Soldiers on opposing teams don’t usually train together for a competition, and they certainly don’t get the opportunity to use their French bulldog to help them prep. That’s probably because, in most cases, they’re not married and serving as combat medics.
During late-night training sessions at home, Sgts. Caleb and Kaitlin Flynn used their pet dog to get in some reps and sets for canine casualty care — one of the events that soldiers compete in during the annual competition.
“We were jokingly practicing things like identifying veins or talking through airway management,” Kaitlin Flynn said in an Army release.
The Army hosts several best medic competitions throughout the year, but the couple competed in the 2026 Army Southern European Task Force, Africa’s Best Medic Competition. The winning team of their best medic competition was Sgt. Rishabh Jishnu and Spc. Michael Andress from the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
The two sergeants were joined by 20 other military medical professionals who took part in the two-day competition in January, a recurring event put on by different commands throughout the year. Teams from the local command events then go on to compete in the Army’s Best Medic Competition hosted by the Army Medical Center of Excellence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Best medic competitions test soldiers’ combat casualty care skills, like packing a wound or inserting a catheter, while putting them through rigorous physical and mental endurance events.
Coming from two different medical backgrounds, the couple helped each other prepare.
Caleb Flynn is a medic currently assigned to an Army clinic in Vicenza, Italy. He previously worked at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he regularly treated soldiers at the Airborne School with common injuries like broken limbs and concussions.
Top Stories This Week
“As a medic who’s worked in both clinics and hospitals, I’ve been able to share how patient care is managed from beginning to end,” Caleb Flynn said.
Meanwhile, his wife, Sgt. Kaitlin Flynn, a jumpmaster herself, is a medic assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, who has treated soldiers from rapidly deploying infantry units like the 173rd and 82nd Airborne Division.
“At home, we’ve been able to talk through lanes together and help fill in gaps in our knowledge,” Kaitlin Flynn said.
This year’s Southern European Task Force, Africa Best Medic Competition also included troops from other countries like Ghana, Liberia, and Italy. The event started off with a week’s worth of training on skills like treating chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear injuries, marksmanship with an M4 carbine, and prolonged field casualty care.
On the first day of the actual competition, soldiers had to complete the Army Fitness Test, perform a stress shoot, assemble their weapon under duress, and finish a foot march while carrying a 35-pound ruck. The second day tested soldiers’ medical proficiency in an array of combat drills like trauma lanes, litter carries and delayed evacuation casualty management.
The couple walked away from the competition with different wins — Caleb Flynn earned the title of “best shooter,” and Kaitlin Flynn’s team placed second overall in the event. They plan to return to the U.S. after their tours in Italy come to an end.
