In the frigid early morning on the Alaskan frontier, the 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 medical evacuation rehearsal ahead of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 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.

“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.