Medical readiness training exercise in El Salvador, Central America, 1996.

Medical Readiness Training Exercises (MEDRETEs) can be a valuable training tool for U.S. Army personnel in remote areas of deployment. We report our experience of the MEDRETE in El Salvador in 1996. Working with foreign physicians of the host country was a positive experience in which we learned local customs and mutual cooperation. Evaluation and treatment of nearly 6,000 patients increased goodwill in the community and provided an opportunity for teamwork for Army Reserve medical units, including increased discussions of public health issues. We also report on the field applicability of the advanced laboratory and pharmacy equipment we included in our training.