Spc. Cody Lance gently nudged the throttle of his Humvee as the vehicle inched up the steep ramp guiding it into the cargo bay of the C-17 Globemaster III.

With Tech. Sgt. Jeff Austin, a loadmaster with the 10th Airlift Squadron, giving the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Soldier visual commands, Lance carefully maneuvered the truck into the tight space.

"I didn't realize how steep the ramp was," Lance said. "It was a little nerve wracking."

The situation played out Feb. 9 on the flightline at McChord Field as 35 Soldiers from the 62nd Medical Brigade teamed up with McChord Airmen to practice loading vehicles packed with medical supplies for response exercise.

"It's about lining things up with how we do things and how (the Air Force) does things," said Capt. Todd Manley, a Soldier with Headquarters Company of the 62nd Medical Brigade who oversaw the training.

The Soldiers are part of a rapidly deployable response force that must be ready to respond to any type of chemical, biological/radiological or nuclear event within the continental U.S. The 62nd Medical Brigade assumed its mission as part of the force on Oct. 1, 2011, and will continue the mission for one year.

"If we get the call, we have to send out as quickly as possible small packages to kind of access the situation to find out what kind of medical response we're going to prepare or what kind of capabilities we're going to bring to support the local population or organizations," Manley said.

Many of the Soldiers' familiarization with the C-17 is only from boarding the aircraft on their way to or coming home from a deployment, the captain said. The exercise gave each one a chance to experience loading vehicles and supplies under non-emergency conditions.

"When it's for real, it's going to be stressful and we're going to be trying to get out of here as quick as possible," Manley said.

Lance, 22, was happy to step up to the challenge and get some hands-on training. It was the first time - other than air shows as a kid - that he'd been in a C-17. Although the backing in of the vehicle was a process that required patience in front of a crowd, Lance was grateful for the experience.

"I like putting myself out there like that," the Nevada native said. "It's a chance for me to be an example to the younger Soldiers."

Once all the vehicles were in the cargo bay, Austin and fellow loadmaster Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Thompson showed Soldiers how to chain the vehicles down.

"It's showing them how to use our equipment and what our requirements are," Austin said.

The training also gave the two services a chance to get their communication down when it comes to loading the aircraft.

"It is slow and easy," Austin said. "(It's about) keeping an eye on us instead of looking at their mirrors. We are their eyes because they can't always see as much as we can."

While working with the Army is nothing new to Austin, he said it's good for both sides to get as familiar with each other and each specific mission so when the times comes to move out, things will be smooth.

"We're learning about their cargo so they can have a quick go as possible," he said. "It's a good training opportunity all around, for both forces."