Courtesy Photo | (From left to right) Sgt. Miguel Orozco, of Lubbock, Texas, Spc. Anthony Apodaca, of...... read more read more
By 1st Lt. Damon Fogley
10th Sustainment Brigade
BAGHDAD - You never know when you may need one—a lifeline that is. Today's Soldier-medic is prepared for any type of medical emergency on the contemporary battlefield.
Through intense training, vigilance, and leadership, current Army medics have proven to be the most effective in the history of wartime operations. For the medics of Echo Company, 949th Brigade Support Battalion, currently attached to the 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade in Baghdad, Iraq, their training and skill are called on daily. These medics provide routine and emergency care for Soldiers of the 553rd CSSB, and provide a lifeline when convoy missions are attacked by the enemy.
Medics assigned to convoy security companies are tasked with the responsibility of medical operations in relation to battle space movement. The medic is the subject matter expert when it comes to emergency medical evacuation. Every route that is travelled by coalition force convoys has distinct battle spaces with unique medical evacuation criteria. The preferred method of medical evacuation is by helicopter. It is by far the quickest way to reach advanced life support. In certain instances, air medical evacuation may not be available.
Often times, bad weather, high volume of requests, and sand storms can ground all possibilities of air medical evacuation. If air medical evacuation, also known as dustoff, is not available, it is imperative that convoy commanders, truck commanders, and medics are familiar with ground routes to the closest medical treatment facilities equipped to handle serious traumatic injuries. It is also imperative that the medic and his crew are familiar with the level of care that each facility has to offer. In some instances it may benefit the Soldier to pass up one medical treatment facility for another that offers a higher level of care.
During mass casualty exercises and in real life, it is the medic that will treat and supervise the wounded warrior both in and outside the forward operating base, or FOB. The medic is often responsible for directing first responders such as combat lifesavers or EMTs, and pointing them to separate triage areas or casualty collection points. The medic is intensely involved in the process of prioritizing and directing care to the appropriate casualties in the most efficient manner possible. The senior medic in Echo Company is Staff Sgt. Matthew Golemon of Belton, Texas. He is the spearhead of all medical standard operating procedures for the company, and devotes much planning and critical thinking to the way the SOPs are written in order to prevent confusion when time is most critical.
All 68W military occupational specialties must undergo combat medic advanced skills training. During this rigorous course, medics learn advanced combat lifesaving skills that serve them indefinitely. Soldiers attached to the Texas Army National Guard conduct their training at Camp Bullis, Texas. They learn various extraction techniques under a combat simulated atmosphere. Artillery fire and small arms fire are simulated in the distance as medics attempt to treat casualties in a stressful environment.
In today's modern Army, the average medic goes through months of training and is trained on all of the state-of-the-art equipment that the Army has to offer. The newest training aids such as the advanced life support skill master 4000 simulate breathing, heart sounds, talking, choking sounds, moaning and vomiting. It provides realistic training for each medic.
During convoy missions, the medic is constantly alert and flexible to change. During pre-combat checks and pre-combat inspections, he or she checks all combat lifesaver bags, and warrior aid and litter kits. All medical bags are examined for readiness and uniformity to ensure supplies can easily be identified in darkness, water, or any type of unfamiliar circumstance. Medics make on-the-spot adjustments if anything is out of place.
Not all medical care that the medics of Echo Company provide is as glorious as it seems. The majority of it is routine care. Sprained ankles, minor back injuries, and flu-like symptoms are treated by the medics on a regular basis. Most of the routine care offered by the medics is taken care of at the company level without having to evacuate the Soldier to a higher-level facility. The medics are given standing orders by a physician or physician assistant to administer certain intravenous and over-the-counter drugs to Soldiers for various purposes.
A big responsibility that medics manage is the maintenance of immunization records. Flu and anthrax shots must be updated in the MEDPROS database on a regular basis. It is also the medics' responsibility to continue their education in order to maintain their certification status through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Between convoy missions, medics train on an array of different topics related to emergency medicine. Some of these classes are refresher classes on medical problems such as diabetic emergencies and blunt force trauma. No matter the circumstances, the medics of Echo Company must be prepared for anything.
As Echo Company continues to provide convoy security in and around Baghdad, the mission of the combat medic remains crucial to mission success. Operations in the current spectrum expose Soldiers to the risk of traumatic injury, but the Echo Company lifeline medics mitigate that risk with superior training and combat experience.
| Date Taken: | 01.20.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.20.2009 02:48 |
| Story ID: | 29035 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 384 |
| Downloads: | 277 |
This work, Soldier's Lifeline – Train to Save, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
