USS GUNSTON HALL, At Sea — Sailors and coast guardsmen from the Senegal, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Equatorial Guinea took part in Combat Lifesaver training April 16—20 aboard the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock-landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) as part of Africa Partnership Station West.

The training provided the basics of immediate care that could save a life. CLS skills are intended for use in combat; however, the skills may be applied to many situations.

Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Ashmeade, a hospital corpsman from Long Island, N.Y., the course instructor, said he taught subjects including controlling bleeding, opening and managing airway restrictions and treating chest trauma to control shock. It was developed to increase survivability in situations where a combat medic or hospital corpsman may not be readily available.

"They asked a lot of questions, were very attentive and participated well during the hands-on portions," Ashmeade said.

In order to help close the gap with the language barrier, Petty Officer 3rd Class Osvaldo Rodriguez, a hospital corpsman from Puerto Rico, assigned to Beach Master Unit 2, helped interpret the daily lessons for three sailors from Spanish-speaking Equatorial Guinea.

"This course is nothing new to me," said Rodriguez. "I taught it to the team I'm a part of before we deployed. The Sailors I helped interpret the lessons to had a lot of fun, especially with the practicals."

"Having an interpreter who is also a corpsman was extremely beneficial in helping me teach the course," said Ashmeade.

Liberian coast guardsman James Akoi and Equatorial Guinean navy Lt. Severiano O Esono said they enjoyed the training.

"The class was very detailed," said Akoi. "I've had training on the basics but nothing this in-depth. It was good."

"I've never had this training before," said O Esono. "I will take what I learned back to my command and show the others."

The training being conducted through APS West is designed to enhance professional development and provide a valuable motivational and instructional experience to increase the awareness of maritime safety and security.

Gunston Hall is on a scheduled deployment in West Africa in support of APS West, an international initiative developed by U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa that aims to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.

You can follow Gunston Hall and APS at their respective Facebook pages, www.facebook.com/GunstonHall and www.facebook.com/AfricaPartnershipStation.

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