68T Soldiers sharpen veterinary skills during annual collective training event at VMCE

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany - Approximately 30 U.S. Army animal care NCOs and specialists gathered at Veterinary Medical Center Europe on Pulaski Barracks last week for the third annual 68T collective training event, strengthening the clinical and field skills needed to keep Military Working Dogs medically ready across the European theater.

The weeklong training brought together 68T animal care specialists from Veterinary Readiness Activities, Rheinland Pfalz and Italy, for a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on laboratory training, simulated clinical scenarios and field-based exercises.

Rather than focusing solely on the day-to-day routines of a veterinary clinic, this year's training was designed to challenge Soldiers with realistic scenarios that mirror the environments in which they may be called upon to care for an injured or ill Military Working Dog.

"This is our third annual 68 T sustaining training event," said Director of Veterinary Medical Center Europe Lt. Col. Tricia Culbertson. "The training event has changed over the last few years. What started out as a training event geared towards teaching 68Ts how to operate at a veterinary role 4 hospital has shifted to focus more on their individual tasks that fall within the scope of the jobs that they are required do at a veterinary role 2 facility."

Culbertson said the training has evolved to place greater emphasis on developing the technicians' clinical skills and preparing them for the environments where they will actually work.

The training followed a single patient scenario throughout the week, allowing Soldiers to build upon previously learned skills rather than starting over with a new case for every exercise.

"The intent is that the Soldiers don't have to learn a new case with every scenario," Culbertson explained. "They can apply most of the skills to the same case."

The approach also allowed instructors to integrate additional vignettes throughout the week while maintaining continuity in the primary scenario.

Each morning focused on didactic instruction, followed by hands-on application in the afternoon. Soldiers also participated in testing and validation to ensure they could demonstrate the skills they had learned.

Among the hands-on training were diagnostic techniques that can sometimes receive less attention during busy clinic operations, including blood smears, microscopy and using an ultrasound.

"We want them to be really good at the fundamentals, it's important to reinforce those.," Culbertson said.

For Pfc. Aaliyah Pepple, a 68T animal care specialist, the opportunity to move beyond the traditional clinic environment was one of the most valuable aspects of the training.

"The biggest thing I took away from this week was being able to have more time working in a field setting," said Pepple. "In Hohenfels, where I am at, we do lots of clinics and not as much field training as VMCE here. So this was valuable to gain more experience and feel more comfortable."

The training also incorporated Military Working Dogs into several scenarios, giving Soldiers the opportunity to apply their skills to real patients.

Pepple said the combination of classroom instruction followed by practical application helped reinforce the material.

"I liked having PowerPoints in the morning of what we were learning and then doing it in the afternoon," Pepple said. "It was nice to be able and have everything we learned sit in for a little bit and then be able to do it in a real-life setting."

One of the experiences that stood out to Pepple was participating in a blood transfusion scenario with a live Military Working Dog.

"I've never done a blood transfusion before, so that was also really cool to see," she said. "We didn't really learn about it when we were training for the MOS, so it was cool to actually be able to see it."

The training wasn't limited to routine veterinary procedures. Soldiers also worked through Tactical Combat Casualty Care scenarios, where they had to make decisions under pressure while stabilizing an injured animal until more advanced care could be provided.

For Pepple, that was among the most challenging aspects of the week.

"The most challenging is probably TCCC-being stressed out about saving a dog and making sure they stay stable until we can get them and perform surgery to help save them," she said. "I'd say that's the most stressful, keeping a dog alive."

The experience, however, helped build her confidence.

For Sgt. Zachary Wright, another 68T participating in the training, one of the greatest benefits was seeing how advanced veterinary care could be adapted to different levels of available equipment and capability.

"Long-term hospitalization care has always been challenging for me-how do I achieve that with the equipment I have?" Wright said.

The training helped bridge that gap by demonstrating how Soldiers can provide appropriate care even when working with limited resources.

"It gave me a better understanding of like, 'Hey, this is what it's actually going to look like with the equipment you have, and here's some methods that you can provide adequate treatments even with a little bit amount of equipment you have,'" Wright said.

That included exposure to procedures that Soldiers may encounter less frequently, such as airway cannulation.

"You see it all the time in humans, but not dogs," Wright said.

The training also emphasized the value of learning from fellow Soldiers. With participants coming from different clinics and bringing different experiences with Military Working Dogs, Wright said the exchange of knowledge was just as important as instruction from the formal cadre.

"I learned a lot from my fellow peers, too, because everybody has different experiences, especially with Military Working Dogs," Wright said. "I learned a lot from them, not just from my instructors and teachers."

Hands-on training included wet labs and advanced procedures such as chest tubes, cricothyrotomies, tracheostomies and necropsies.

Wright said those skills could have an impact beyond his own clinic.

"I feel much more confident," he said. "It's not just my clinic, but it's also the MTF and the Whiskeys and whatnot. What can I show them as advanced airway procedures that they may be able to use-for the first responders? We're secondary."

The week culminated with procedural training and a final day focused on medical evacuation and en-route care. Soldiers also participated in a surprise vehicle-based exercise designed to challenge them outside the controlled environment of the veterinary clinic.

For Culbertson, the progression is intentional: build the fundamentals, apply them in realistic scenarios and ultimately develop a veterinary team capable of operating together wherever the mission requires.

"The ultimate goal is readiness, not only for the individual 68T Soldier, but for the Military Working Dogs who rely on them," Culbertson said. "It is our job is to keep them healthy, treated, and ready to support the fight."