By Christine June
Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (April. 06, 2016) - Fifteen students from Munich's Bundeswehr Medical Academy visited the George C. Marshall European Center Apr. 6.

The medical doctors and dentists came to the Marshall Center to learn more about the center's mission and how its reknowned German-American partnership builds and maintains a global network of trusted professional experts capable of meeting challenges of terrorism, organized crime, cyber security and other transnational threats.

After a short presentation and tour by German air force Senior Master Sgt. Mark Winkler, the military medical visitors heard combat medical evacuation experiences from U.S. Army COL John Knightstep. Knightstep is the Marshall Center's deputy director for the Seminar on Regional Security.

As a former helicopter pilot and commander of an aviation battalion, Knightstep flew countless medical evacuation missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. He shared his experiences and highlighted the importance of the "Rule of law" for combat medical professionals.

"It is very important to stay within the law, even if your personal feelings tell you something different," Knightstep told the visitors. "If you start to bend the law just a little, it opens a huge gap for the enemy or for people who have an interest in your failure."

The students spent a great deal of time asking questions not only about medical evacuation but also what is taught to participant enrolled in the Marshall Center's Seminar on Regional Security Studies.

The Medical Academy was so impressed by Knightstep's candid discussion of his combat medical evacuation experiences and his work at the Marshall Center that they asked to visit again in the near future to talk to him further.