OKINAWA, Japan -- Thirty-two members of the 142nd Medical Group (MDG) participated in Medical Facility Annual Training (MFAT) at the U.S. Naval Hospital, from July 5th to 19th, 2025. The two-week mission supported active-duty operations while reinforcing medical readiness and joint-force integration.
The MFAT program provides Air National Guard (ANG) medical personnel the opportunity to train in operational military hospitals alongside Navy, Marines and active duty Air Force counterparts. Participation is competitive and based on readiness metrics. The 142nd MDG earned their spot by ranking in the top ten of all ANG units.
The group, led by Guard Medical Unit Commander, Lt. Col. Josiah Roldan, included medics from the 125th Special Tactics Squadron and the 123rd Fighter Squadron. Together, they supported 16 hospital departments, serving more than 730 patients, filling 170 prescriptions, reviewing 410 charts, maintaining 43 pieces of medical equipment, and conducting public health inspections across three installations.
Reflecting on the accomplishments of the 142nd MDG during this training, Lt. Col. Roldan emphasized how the MFAT experience directly supported the team’s readiness and growth.
“The MFAT at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan was a great opportunity for our Medical Group to accomplish our Comprehensive Medical Readiness Program (CMRP), clinical currencies, and work closely with active duty Navy and Air Force personnel at the largest overseas military hospital in the South Pacific,” said Roldan. “This experience was particularly valuable for many of our Airmen who have never deployed to this region or worked in a facility treating both service members and their dependents.”
For Senior Airman Mikaela Rogers, an aerospace medical technician with the 123rd Fighter Squadron, the exercise served as an opportunity for professional development and enhancing mission readiness, while also ensuring compliance with the 40-hour clinical requirement necessary to maintain her medical technician certifications.
During the MFAT, she rotated through multiple departments including the orthopedic clinic and operating room, gaining hands-on experience and refining her technical skills.
“The biggest thing I learned is the ability to adapt to new and unfamiliar environments,” said Rogers. “Working closely with other branches and seeing how the Navy and Marines approach combat medicine gave me a broader understanding of military healthcare.”
Rogers also emphasized the value of collaboration, describing how nurses and medical technicians exchanged knowledge across services and roles.
“There’s real value in approaching training with humility,” she said. “Assume you’re the least knowledgeable in the room, and you’ll leave with more insight than you expected.”
Staff Sgt. Olivia Walston-Roberts, a respiratory therapist with the 142nd MDG, also brought her civilian expertise to bear in a meaningful way, something unique to the National Guard as most guardsmen have full time employment in their communities. While working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), she identified an advanced piece of respiratory equipment, an oscillator ventilator, used to treat critically ill newborns that few personnel were familiar with.
Drawing from her experience as a pediatric and neonatal specialist at Providence St. Vincent in Oregon, Walston-Roberts took the initiative to lead a hands-on training session for staff.
“I noticed one of the respiratory therapists had never worked with neonatal patients or used that type of equipment before,” said Walston-Roberts. “So I took the opportunity to teach her how to use the oscillator ventilator and went over neonatal resuscitation techniques in detail.”
Using a baby mannequin, she walked through a complete neonatal emergency scenario with the RT and several nurses, answering questions and demonstrating best practices with rarely used but mission-critical equipment.
“It turned into a really great learning moment,” she said. “I love to teach, and this was a cool opportunity to share knowledge and help others build confidence in a high-stakes setting.”
The success of the 2025 MFAT may position the 142nd Medical Group for future training opportunities in FY27 and beyond while reinforcing the group’s ability to operate in joint environments and maintain critical readiness for global medical missions.Their next out-of-state readiness training is being planned for summer of 2026.