TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – In the high desert of Southern California, Navy corpsmen from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms are trading their typical clinical hospital shifts for the unpredictable and often fast-paced experience of prehospital emergency medicine.

A groundbreaking partnership between NMRTC Twentynine Palms, located at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), and the Morongo Basin Ambulance Association (MBAA), a nonprofit emergency medical service based in Joshua Tree, Calif., is allowing selected Navy corpsmen to “ride-along” with civilian paramedics during emergency calls across the region. This collaborative program marks the first hands-on ambulance training effort of its kind between civilian and military medical professionals in the Mojave region and offers corpsmen a rare opportunity to apply their skills in real-time, real-life scenarios before encountering trauma or injury care in a military operational setting.


“This has been an outstanding partnership — the first of its kind in our area — where our Navy corpsmen can go into the field with experienced MBAA Paramedics,” said NMRTC Twentynine Palms Commanding Officer, Capt. Daniel Clark. “In MBAA’s 2,700-square-mile service area, there is a wide variety of medical emergencies, from difficulty breathing to multi-vehicle traffic accidents. This program allows corpsmen to practice under the guidance of highly trained professionals and prepare for future operational environments with confidence and competence.”

Established in 1948, the Morongo Basin Ambulance Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides emergency medical services to the Morongo Basin region of San Bernardino County and beyond. Operating without taxpayer funding, MBAA is funded solely through private and public insurance reimbursements. Their seasoned teams of paramedics and EMTs respond to emergencies in both urban and rural terrain, offering an ideal training ground for Navy medical personnel seeking to hone their readiness and clinical judgment.

For Hospitalman 2nd Class Jeness Rein, a Respiratory Therapist and Emergency Room general duty corpsman at NMRTC Twentynine Palms, the opportunity to participate in the ride-along program was not just about expanding her clinical toolkit — it was about rekindling a passion for field medicine.

“I already held an EMT license from when I lived in Fallon, Nevada,” Rein explained. “I signed up for the ride-along program here to gain more medical experience and just to be out there, learning more from every call.”

While she’s no stranger to prehospital care, Rein said that the MBAA ride-alongs were “exciting, unpredictable, and filled with teaching moments.”

“Every call is sudden, and the adrenaline kicks in when you’re packing the rig and heading out,” she said. “The MBAA crews have been incredibly welcoming and eager to share their knowledge. They made every effort to include me on calls, and honestly, they made me consider moonlighting once my rotation ends.”

Rein highlighted that working in the back of a moving ambulance forced her to adapt quickly, problem-solve with limited supplies, and operate efficiently in tight, mobile spaces. These, she said, are valuable skills that translate directly into both military and civilian roles.

“Even with all the training we do in the Navy, nothing prepares you like the real world. Working in the field makes you realize how much you can do with so little,” she said. “I’ve picked up some clever tricks from the paramedics that I can bring back to the ER.”

Hospitalman 1st Class Graham S. Ringer, who has served in Navy Medicine for 15 years, currently leads Staff Education and Training at NMRTC Twentynine Palms. He played a key role in developing the ride-along program to highlight its training value and overall effectiveness.

“The MBAA staff and crews have been a blast to work with,” said Ringer. “They’re professional, knowledgeable, and more than happy to share their experience. Even after all these years in the military, I still learned new techniques and approaches from them.”

Ringer views the program as a powerful tool not just for clinical growth, but for shaping a deeper connection between military medical personnel and the local community.

“This program enhances a junior Sailor’s ability to work in high-stakes situations and exposes them to a whole side of medicine we often don’t get to see,” he said. “But more than that, it lets them provide care for people in the community during their most vulnerable moments. That builds not just skill, but purpose.”

He believes this sense of purpose — particularly for first-term corpsmen working in clinics or lower-acuity hospital settings — can be transformative.

“Whether they stay in or get out, this program gives corpsmen relevant, meaningful experience that will serve them well,” Ringer added.

For Navy Medicine, which prioritizes operational readiness, this program is a direct investment in preparing corpsmen to face the complex realities of field medicine before deployment. Corpsmen gain confidence and agility in providing frontline care — two crucial traits in combat casualty and disaster response environments.

Craig Bell, Operations Chief at MBAA, said the partnership not only strengthens corpsmen’s clinical experience but also enhances emergency care across the region.

“This partnership allows us to provide the corpsmen with a different civilian EMS experience which furthers their care and knowledge base,” Bell said. “Additionally, the program also benefits our communities through having more medical professionals on scene for better patient care and outcomes. Having an extra set of skilled hands on scene will always help us to provide a more cohesive patient care experience. This can work by dividing the workload between clinicians to allow for a more rapid addressment of potential life threats, or by providing assistance for more advanced skills being performed by our paramedics.”

More than just a training opportunity, the ride-along program is also building bridges between military and civilian medical professionals in a way that reinforces trust, mutual respect, and shared purpose. That camaraderie is something Rein says she felt deeply during her time with MBAA.

“I definitely feel like it increased the bond between civilian EMS and the hospital corpsmen here,” she said. “We see the paramedics often during patient transfers, but this experience added a new level of appreciation and understanding to those interactions.”

Bell said his paramedics were impressed with the corpsmen from the beginning of the partnership.

“My paramedics have expressed the positive attitudes and eagerness of these corpsmen since the start of the program,” Bell said. “As for skills, in order for corpsmen to participate in the ride-along program, they first need to have completed their general corpsmen training and skills competencies — so we have had no issues with their current capabilities and are eager to take advantage of their full scope of practice in the future.”

Rein, who is now preparing to apply to a nursing program after completing a few more prerequisites, said the ride-along experience has reaffirmed her desire to continue advancing in the medical field.

“There’s so much to learn from everyone you meet out there,” she said. “If you stay open-minded and ask questions, people will teach you what they know. That’s how we grow.”

With a goal of continuing the program in the future, NMRTC Twentynine Palms and MBAA’s leadership hopes that this kind of partnership will become standard practice across the country.

“I am hopeful that this program will serve as a template for other MTFs across the continental US, where our Sailors can serve as Navy ambassadors while also becoming the best trained and highest quality Navy corpsmen,” expressed Clark.

For now, the program remains a model of innovation — proving that the intersection of military and civilian medicine can produce extraordinary results when both sides come together with a shared mission: bettering patient care and bolstering readiness, one emergency call at a time.