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    Paratroopers learn Field Medical Care in Poland

    Paratroopers learn field medical care in Poland

    Photo By Capt. Hector Rene Membreno-Canales | Pfc. Michael Nagle, a native of Norco, Calif. and paratrooper assigned to 2nd...... read more read more

    DRAWSKO POMORSKIE, POLAND

    06.30.2014

    Story by Spc. Hector Rene Membreno-Canales 

    U.S. Army Europe and Africa     

    DRAWSKO-POMORSKIE, Poland – A well-rounded paratrooper is trained to do more than just jump out of planes and put rounds on target. In fact, paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade trained June 30 to enhance their skills in medical techniques as part of their Combat Life Saver course here.

    Skills practiced included application of tourniquets, treatment of an inguinal wound and performance of chest decompression with a needle, all skills a paratrooper may be called upon to perform in combat.

    “Sometimes the medic gets hit and is unable to perform casualty care so it’s important for them to have a good understanding of how to respond to trauma, not just contact,” said Capt. David Kosakowski, a native of Ridgway, Pennsylvania, who serves as brigade nurse for the 173rd Airborne and is also the officer in charge of the course. “It’s not as easy as it looks.”

    To successfully complete the course paratroopers must respond to an enemy attack, respond and gain superiority over the enemy, treat their buddy’s wound and drag the casualty to cover.

    “This is relevant training,” Kosakowski added. “It’s one thing to train in a classroom but it’s different when you train hands on.”

    The first half of the course is a re-familiarization of basic first aid. The paratroopers are coached step-by-step by Spc. Richard Heldenfels, a native of Akron, Ohio, and combat medic assigned to the Brigade Support Battalion.

    “Hemorrhaging is the leading cause of death on the battlefield,” said Heldenfels, “If we can pass this on to other people and other Soldiers, we can bring that figure down.”

    For the second half of the course, paratroopers are expected to perform aid and utilize the skills without coaching. It started to rain, the ground became slippery and the paratroopers had to drag their casualty through the mud to perform aid. The CLS instructors began to shout in order to simulate stressors on the battlefield, motivating the paratroopers to move quickly.

    Every Soldier has trained in the field and a lot have completed a CLS course, but not many Soldiers get the opportunity to train in Poland.

    “It doesn’t seem like much, but the vegetation is different in the field here,” said Pfc. Michael Nixon, a Pensacola, Florida, native and a paratrooper assigned to the 2nd Bn., 503rd Inf. Regt. “It adds something unique that Fort Benning and Fort Bragg don’t offer.

    The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, is the U.S. Army’s contingency-response force in Europe, and is capable of projecting forces to conduct the full of range of military operations across the United States European, Central and Africa commands’ areas of responsibility.

    Approximately 600 paratroopers from the brigade are in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as part of an unscheduled land-forces exercise to demonstrate commitment to NATO obligations and sustain interoperability with allied forces.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.30.2014
    Date Posted: 07.02.2014 09:52
    Story ID: 135107
    Location: DRAWSKO POMORSKIE, PL
    Hometown: VICENZA, IT
    Hometown: AKRON, OH, US
    Hometown: PENSACOLA, FL, US

    Web Views: 219
    Downloads: 2

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