Medics train for the battlefield

Photo By Spc. Hannah Fulcher | Exhausted after a long simulated company attack mission, medics from 2-121st Infantry Battalion go out to find their wounded, treat them and help them back to the medical Humvees to get taken to higher-level medical care centers.  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

09.18.2013

Story by Spc. Hannah Fulcher 

48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Working at the troop medical center, the medic’s goals are to bring their patients in, stabilize them, and prepare the patient for medical evacuation to higher medical care.

Staff Sgt. William Torres, a former battalion level triage center medic, said that the medical center is a vital stage in treating a soldier out in the field.

“Once they get to us, we have to be proficient and very precise in what we are doing,” said Torres. “We have limited time to do what needs to be done that could potentially be what saves them or doesn’t.”

Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Smith, the landing zone noncommissioned officer in charge, assures that the landing zone is ready for the medical evacuation.

“We have to ensure that they can land and that we have the equipment sitting there ready to move the wounded soldier into the TMC from the helicopter or from the TMC to the helicopter,” said Smith. “I think that this kind of training is very important for us, especially for our younger soldiers. They need to see how the brigade support area operates. This is what the 148th Brigade Support Battalion does, we literally support the entire brigade, and work closely with our unit medics out in the field to ensure that our soldiers are taken care of.”

As the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team trains diligently at XCTC, to prepare for any upcoming deployments next fiscal year, the command teams within are doing everything they can to ensure that all their soldiers are getting the best training the Army can offer.

“From a planning stand point, I went to all of my companies and asked them what they needed to get better and more realistic training,” said Lt. Col. Roger Dillard, 148th Brigade Support battalion commander. “Hopefully, we got every asset out here this year so they can receive the best training possible. For our medics, we scheduled multiple med-evacuation training sessions, along with medical casualty training simulations, and a couple of simulated mass casualty training exercises. All of these different training events will put their training to the test and I am enthusiastic to see how they do, and put our capabilities to the test.”

With their medical stations ready, Charlie Company, and its medics stand ready for any situation, and their leaders stand confident in their capabilities.

“Ozbek along with all of our other medics are fantastic medics,” said Staff Sgt. Rebecca Pollock, medical noncommissioned officer in charge. “I have no doubt in any of their capabilities. They are all well trained and ready for whatever comes their way. Especially when we have great leaders like Ozbek here to continually mentor and help train them.”

• Date Taken: 09.18.2013
• Date Posted: 09.24.2013 00:05
• Story ID: 114140
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US