Phase IV out of the six phases of the MEDEX 2000 exercise at Sagami Depot was completed Sept.1 after seven days of performing the medic mission during a simulated contingency.

Army medics and acting casualties from Fort Polk, Korea, Camp Zama, and Okinawa participated in the first 504-bed field hospital exercise in the Pacific in at least 25 years.

The exercise not only benefited the medical personnel whose skills were put to the test, but also the acting casualties, according to Chief Controller Lt. Col. Doug Phelps.

"For the medical personnel, this was the first time they were able to set up a field hospital and train on the equipment. It gave them realistic training,"Phelps said.

"The 'patients'who came from Korea and Okinawa got to witness first-hand what it would be like if they were actually a casualty in combat,"he added. "Many have said it was the best experience of their lives."

The goals to make the exercise a success were to set up a hospital, validate timeline requirements, and identify shortfalls in the equipment, according to Phelps.

"We were successful in all three,"he said.

However, the road to success was not an overly easy one. The participants worked at least 12 hours a day and had to correct some real-life problems on-the-spot, such as fixing faulty medical equipment.

"Another difficult thing was synchronizing everything. There were so many moving parts that it made it difficult to coordinate all the pieces of the exercise and ensuring it all came together,"Phelps said.

In addition to bringing the equipment together, the exercise brought the Army and the Air Force together. Though not directly in the core of the exercise, the Air Force participated by providing air medical evacuation expertise and a control cell, which made sure the process was followed through.

Phelps said he hopes the exercise, though the first of its kind in Japan, continues to occur at least every two years.

"The lessons learned in the field hospital are so valuable, that if we don't do this every two years, soldiers will be missing out,"he said.

The majority of the soldiers and airmen who participated in Phase IV of the MEDEX 2000 returned to their home units Sept.1 with something to be proud of, according to Phelps.