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Making it real
Story and photos by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, 177FW/PA
Senior Airman Chris Chiola, right, issues an order while Senior Master Sgt. Gus Egizi, center, both with the 177th Civil Engineering squadron, performs self aid and buddy care on Airman Basic Cody Passaro, left, during the 177th’s June operational readiness exercise on June 5.

Moulage has been best described as an experience similar to dressing up for Halloween.

The 177th Fighter Wing Medical Group takes it one step further. Combining various apparatus with liberal amounts of synthetic blood and makeup, the idea is to create authentic looking wounds that will actually bleed.

Whether it is an object impaled in a person’s eye, a lost limb, or entrails coming out of an Airman’s abdomen, the key is to make the experience of treating the wounded by the 177th unit members as real as possible.

Under the guidance of Staff Sgt. Justin Kaenzig of the 177th Medical Group, doctors and medics prepare Airmen from the 177th’s Student Flight for their roles as the wounded and dying in the various operational readiness exercises leading up to October’s all-important operational readiness inspection.



After much preparation, the young Airmen are turned loose, looking like extras from George Romero zombie movie, on the unsuspecting base population.

In this case, Halloween has come a little bit earlier than usual.

Photo above right: Staff Sgt Justin Kaenzig, left, and Capt. (Doctor) Jessica Bramlette, center, prepare Airman Basic Ron Leonard for his role during one of the medical exercises. Photo bottom right: Staff Sgt. Justin Kaenzig spatters synthetic blood on Airman Basic Natalia Rojas.

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Volume 34 Number 5 Staff / Information
     
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