‘Destroyers’ conduct CLS refresher in Kosovo

Photo By Staff Sgt. Casey Hustin | Cpl. Sarah Shelton (center) instructs Pfc. Jose Gonzales III (left) and Sgt. Deion Horton, Soldiers with the 3-61 Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, to control bleeding, while bandaging a chest wound at a combat lifesaver (CLS) trauma simulation lane during a 40-hour CLS refresher course run by the Camp Marechal De Lattre De Tassigny clinic on April 11, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Casey Hustin, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)  

CAMP MARECHAL DE LATTRE DE TASSIGNY, KOSOVO

04.12.2018

Story by Sgt. Casey Hustin 

KFOR Regional Command East

CAMP MARECHAL DE LATTRE DE TASSIGNY, Kosovo — More than 20 Soldiers with 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, culminated a 40-hour combat lifesaver (CLS) refresher course with simulated trauma lanes on April 11 at the Camp Marechal De Lattre De Tassigny (CMLT) aide station.

“The first three days of the training were didactic, so we went through the slide shows,” said Cpl. Sarah L. Shelton, a healthcare specialist at the CMLT clinic who instructed the training. “They got hands-on with all the interventions that we’re doing here. They practiced with litters, emergency trauma bandages and tourniquets. Now they’re going through their trauma lanes to validate all the skills that they’ve learned the first three days.”

This was the second iteration of CLS training that Shelton had a hand in since coming to Kosovo; however, in the past Shelton assisted training in more than 75 CLS refresher courses.

Shelton made the decision to embrace the often bustling medical field before joining the military.

“I worked in an emergency room before I joined and it was hectic,” said Shelton. “It was crazy all the time. There was always something interesting to do. I decided at that time I was always going to want to do something trauma related—emergency related.”

As CLS training changes with medical advances, taking the refresher course allows Soldiers to keep perishable medical skills up-to-date in case of an emergency.

“There’s really good information they’re putting out here,” said Sgt. Deion M. Horton, a team leader with the 3-61 CAV. This was his third time taking the CLS refresher course. “I think its pretty great, honestly. I definitely feel like I’d be prepared to use this training if something were to happen.”

Shelton said training Soldiers with different military occupational specialties (MOS) is awesome. “They can sit through the class all day and understand the knowledge. When they actually go through, doing a lane, they see how hard it is. It gets them in the mentality where they know how things are supposed to be, but they have to remember it's not going to be exactly how they think it will be in their heads.”

The 3-61 CAV is currently deployed to Kosovo on a nine-month peace and stability operation as the main maneuver element for Multi-National Battle Group - East. The 3-61 squadron commander’s goal is to ensure that every cavalryman in the formation is CLS qualified.

• Date Taken: 04.12.2018
• Date Posted: 04.13.2018 09:37
• Story ID: 272769
• Location: CAMP MARECHAL DE LATTRE DE TASSIGNY, ZZ