Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Published July 21, 2025 By Tech Sgt. Victor J. Caputo 49th Wing Public Affairs HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The medics of the 49th Medical Group added a new layer of depth to their monthly training day by incorporating field tactics and wartime medical practice in a Medic-X exercise here on 16 July, 2025. The training consisted of 16 stations and substations that ranged from spinal immobilization to infection control to post-mortem protocol, all scenarios that are critically important for a medic to know but unlikely to experience in a clinical setting such as the clinic at Holloman. Airmen from the 49th Medical Group rotate between stations during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This exercise allowed every member of the medical group to sharpen field skills they are not able to practice every day while providing critical clinical support to Team Holloman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “Gone are the days when a medic would only be expected to perform duties within their specific specialty – our medics need to be versatile & better equipped to provide speedy and effective support to the warfighter,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jason Estrada, 49th MDG senior enlisted leader. “That versatile mindset is what our medical group education and training team has used to shape our Medic-X and other hands-on training.” The Air Force is one of the most lethal parts of the Department of Defense, and the flipside of lethality is the medical skill needed to keep the warfighters in the fight downrange. This more hands-on approach to training was brought about after an education and training member went through the intense two-week Tactical Combat Casualty Care Tier 3 course and realized how important it would be to bring lessons learned to the entire medical group. “We're focusing on operating in an austere environment where it's not going to be calm, it's not going to be like day-to-day clinic operations,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Natasha Lindbloom, 49th MDG education and training flight commander. “You could tell somebody to recite the alphabet, but if it's stressful, they're going to mess it up. We want our people to be able to do this until they can perform these simple tasks under pressure.” Although we cannot mirror a battlefield environment, we can put our medics in situations where critical thinking and a sense of urgency fuels their training to ‘kick in.’Chief Master Sgt. Jason Estrada, 49th MDG senior enlisted leader Coupled with the chance to exercise underutilized but combat-effective skills, the exercise served to underscore the importance of medics who are fit to fight and capable of doing what’s needed when it’s needed in a stressful and possibly deadly environment. A low-crawl obstacle course was put together using furniture and gear inside the clinic, streamlining the flow of training and simulating a more realistic urban environment. “Although we cannot mirror a battlefield environment, we can put our medics in situations where critical thinking and a sense of urgency fuels their training to ‘kick in,’” said Estrada. “Since so few of our current medics possess the real-world experience, it’s our training team that brings these scenarios to life with realism and pressure-induced decision making, which results in the desired sets & reps our teams need to build muscle memory. Constant Improvement Medic-X training exercises are not a new concept for medical personnel; in fact, Medic-X was rolled out across the enterprise two years ago and has provided quarterly training objectives to all Defense Health Agency members. The ever-changing global environment and nature of future warfare were other driving factors in the 49th MDG collectively getting ahead of the curve and practicing these critical wartime skills on top of staying adept at their daily clinical duties. “I'm hoping this gives people the mindset of ‘Hey, I know I'm in this job right now and I'm comfortable, but I'm not always going to be comfortable if we're put in these situations in real life,’” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Claire Pruitt, 49th MDG education and training program manager. All Airmen take TCCC Tier-1 training that covers the basics of what was formerly known as self-aid and buddy care, while all medics are required to take Tier-2 training to gain more expertise in the ability to treat wounds sustained in combat. Tier-3 training is optional but available for all medics and provides a realistic, grueling experience of austere field conditions and the physical limits that medics can be pushed to in wartime. “There’s going to be a bit of a shock factor for people working in a clinic, where even though we’re incredibly busy, a lot of it is just administrative work instead of intense, hands-on medical practice,” said Pruitt. “I’m trying to integrate some of the things that they did with us in a physical aspect at the Tier 3 training so that these Airmen have more experience, and understand that if they have to do this in real life tomorrow, it’s not going to be easy. They’ll have to think about getting the patient out of the combat zone, treating their wounds, stopping the bleeding, loading them onto a helicopter, etc.” Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Airmen from the 49th Medical Group train on cleaning and covering wounds during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This exercise allowed every member of the medical group to sharpen field skills they are not able to practice every day while providing critical clinical support to Team Holloman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res SLIDESHOW | 8 images | Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Airmen from the 49th Medical Group train on cleaning and covering wounds during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This exercise allowed every member of the medical group to sharpen field skills they are not able to practice every day while providing critical clinical support to Team Holloman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 1 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Felix Kietur, 49th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron NCO in charge of medical maintenance, helps demonstrate how a patient is stabilized in the vent of a possible spinal injury during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. The 49th Medical Group integrated hands-on tactical skills exercises into their monthly training day to help instill a warfighter mindset and enhance the technical expertise of Team Holloman’s medics. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 2 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Airmen from the 49th Medical Group rotate between stations during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This exercise allowed every member of the medical group to sharpen field skills they are not able to practice every day while providing critical clinical support to Team Holloman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 3 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Da’Ja Thomas, 49th Healthcare Operations Squadron mental technician, low-crawls through an obstacle course during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This iteration of Medic-X integrated field exercises for medics who typically perform clinical and administrative duties, allowing them to sharpen their tactical skills while supporting lethal warfighters downrange. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 4 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Medics from the 49th Medical Group self-apply turniquets during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. Self-applying tourniquets gives medics a first-hand understanding of how tightly and quickly tourniquets must be applied in real-world operations to prevent a patient from bleeding out. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 5 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Airmen from the 49th Medical Group transfer a 200-pound training dummy from a gurney to an operating table during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This exercise allowed every member of the medical group to sharpen field skills they are not able to practice every day while providing critical clinical support to Team Holloman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 6 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Airmen from the 49th Medical Group train on cleaning and covering wounds during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. This exercise allowed every member of the medical group to sharpen field skills they are not able to practice every day while providing critical clinical support to Team Holloman. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 7 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Holloman medics enhance fitness and expeditionary capabilities in Medic-X exercise Medics from the 49th Medical Group wash blood from a simulated casualty during a Medic-X exercise at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 16, 2025. Post-mortem protocols and procedures are just a small part of the skills that medics are unable to practice regularly in a clinic, but the Medic-X training exercise gives them a platform to shake the dust off these kinds of practical applications. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo) 8 of 8 Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The success of the first iteration of integrated field work with Medic-X has laid the groundwork for an ever-improving series of exercises to better prepare Team Holloman’s medics for unpredictable and challenging fights of future conflict. “Today’s potential adversaries are better equipped and more prepared than any potential foe has ever been,” said Estrada. “For that reason, every uniform-wearing member of our military needs to understand that he/she is one bad day, one ill-guided decision, one perceived threatful action away from finding themselves, in support of our country, inside a combat environment where the old rules may not apply.”