China, US disaster drills show a shared goal: saving lives
CAMP RILEA ARMED FORCES TRAINING CENTER, Ore. (AP) — A man lay on the grass, shivering beneath his bloodstained T-shirt as Chinese military doctors and
On a pine-studded base along the
"The tensions that happen really don't impact this, because we've found an area of common interest: that's saving lives and disaster response and humanitarian assistance," Gen.
Maj.
"I think it is very positive in the fact that it can enhance mutual understanding, it can reduce the risk of miscalculation and misperception, and will definitely help to build a more secure and stable regional situation," Zhang said through an interpreter, as Brown nodded.
In the recent drill, the soldiers practiced responding to a massive flood. The skills also could help in an earthquake as they used a large drill to practice extricating survivors from a collapsed building, or in a tsunami.
It was the first time in
"Cook in dining hall here tries to make what he thinks is Chinese food, even though it tastes not like the same in
Among the unusual sights for the Chinese was a herd of elk that emerged in the morning mist. An American soldier described what they were, spelling "elk" for a Chinese journalist.
A main difference in how the Chinese soldiers operate from the Americans is "they have more patience,"
"We want to rush in. They study things," Charles said as a team nearby broke apart a concrete slab in rubble near several crushed cars.
He said taking time to assess is beneficial, because hasty rescuers could wind up in need of rescue themselves.
With only a couple of interpreters, language was an impediment. But not many words were needed when medical teams jump into action, because they use similar approaches, said
A team of four Chinese and American medics worked on a
Soldiers stretched ropes across a waterway, affixed the injured in stretchers to the ropes, then pulled them across. Chinese medics said they usually practice on mannequins and that using people added realism.
Participants also gained experience in organizing and deploying assets, said
"We've got to figure out a way to come together, to pool our resources so we're not just butting heads the whole time," Perry said. "And so you try to get through that stuff and work through the kinks in exchanges like this."
"That's a bridge too far," she said in an email.
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