Photo By Maria Christina Yager | From left Sgt. Jase Morris and Pfc. Devon Lange, both Corrections/Detention Specialists assigned to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, simulate sealing an open chest wound during Combat Lifesaver Course at Munson Army Health Center, Aug. 27. Munson conducts the Combat Lifesaver Course approximately every two months at Fort Leavenworth and can support specialized training requests, including training for Army National Guard and Army Reserve units. The training is available to eligible service members across the Joint Force. see less
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Munson builds readiness through combat lifesaver training
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Soldiers from Munson Army Health Center’s Training and Operations Division facilitated a Combat Lifesaver Course to 12 service members at Fort Leavenworth Aug. 24-28, building lifesaving skills that can be applied on the battlefield and during emergencies closer to home.
The weeklong course prepares non-medical service members to provide immediate care to casualties until more advanced medical support is available. Students received classroom and hands-on instruction in trauma assessment, care under fire, tactical field care and tactical evacuation care. Training included controlling severe bleeding, treating traumatic amputations, managing compromised airways and breathing, and preventing hypothermia.
The class culminated with practical scenarios requiring students to assess casualties and apply what they learned under realistic conditions.
“It doesn’t matter how well trained a single medic is; he or she is still one medic,” said Sgt. 1st Class Seain Dunne, Munson’s medical training noncommissioned officer in charge. “This training allows nonmedical personnel to provide immediate lifesaving aid to wounded service members. If you have a medic and several combat lifesavers, that becomes a force multiplier.”
Among the students were Sgt. Jase Morris and Pfc. Devon Lange, both 31E Corrections/Detention Specialists assigned to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks. The Soldiers described the course as practical, and scenario driven.
While Combat Lifesaver training is designed primarily to prepare service members to respond to battlefield injuries, the skills have applications beyond combat. Dunne said a trained combat lifesaver could be called upon during incidents ranging from vehicle crashes and natural disasters to mass casualties.
For Dunne, the value of that training is grounded in experience. During a deployment to Afghanistan, he saw personnel he had previously trained in Combat Lifesaver skills help respond following a mass-casualty incident. Their ability to provide immediate care reinforced the importance of extending lifesaving skills beyond trained medics.
Munson offer the Combat Lifesaver Course approximately every two months at Fort Leavenworth and can support specialized training requests, including training for Army National Guard and Army Reserve units. The training is available to eligible service members across the Joint Force.
The program supports Munson and Defense Health Agency Lines of Effort by maintaining a ready medical force while extending medical readiness across the force.
Through training such as Combat Lifesaver, Munson medical personnel use their expertise to equip non-medical service members with skills that can preserve life when minutes matter — wherever the mission takes them.
