Soldiers assigned to 528th Hospital Center, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, III Corps, U.S. Forces Command greet fellow unit members as they return to Fort Bliss, Oct. 22, after a nine-month long deployment to Iraq in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. This was the first deployment of a hospital center since the Hospital Force Design Update took effect in 2017, an action which reorganized and restructured combat support hospitals across the Army. (Photo by Pvt. Matthew Marcellus, 1st Armored Division)

Field hospital returns to Fort Bliss after first deployment

By Pvt. Matthew Marcellus,1st Armored Division

Smiles, laughter and jubilation danced across a crowd of family and friends as Fort Bliss welcomed home 88 Soldiers from Iraq, Oct. 22. The Soldiers were deployed in support of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve last February.

Soldiers of the 528th Hospital Center, 1st Medical Brigade, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, III Corps, U.S. Forces Command, served as the medical task force for CJTF-OIR, providing mission command for medical units across the area. The 528th HC also provided role 3 hospitalization support to the theater, implementing a facility which is staffed and equipped to provide care to all categories of patients including resuscitation, specialty surgery and post-operative care.

This was the first deployment for the 528th HC since its activation in April 2018, as well as the first deployment of a hospital center since the Hospital Force Design Update was implemented by the Army in 2017 to reorganize and restructure combat support hospitals to better align battlefield healthcare with commander needs.

The 528th HC will continue to train their skills and readiness in order to ensure that they are always prepared to deploy and meet any future mission requirements.