Official U.S. Navy website - Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

PACIFIC OCEAN – The amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) conducted a mass casualty drill.

Medical team from Peleliu medical department, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 1 joined together in responding to a mass casualty.

“These drills are important because we may be called upon to render care to civilian populations where there has been a natural disaster,” said Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Glenn Loflin, Peleliu’s medical department leading chief petty officer. “We may have some of our Marines take fire and get injured. As the United States has shown, we are here for all the people in our operating area.”

Although they trained as individual units, FST-1 and 15th MEU, came together with Peleliu as an integrated blue-green team to be prepared as one.

“When a crisis happens, everybody wants to know what is happening simultaneously,” said Cmdr. Brian Mecklenburg, Officer In Charge of FST-1. “Everyone wants to do good (sic), but they have to know what their part is, so we can all work as a team.”

Following the drill, the medical team debriefed and gave them feedback on how they performed.

“These Sailors are dedicated,” Mecklenburg said. “They are doing exactly what they are trained to do and this training saves lives.

Peleliu is the flagship for the Peleliu ARG, currently underway for PHIBRON-MEU integrated training in the Pacific Ocean. The Peleliu ARG consists of amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5), amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 46) and amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20).