multiple branches and allowed Airmen of the 433rd Medical Group to validate their readiness to deploy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez)
            
            
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    Master Sgt. Julie Fuleky, a medical technician assigned to the 433rd Medical Group at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and Capt. Ranieka Lee, a clinical nurse also assigned to the 433MDG, provide care for a patient during Exercise Patriot Medic at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2023.Master Sgt. Julie Fuleky, a medical technician assigned to the 433rd Medical Group, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and Capt. Ranieka Lee, a clinical nurse also assigned to the 433MDG, provide care for a patient during exercise Patriot Medic at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2023. Exercise Patriot Medic combined medical personnel from more than a dozen Reserve squadrons to help build a robust and ready medical force capable of providing trauma, en route care, return-to-duty and evacuation while developing resilient Airmen able to support the warfighter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Eric M. White)
            
            
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    Reserve Citizen Airmen of the 433rd Medical Squadron step off a C-5M Super Galaxy as they return to JBSA-Lackland on Aug. 29, 2023 after participating in Patriot Medic 23.Reserve Airmen with the 433rd Medical Squadron step off a C-5M Super Galaxy as they return to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, Aug. 29, 2023, after participating in Patriot Medic 23. Participation in the 19-day exercise involved more 7,100 Reserve and active-duty service members from multiple branches and allowed Airmen of the 433rd Medical Group to validate their readiness to deploy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez)
            
            
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Participation in Patriot Medic led to learning moments for new Airmen and veterans alike. Airmen from the 433rd ASTS embedded with the 914th ASTS, based out of Niagara Falls ARS, New York as part of their training at the exercise.“It was the first time in my career that we embedded with another unit,” Whittington, who has served for more than 20 years, noted. “We literally came together with another ASTS who has the same challenges, the same successes, the same, or different, solutions to certain things, and we were able to maximize what works best.”For several of the “Alamo Wing” reservists, this was only their first or second exercise with the unit.“When I went in there, honestly I didn’t know what to expect,” said Senior Airman Luis Martinez, a 433rd ASTS medic. “My job here is as a medic so that’s my mentality, I’m going to go be a medic ... but it turned out to be a lot more than that. I learned new roles and responsibilities. I learned how to be a leader and I learned also how to be a follower.”The exercise not only tested the Reserve Airmen’s knowledge of their jobs and their physical capabilities, but also their mental resiliency. Many of the lessons were learned the hard way.“We failed a lot, which was a good thing because you need to feel that pain and then you come up with better solutions next time,” said Senior Airman Lindsey Neubauer, 433rd ASTS medic.Both Neubauer and Martinez received challenge coins for their performance at the exercise, a traditional way for military leaders to recognize the efforts of their troops.Patriot Medic also allowed 433rd MDG senior leaders to evaluate and mentor their Airmen, while strengthening the bonds between the members of their teams.“I’ve been in for 16 years ... this is probably one of the most realistic ones,” Master Sgt. Julie Fuleky, 433rd Medical Squadron Bravo flight chief, pointed out. “As we went through it, you started to see the team come together ... it was a very valuable exercise because, where we normally only see each other two days a month, we were working closely together for 19 days.”Col. Michelle Van Sickle, 433rd MDG commander, served as the joint task force surgeon at Fort McCoy during the exercise. She observed after the exercise that many of the newer medics were able to fully understand their mission and the importance of training prior to deployment, while more seasoned medics expanded their knowledge about operating in a contested environment.“They all came together to accomplish the mission, and all performed at, or above, the standard we expected,” Van Sickle said. “I am proud of them.”LR 



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