Corpsmen conduct casualty evacuation training

Photo By Cpl. Jacob A. Singsank | Corpsmen with 1st Medical Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, load a simulated injured Marine on a CH-46 during a casualty evacuation exercise at Camp Pendleton, Aug. 12. Aerial casualty evacuations have many advantages over using tactical vehicles. An aircraft can transport patients long distances quickly without having to worry about moving them through rough terrain and inaccessible areas on the ground as vehicles do.  

UNITED STATES

08.12.2009

Story by Cpl. Jacob A. Singsank 

1st Marine Logistics Group

In the heat of battle, a corpsman's main duty is to keep wounded service members alive and get them back into the fight. Just as Marines train to hit the ground running, "Devil Docs" also train to save lives in combat.

Navy corpsmen with 1st Medical Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, honed their skills of conducting casualty evacuation by helicopter and tactical vehicle transport at Camp Pendleton, Aug. 10-13.

"It's a training evolution for en route care nurses and corpsmen to experience first hand the challenges of providing care to critically injured patients in the back of a CH-46 helicopter during tactical maneuvers," said Lt. Cmdr. Angela M. Dougherty, en route care nurse with 1st Medical Bn. "Trauma patients who receive specialized care within the first hour have a significant decrease in death and injury," said Dougherty, 34, from Arvada, Colo.

Marines and corpsmen with 1st Medical Bn. conducted training scenarios in which they had to transport simulated injured patients to a higher level of medical care. They trained to move patients from the front lines with both tactical vehicles and helicopters in a timely matter to save lives.

Aerial CASEVACs have many advantages over using tactical vehicles. An aircraft can transport patients long distances quickly without Docs having to worry about moving them through rough terrain and inaccessible areas on the ground as vehicles do.

Corpsmen trained, Aug. 11, on tactical vehicle CASEVAC and helicopter CASEVAC on Aug. 12. The corpsmen were given different scenarios but with the same overall mission: safely and effectively move the patient to a medical facility to receive care.

"This training will help us while we're deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Dyvon Harris, a corpsman with 1st Medical Bn., 36, from Bronx, N.Y. "We learned how to treat and evacuate wounded Marines and fellow sailors when we're in a combat situation."

After constantly doing casualty evacuations for two days, corpsmen with 1st Medical Battalion became very familiar with the CASEVAC process. They worked together as a team to transport simulated injured military personnel from the battlefield to a field hospital.

"During the training, the corpsmen became very proficient at conducting casualty evacuations," said Chief Petty Officer Laurel C. Novencido, training chief with 1st Medical Battalion, 39, from Oceanside, Calif. "This will become very beneficial to them when they deploy."

After the field training evolution was finished, corpsmen packed up the gear and left with the knowledge they someday may use to save the lives of service members who fight for the United States.

• Date Taken: 08.12.2009
• Date Posted: 08.18.2009 16:21
• Story ID: 37660
• Location: US