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    Medical training provides Marines with valuable skills

    Medical Training Provides Marines With Valuable Skills

    Photo By Cpl. John McCall | Lance Cpl. Jared Reddick, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment and...... read more read more

    CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

    07.09.2010

    Story by Lance Cpl. John McCall 

    I Marine Expeditionary Force

    Every squad of Marines has a Navy corpsman to provide aid for any wounds or injuries. But if that corpsman were to get injured, what would that squad do?

    Marines from various units were faced with that question and given advice from corpsmen with the Advisor Training Cell for I Marine Expeditionary Force, during a Combat Lifesavers course here, July 9.

    The four-day course is offered to Marines preparing to deploy. Everything from applying basic bandages to conducting minor surgery, such as a tracheotomy, is taught to the students.

    Marines were given instruction on how to treat many different types of injuries common to the battlefield, including: shock, abdominal injuries, burns, head injuries, splinting, casualty evacuation, airway management and treating weather injuries.

    “This course gives Marines a better understanding of providing aid, no matter how big or small the injury might be,” said Joe Roe, a medical expert and course instructor from Akron, Ohio. “They get a more in-depth look at providing basic first aid.”

    Marines are given instructions in a classroom and then expected to perform what they learned that day.

    “There is a big gap between sitting in a classroom and actually giving a patient aid,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Evans, a corpsman with ATC from Natchitoches, La. “When the day comes that one of these Marines has to treat a patient themselves, they might freeze up and not know what to do. We would rather have them freeze up here during training and not when it really counts.”

    The final day of the course is a mass casualty exercise where Marines must assess and treat a simulated casualty after completing an obstacle course wearing their flak jacket and kevlar helmet.

    “We want them to be tired and stressed to simulate how they would feel in a combat situation,” said Drew Stevenson, a combat emergency medical expert with ATC and Muncie, Ind., native. “Now that they’re out of breath and their adrenaline is pumping, they have to treat a patient with serious injuries.”

    With no help or guidance, students treat their simulated casualty who may be suffering from an easily identifiable injury or something not easily noticed.

    “During the final test, we focus on chest wounds, airway obstructions and bleeding which are the three main preventable deaths on the battlefield,” Evans explained. “The simulated casualty is usually suffering from multiple wounds. One is easy to spot and another that requires them to look closely using what they learned in the classroom.”

    Students are given a pass or fail grade depending on how they performed during the exercise.

    The training was a big confidence booster. Being able to perform these lifesaving techniques is something every Marine should know how to do, explained Lance Cpl. Jared Reddick, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment and Boise, Idaho, native.

    These Marines may not be able to do the job of a Navy corpsman, but after this course they should have the skill set to help.

    “We don’t expect them to be able to act as the corpsman for a squad, but they should at least be able to assist the corpsman or have an idea of what to do if the corpsman is not near them,” Roe said.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 07.09.2010
    Date Posted: 07.13.2010 14:52
    Story ID: 52774
    Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US

    Web Views: 153
    Downloads: 95

    PUBLIC DOMAIN