Maintenance Soldiers renew first aid skills with combat lifesaver classes

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers with the 632nd Maintenance Company, 110th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), expand a Talon II litter to transport a soldier during the hands-on portion of a combat lifesaver course, Oct. 7, at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Samuel Voight.)  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

10.07.2010

Courtesy Story

224th Sustainment Brigade

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Samuel N. Voight
224th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Soldiers with the 632nd Maintenance Company, 110th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), participated in a combat lifesaver course sponsored by the 224th Sust. Bde. recently at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Capt. Jesus Pena, commander of the 632nd Maint. Company, and a Del Rio, Texas, native, said that he wants his soldiers to attend the CLS class because his company provides convoy security to combat logistics patrols and combat recovery missions. The 632nd Maint. Company soldiers perform maintenance on large vehicles, electrical components, and weapon systems. An accident could occur at any time, and someone might have to perform first aid to save a soldier’s life.

”I want all of my soldiers to attend the CLS class,” Pena said.

“With all of our personnel CLS qualified, it enables quick response times to urgent situations,” said 1st Lt. James Schafer, platoon leader and convoy security team officer in charge with the 632nd Maint. Company, and a Dardanelle, Ark., native. “When it comes to the loss of life, limb, or eyesight, a quick reaction could make the difference.”

The course is taught by Spc. Glenn Leyesa, combat medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Sacramento, Calif., native. He said it would be good for all soldiers to attend a CLS class, especially those soldiers who perform duties off the installation.

Leyesa uses a crawl-walk-run method to introduce the basic lifesaving techniques. The first day includes slide presentations and classroom discussion on the techniques and equipment. The second day incorporates hands on training that allows the soldiers to practice what was discussed in class. The final day includes an exam followed by a lane training exercise.

Spc. Joe Crosby, communication security repairman with the 632nd Maint. Company, and a Jonesboro, Ark., native, said he liked the way Leyesa taught the class and that during the practice exercise, soldiers had to use everything they learned during the course.

“The course was very good and a great refresher for skills I already knew,” Crosby said. “It also taught new lifesaving techniques and introduced new equipment.”

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clarence Anderson, allied trades technician with the 632nd Maint. Company, and a Chicago native, said that the hands on experience prior to encountering a real life situation are very important to saving someone’s life. Anderson said that the worst case scenario is a soldier trying to perform lifesaving techniques without ever having applied them in a training environment.

• Date Taken: 10.07.2010
• Date Posted: 11.22.2010 07:13
• Story ID: 60634
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ