Oklahoma Army National Guard Unit Prepares For Deployment

The Oklahoma Army National Guard went through first aid training Wednesday at Camp Gruber ahead of a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait later this year.

The guardsmen are used to maintaining military helicopters, but the training exercise was focused on first aid. 

As Company B, 834th Aviation Support Battalion prepares to go to Iraq and Kuwait, their first aid training is designed to feel chaotic and loud.

We do that just to put a little pressure on them because in a real-world scenario it's never calm and peaceful,” Staff Stg. Landon Timmons said. He is a combat medic.

Wednesday was the fourth day of training for the roughly 100 guardsmen who will be deployed.

Timmons said they need to know basic first aid, enough to be able to start treating an injury and send someone off in a chopper before a medic would take over.

"Everybody's passed so far," Timmons said.

Spc. Jeremiah Wiley rushed to help another guardsman who was hit several times in the mock exercise.

"In real life, he would have lost both of his arms and his leg,” Wiley said.

Wiley said he is feeling more prepared for the mission after the training.

"I absolutely loved it,” Wiley said. “It's a lot of stress because it's not something I do on a daily basis but when it’s a high-stress situation like this it helps you find the zone that you're in. If you ever have to go into that situation in real life."

The company will head to Fort Hood, Texas before deploying later this year. They are expected to be overseas for about 9 or 10 months.