Photo By Cpl. Matt Myers | U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Stephen M. George inserts an IV needle into another service...... read more read more
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GWANGYANG, Republic of Korea – For the past 238 years U.S. Marines have proven that they are a force to be reckoned with on battlefields across the globe. But as any warrior in the thick of combat knows, having the ability to fight is only as important as the friend to your left or right, and if you are injured, sometimes that person is the only one you can count on to save you.
U.S. Marines attended a combat lifesaving course Apr. 4 at the Gwangyang Port, Republic of Korea during exercise Freedom Banner 2014.
The students learn a variety of lifesaving steps, which have proven to save lives when no corpsman or hospital was available, according to U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John C. Crockett, a hospital corpsman with Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Regiment, III Marine Expeditionary Force.
Although the three-day course is taught in an expedited manner full of lectures, demonstrations and hands-on applications, its pace is proven effective.
“It’s a lot to remember and take in,” said Lance Cpl. Rick L. Luzada, a motor transportation operator with the regiment. “As Marines we all get some emergency training in boot camp but I feel like this class has been more successful because it’s more in-depth.”
The students who finish the course become an extension of a battlefield corpsman by making them qualified to be first responders, according to Crockett.
”We’re teaching the Marines management of hemorrhage control, respiratory distress, correcting blocked airways, how to use an IV system, just about anything you would find on the battlefield,” said Crockett. “Most of these classes are geared toward those who aren’t medically savvy, but you begin to see by the end of it that they are learning, becoming more comfortable working on someone under stress.”
As with most training in the U.S. Marine Corps, the service members in the course practice the same technique many times until they can perform it quickly without hesitation.
“I really try to reinforce what the students learn here by consistently testing them on something I’ve taught them, and then causing them to adapt and use it in a new situation they haven’t gone over,” said Crockett, from Jacksonville, Florida. “A lot of the time they think ‘wow, there are so many steps or, I can’t remember the name of this or that,’ but the reason I do this is to try and help them remember their training.”
This military course promises to provide service members advanced life saving techniques and procedures so it is common to see a diverse group of military branches with personnel of different ranks.
“I think everyone in the class is just trying to learn how to save lives and by that become a better Marine,” said Pfc. Joseph P. Burgess, an ammunition technician with the regiment. “Here for Freedom Banner we’re moving huge pieces of equipment that weigh many tons and if someone was crushed and lost a limb, I think I could help them until a corpsman got to the scene.”
The focus of the course extends beyond just military and combat scenarios; it makes someone more valuable in society.
“Learning these things makes us unique among our peers and our local community back home because now we have the ability to save someone’s life if they get into a car crash or get burned in a kitchen fire,” said Burgess, from Winfield, West Virginia. “In the class we’re taught that time is the difference between life and death, and now when we go out we can be the difference that buys someone a little more time to get to the hospital.”
Freedom Banner is part of Marine Expeditionary Forces Exercise 2014, an umbrella exercise which began March 10 and extends through April 17. Freedom Banner promotes maritime prepositioning force ship offloading capabilities similar to what would occur during wartime or a disaster relief scenario while strengthening ties between the ROK and the U.S. Marine Corps.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2014 04:07 |
| Story ID: | 127165 |
| Location: | GWANGYANG, 26, KR |
| Hometown: | CERRITOS, CA, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FL, US |
| Hometown: | LITTLE ROCK, AR, US |
| Hometown: | WINFIELD, WV, US |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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