A team of corpsmen from 3rd Medical Battalion, medics from the Alaska Army National Guard and medical personnel from the Mongolian Armed Forces provided tactical combat casualty care instruction to both U.S. and international partners during the multinational peacekeeping Exercise Khaan Quest 2017 at Five Hills Training Area, Mongolia.
During the initial classroom training, instructors emphasized triaging care by massive hemorrhaging, airway respiration, circulation then hypothermia, which they abbreviated as MARCH.
“MARCH is an algorithm we use because it lists in order what comes first while providing medical care to life threatening injuries in a combat situation,” said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Gregory Joyce. “Once those steps are followed you can then move on to treatment of secondary injuries that are not life threatening while you are waiting for your en route care.”
Following classroom lectures, the students moved outside for practical application of the topics they had learned, breaking into role-playing groups as either medics or injured persons.
“The hands on portion of the class are the most important,” said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Guinto, the lead instructor for the training. “We need to see that they have the understanding to execute what we teach them in a tactical environment.”
At the completion of training the instructors went over the students’ successes and shortcomings in order for them to improve their overall performance
“Every country that we train with has to have some standard of medical care and communication that they bring to their mission,” said Alaska Army National Guard Sgt. Stephen Behrens. “Khaan Quest provides synchronicity and allows us to train and operate those peacekeeping missions in a similar manner.”