Training Marines as Combat Life Savers

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

09.29.2022

Story by Lance Cpl. Fred Garcia 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, learned life-saving skills in the Expeditionary Medical Integration Course (EMIC) from Aug. 21- 27, 2022 at the Regimental Urban Facilities on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. U.S. Navy Corpsmen from Expeditionary Operations Training Group (EOTG), I Marine Expeditionary Force, hosted the second iteration of Marines training on life saving fundamentals and casualty care.

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Cyrus Hedrick, assigned to EOTG and former student of the course, explains how the training is invaluable in a deployed environment and will help Marines deal with situations where there may be a lot of casualties.

“By providing basic casualty care training to as many members of a unit as possible, more casualties can be treated faster, which is vital in assisting the limited number of medical personnel on the battlefield,” says Hedrick.

The foundation of casualty care in a deployed environment begins with Combat Life Savers (CLS) class lectures, centered on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC). The twenty-module syllabus educates students on the practical medical application of whole blood resuscitation, prolonged casualty care and tourniquet application. This allows Marines who receive the training to provide care if their Corpsman is occupied treating other casualties.

“You need those CLS Marines to be able to help you,” said Petty Officer 1st Class James Herkenhoff, a leading petty officer with EOTG, “I need to be able to step away from a patient to go help someone who’s more urgent and have the confidence that the Marines are going to be able to take care of that guy that I just left.”

Before these Marines are able to take their knowledge from the classroom to a real-world situation or deployment, they begin practical application scenarios to reinforce knowledge gained in the coursework. Students are mentored through various fundamental lifesaving medical procedures and responses for contingencies on the battlefield. These simulations all occur under the watchful eye of the corpsman instructors and include: amputations, delayed IED explosions and gunshot wounds.

Marines moved into a town recently hit with simulated explosions. In response, they patrolled the street against an adversary force while providing TCCC on fellow Marines and mass casualty victims. Marines then cleared the urban environment and helped the civilian populous locate the explosions casualties. The casualties had predetermined wounds that Marines treated while securing several buildings in the area.

“We really couldn’t say enough great things about the work that’s been done at Division, and the instructors and staff down at Navy Education Training Command,” Herkenhoff said. “They do a great job of getting these folks qualified.”

In moments of chaos, the need for medical personnel can be demanding. CLS is a vital training certification course that instructs Marines on the basic lifesaving skills to potentially treat any injured Marines in their unit. Marines learn these lifesaving skills to ensure the return of service members and mission accomplishment.

• Date Taken: 09.29.2022
• Date Posted: 09.29.2022 18:49
• Story ID: 430420
• Location: MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US