Soldiers in Estonia refresh their combat lifesaver skills

Photo By Staff Sgt. Syreetta Watts | A Soldier from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, inserts a nasopharyngeal tube into the nasal passageway of another Soldier to demonstrate how the tube can open a casualty’s airway. The training was part of a Combat Lifesaver Course held at Tapa Training Area, Estonia July 5-8.  

ESTONIA

07.08.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Syreetta Watts 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

(TAPA TRAINING AREA, Estonia) - Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, held a Combat Lifesaver Course July 5-8 at Tapa Training Area, Estonia.

Soldiers from 3rd Bn., 69th Arm. Rgmt. are currently in Estonia as a part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a demonstration of continued U.S. commitment to the collective security of Europe through a series of multinational training exercises designed to reassure NATO allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region.

Most Soldiers have completed the CLS course, but need to recertify each year to stay current.

Sgt. Shane Frazer, a combat medic with 3rd Bn., 69th Arm. Rgmt., said the course teaches Soldiers basic medical steps to provide self-aid and buddy-aid while getting hands-on experience.

“I enjoy teaching this course to Soldiers,” said Frazer. “It's important for the Soldiers to know that they don’t have to be a medic to save lives.”

The 40-hour course teaches Soldiers how and when to apply a tourniquet and pressure dressing using combat gauze and emergency trauma bandages, how to assess a casualty by checking for injuries, how to evacuate a patient on a litter or in a vehicle, and how to insert a nasopharyngeal tube into the nasal passageway to secure an open airway.

Pvt. Miguel Barron, a supply specialist with 3rd Bn., 69th Arm. Rgmt., said the practical exercises throughout the course helps him remember some of the skills he had learned before.

“My favorite part of the course is the hands-on experience while providing an IV to my buddy,” said Barron. “It refreshed my memory of what I learned during basic training.”

The final day of the course is a written exam with a hands-on evaluation that presents different scenarios, requiring Soldiers to assess and treat casualties during combat situations.

“They should take each skill that is being taught and use it, because they never know when the day may come for them to use what they have learned during this course,” said Frazer.

• Date Taken: 07.08.2016
• Date Posted: 07.13.2016 02:44
• Story ID: 203792
• Location: EE