Courtesy Photo | Sgt. Alan Sipple, right, a tanker with D Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry...... read more read more
Story by: Sfc. Jon Soucy
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The soldier was a little apprehensive at first. His eyes got a little larger with hesitant anticipation as it came closer to being his turn to step to front of the room. A few jokes and teasing were passed between him and his fellow soldiers, which livened the mood for some and for others it accentuated the uneasiness. For some in the room, the task at hand—starting an intravenous line on a live person rather than a training aid—was a little daunting as it meant sticking someone with a needle. But, as the soldier stepped forward, the training kicked in and two attempts later he had the line started.
Starting the IV line was just another step in a variety of training tasks soldiers from the Iraqi Army’s 37th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division have been working on with soldiers from 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division — Center.
Though many of the Iraqi soldiers at the training had prior medical instruction, the training started off with basic first aid and progressed into more complex tasks such as starting an IV line.
“We’re putting on medical training for the Iraqis that involves three days [of different tasks],” said Sgt. Lawrence Tremblay, the senior line medic with Company A, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt. “We have first aid, which is bandaging and just the basics. The second day is the IV and [the final day] we’re going to set up CLS [Combat Lifesaver] lanes for them to run through. So it will be set up as if they come upon a casualty out in the field.”
And while Tremblay provided the basics for the training, he often relied on the Iraqi soldiers to fully convey the tasks to their fellow soldiers.
“I try to utilize the ones that [have prior experience and] know what they’re doing,” he said. “They can convey the correct way to do it because, obviously, they’ve been trained and they’ve caught on to the concept and the science behind it.”
Still, for Tremblay there were many challenges that came with running the training, most notably the language barrier.
“Training has been a challenge because I’ve never really worked through an interpreter before,” said Tremblay. “Working through an interpreter is sort of like I have to train him and then he trains the Iraqi [soldiers]. It’s a little different, but it’s pretty much the same as how I would train any soldier.”
Tremblay said many of the Iraqi soldiers were eager to take on the training, but there were certain areas—like the IV stick—where there was some apprehension, just as there is with many U.S. soldiers who undergo the same training.
“They’re just like any other soldiers,” said Tremblay. “They’re nervous when it comes to the IV sticks. They get a little nauseous. I’ve had a couple come out here and almost throw up just thinking about it. They have that uneasy feeling.”
But while the students all had to go through the IV portion, Tremblay said he stressed other elements of the training for the soldiers to focus on.
“I don’t want them to miss the key points behind why they’re doing what they’re doing, such as why you dress a tourniquet to stop the bleeding,” he said. “I don’t want them totally focused completely on the IVs. I want them to take care of the basics first because the basics will save lives.”
As the medical training was taking place, soldiers from D Company, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt. were going over different aspects of the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank with other Iraqi soldiers from the 9th IA Div.
“Today we’re teaching the gunner station and the [tank commander] station of the tank,” said Sgt. Craig Davis, a tanker with D Company. “We’re also doing a weapons review on the M240B [machine gun] and the M2 heavy barrel .50 caliber machine gun.”
And as with the medical stations, Davis said that those taking part in the tank training were largely engrossed in the training.
“They’re enjoying it very much,” said Davis, a Medford, N.J. native, of the Iraqi soldiers going through the training. “I think they love it. Some of them get really into it. It’s pretty fun to see them genuinely excited to get on the tank and to learn new things. “
The training was also beneficial to Davis himself.
“Not only is it good to teach the Iraqi [soldiers] but it’s also a big step in my professional growth to learn how to teach better and present the tank and tell people about the tank,” said Davis, who added that growth will help him with teaching new soldiers in his unit as well as with his future plans to become a drill sergeant.
And it also spoke of larger changes in Iraq.
“It’s a lot different from my last deployment,” said Tremblay. “I was doing patrols everyday and not really working with the Iraqis very much. This deployment, it feels a little bit safer. It feels as if everything in coming into play and I’m happy with the way things are coming together.”
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.04.2011 00:25 |
| Story ID: | 68203 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt. Soldiers work with 9th IA Div. on medical tasks, tanks, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT