Marines on Okinawa prepared to save lives

Photo By Cpl. Abigail Brown | Sgt. Julian W. Bennett, left, platoon sergeant and sergeant of the guard, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and Lance Cpl. Daniel Miller, right, support man, 12th Marines, apply a tourniquet to a medical simulation mannequin with extremity arterial bleeding during an expedited combat lifesaver program course at the III Marine Expeditionary Force Medical Trauma Simulations Training Center, April 7.  

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN

04.16.2010

Story by Cpl. Abigail Brown 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

Dozens of III Marine Expeditionary Force individual augments participated in an expedited combat lifesaver program at the III MEF Medical Trauma Simulations Training Center, April 7.

The one-day course included a power point presentation about hemorrhage control, penetrating chest trauma, airway management and burn treatment, said Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy R. Dunlap the MTSTC program director.

"The purpose of the course is to equip Marines with the ability to respond if the corpsman can't," said Dunlap.

Dunlap said there is also a practical application section where students are faced with different scenarios and are forced to perform lifesaving techniques on mannequins.

"There is only one corpsman per squad, and if he goes down it's up to you to save your buddies," Dunlap said. "Insurgents watch when things happen, and they know the guy with the big bag will help Marines first, so they are starting to target the corpsmen."

Marines are taught how to treat the three most common and most deadly war wounds, according to Mark J. Kane, combat emergency medicine expert with III MEF advisor Trainer Group.

"We teach extremity arterial bleeding treatment, pneumothorax treatment and the use of a nasopharyngeal airway to establish an airway," Kane said.

During the practical application section, Marines broke into teams and went into a smoke-filled room. Inside were mock casualties with wounds the teams had previously learned to treat.

"We change the scenarios and placement of the dummies," Dunlap said. "They never know what kind of casualty they're going to get, which reinforces that you might have to treat any kind of wound in a fire fight."

Student Lance Cpl. Daniel Miller, a fire support man with 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III MEF, said the realism of the scenario helped him understand the pressures that may be encountered in a real life situation.

"It was good just being able to do it in the smoke and darkness," Miller commented. "Seeing the blood [you're shocked at first] but you still have to do the treatments."

Instructors make the training as realistic as possible in order to let Marines build muscle memory for treating wounds, Dunlap said.

"There is nothing better than these mannequins for simulations," Kane said. "This is about as realistic as it gets without live tissues."

By the end, the training has provided Marines with an opportunity to experience the type of events they may experience in a combat environment, instructors said.

"My life depends on Marines being able to do this stuff," Dunlap said. "I saw [casualties] while I was in Iraq, so I make sure every Marine who goes through this center is well qualified."

After completing most of the training Miller commented, "I feel confident that I could save someone's life."

• Date Taken: 04.16.2010
• Date Posted: 04.28.2010 02:30
• Story ID: 48795
• Location: CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JP