Photo By Sgt. Francesca Stanchi | Spc. Chima Okorafor (right), a soldier with the 743rd Seaport Operations Company and a...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. – The 390th Seaport Operations Company took advantage of some additional, off-mission training during their annual Extended Combat Training exercise here by having some of their soldiers receive their Combat Life Saver certification.
Many U.S. Army soldiers from around the country grab the opportunity to certify in the CLS course, and the 390th SPOC soldiers are no different. This opportunity is rare for many units; most soldiers usually get this training only when they attend Basic Combat Training or right before they deploy to a combat zone.
In previous wars, the large percentage of soldiers who weren’t medics didn’t know basic life-saving techniques, and a lot of casualties on the battlefield who could have been saved were lost. With this basic knowledge of life-saving skills, it is estimated that there is now a 94 percent survival rate in current conflicts, compared to much lower percentages in previous conflicts.
This course is also now a basic requirement for all initial-entry soldiers attending Basic Combat Training, which is welcome news for most soldiers who have experienced a deployed environment.
“It is basic life-saving skills for everyone to know,” said Spc. Ivan Bocardo, an instructor and medic with the 4220th U. S. Army Hospital in Shoreham, N.Y., and a Westbury, N.Y., native. “It is something everyone should know, whether you’re an infantry guy or a communications guy or even a mechanic.”
The combat life saver is considered a bridge between self-aid and buddy aid in first aid training. This training equips them with the knowledge to be a non-medical soldier who can provide life-saving measures as a secondary mission as his/her primary mission allows.
Tactical Combat Casualty Care is rendered when the soldier and the casualty are not under fire. Soldiers learn how to tactically manage, evaluate, treat and transport a casualty. The soldier is then taught how to check vital signs, stop bleeding, open airways, apply a tourniquet and call in a Medical Evacuation helicopter.
It is just basic lifesaving skills one must know, said Spc. Diana Alvaraz, a combat medic and instructor with the 7207th Medical Supply Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., and a native of Brockport, N.Y. She added that knowing these skills could mean to be the difference between life and death.
Not only do the students participate in a classroom environment, but also they are put to the test in a tactical environment to practice different situations that could arise.
“The Combat Life Saver course is amongst the most important information any soldier can receive,” said Spc. Jon Hartin, assigned with the 614th Auto Documentation unit based out of Houston, Texas. “The course instructors are experts in their field and they provided us with a variety of scenarios and ‘X’ factors to prepare us for any possible event.”
More than 90 percent of combat deaths occur on the battlefield, and it is proven that the proper use of self and buddy-aid can reduce battlefield deaths by 15 to 18 percent, according to Army Field Manual 4-25.11, Army First Aid.
Most soldiers, medical and non-medical alike, agree that much like wearing a uniform, learning how to march, or firing a weapon, knowing CLS is just part of being a soldier.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2013 11:56 |
| Story ID: | 111354 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VA, US |
| Hometown: | BROCKPORT, NY, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ROCHESTER, NY, US |
| Hometown: | SHOREHAM, NY, US |
| Hometown: | WESTBURY, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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