PFULLENDORF, Germany – Members from eight NATO and partner nations participated in a Tactical Combat Casualty Care course from 9-21 July hosted by the International Training Centre here.
Students from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States attended the two-week course.
ISTC is a multinational education and training facility for tactical-level, advanced and specialized training of multinational special operations forces and similar units. This training center employs the skills of multinational instructors and subject-matter experts.
“ISTC taught our class to build a combat care course and certify students with ISTC’s endorsement and approval,” said a medical instructor from Turkish Naval Special Warfare Command.
Tactical Combat Casualty Care is the standard of care in prehospital battlefield medicine. Its primary intent is to reduce preventable combat death through a means that allows a unit to complete its mission while providing the best possible care for casualties.
“We taught field scenarios with different types of patient care utilizing air assets and German tactical vehicles,” said the instructor.
TCCC coursework established communication that allowed members from multiple nations to develop relationships.
“I enrolled in the course to work in multinational groups and to learn about different cultures,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jordanne Nagle, assigned to the 701st Munitions Support Squadron in Kleine Brogel, Belgium.
“Witnessing how other countries use a hypothermia blanket, for instance, is different from the way I was taught by the U.S. military,” said Nagle. “The education taught at ISTC allows you to think outside the box with the materials you have in your medical pack during patient care.”
The course curriculum focuses on teaching classroom and battlefield scenarios to non-medical military staff.
“This is knowledge I can bring back to our airmen and possibly create more TCCC instructors for the Air Force,” said Nagle.
Throughout the TCCC course, ISTC creates knowledgeable instructors which extend their education’s reach to NATO forces.
ISTC has played a critical role in developing tomorrow’s next non-medical servicemembers.
“ISTC’s intent is for graduates to provide a course in tactical combat casualty care endorsed by ISTC,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Marshall Kokikdo, a medical instructor for ISTC.