African Lion 18 consisted of several training missions completed throughout Morocco. These missions included military training in command-post activities, academics, field training focused on countering violent extremist organizations, aviation training, a senior leader dialogue and humanitarian civic assistance (HCA) training.
The Utah Army National Guard Medical Command was responsible for the HCA component of Exercise African Lion 18. Soldiers from the Utah Medical Command worked from a mobile hospital, established and run by the Royal Moroccan Army Medical Battalion, in the small, rural town of Bounaamane, located in the Tiznit Province.
During the two-week exercise, the Utah medical Soldiers not only enhanced their capabilities and developed their relationship with their Moroccan counterparts, they also helped to treat more than 6,000 patients in Bounaamane.
With a 14-bed recovery area, x-ray and ultrasound machines plus a blood work lab, the mobile hospital in Bounaamane was fully equipped to offer medical services to both children and adults. The hospital provided general medicine services, ear-nose-and-throat services, internal medicine services, gynecological services, pediatric services plus dental, optometry and psychiatric services. Exercise participants issued eyeglasses and performed root canals, fillings, cleanings and tooth extractions. They conducted cataract surgeries, gall bladder removals, hernia repairs and fatty benign tumor removals.
The leadership coordination between the United States and Morocco most impressed MAJ Kerbo.
“Anytime you have leadership work together, there’s always little rough spots you have to get over,” he said. “I think for the most part, the standout was how well the leadership worked together for a common goal, which was not only for us to [display] the ability of the units to perform a mission, but also to provide medical services to the people of Tiznit.”
The minor challenges Exercise African Lion presented allowed Soldiers to grow and become more efficient in their tasks. These experiences also allowed the Utah Guard Soldiers to build upon the relationships they had previously formed with their Moroccan partners.
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