Ghastly make-up improves Kadena training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Christopher A. Marasky
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Tech. Sgt. Jay McLaren, 18th Dental Squadron Exercise Evaluation Team member, puts the finishing touches on a ghastly masterpiece - an Airman with a bloody piece of wood protruding from his eye.

Through the injury looks painful, the subject is calm knowing his "injury" will help add realism to the scenario during this week's 18th Wing Local Operational Readiness Exercise Beverly High 08-02 held here.

Members of Kadena Air Base's EET use moulage to help make scenarios more realistic. Moulage is the art of applying mock injuries for the purpose of training emergency response teams and other medical and military personnel.

"It actually gives them a little more reality to the scene," said Sergeant McLaren. "With moulage emergency personnel can actually see the wound; there is a little more sense of urgency compared to just having our augmentees out there 'acting' injured."

In this particular scenario, Sergeant McLaren applied moulage to Airman 1st Class Michael Henseler, an augmentee from the 18th DS. Sergeant McLaren used a kit that included flesh colored putty, a plastic wound and some fake blood in order to make it appear like Airman McLaren had a piece of debris stuck in his eye.

Other injuries such as head lacerations and broken limbs were also used in the exercise to help better portray scenarios to emergency responders.

"With moulage we can use putty and fake bones to simulate realistic wounds," said Sergeant McLaren. "If they don't have this visual cue, it's harder on the responders. Not all of our augmentees are Hollywood actors."

While the moulage isn't on par with movie special effects, those involved feel that it's important to helping Kadena Airmen train for war.

"I think it's great, because it looks so real," said Airman Henseler. "It [reminds] you how serious the situation is, and that helps the trainers here."