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The ‘Blood and Guts’ Queen: 72nd Medical Group clerk teaches art of moulage

  • Published
  • By Kandis West
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  Sunny Schones, 72nd Medical Group clerk, received two precious gifts from Iraq. The first, her son, home safe and sound from the war zone after his first tour of duty and second, photos of real war-zone injuries like decapitated heads, blast wounds and gunshot wounds.
   Sunny, a name well-suited for the bubbly, vibrant clerk yet an oxymoron for her dark bloody hobby, said seeing the photos allow her to more realistically re-create wounds.
   The mother of four, two of which are Marines and one an Army Soldier, practices the art of injury simulation called moulage.
   She uses an arsenal of latex, paint and blood among other things to create typical injuries for base exercises like War Wagons, Warrior Weeks and Operational Readiness Inspections. The complexity of her creations varies from an impelled object in someone's stomach to a road rash stemming from a motorcycle accident.
   Sunny said this form of art is essential to U.S. servicemen and women of all military branches because first responders need to be familiar with the appearance and treatment of severe injuries.
   "I tell the kids to act like this is really happening," Sunny said. "I am afraid that someone will go to Iraq and could be helping my kid and not know what to do," she said.
   Sunny started out as a dedicated volunteer patient for base exercises. After perfecting her routine as an annoying wounded patient, she said, it was time to move on to bigger things like slicing arms, impaling objects through heads and blistering backs. That was 10 years ago.
   Since then, Sunny has become Tinker's unofficial "blood and guts" queen. She coordinates a team of moulage volunteers for base exercises. For the past three years, she's also been one of the 21 members of Oklahoma's Emergency Medical Service Authority moulage team that serves the Lawton, Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas. 
   Last month, she worked a six-hour explosion and shooting exercise at the University of Oklahoma with EMSA. She was also assigned temporary duty in Reno, Nev., last November to take a five day advanced course on injury simulation.
   She said the secret to being a good moulage artist is a strong stomach and consistent practice.
   "The more you look at gross stuff and practice, the more comfortable you will be," she said.
   Over time, Sunny has progressed from pre-making clay wounds two weeks in advance to constructing latex wounds on patients right before the exercise.
   "Before, we would apply the clay to the patient and pray it doesn't rain or it's not to hot," she said.
   Although her materials have changed, her passion and motivation has not.
   "When my baby boy went to Iraq, it was the hardest time for us," she said. "And although I was able to get pictures of detonator and gunshot wounds, it's a sad thing that your kids see that."
   "I do (moulage) for them," she added.
   Anyone interested in basic training or a refresher course in moulage can call Sunny Schones at 734-0180. She teaches three hour classes every third Wednesday of each month.