WAUKEGAN, Ill – On the morning of Feb. 3, 2026, four Sailors from the Hospital Corpsman Trauma Training (HMTT) program put practical skills to the test to help save an unexpected patient.
The situation began with Field House employees asking if anyone knew CPR. The four corpsmen; Hospitalman Joseph Clark, Hospital Corpsman Third Classes Zachary Eaves, Adam Altreche, and Dillon Talburt, identified themselves as medical personnel and responded to the calls for help. They were guided into the showers of the men's locker room, to where a man lay unconscious, his head wedged in a corner making life-saving interventions extremely difficult. In that moment, the corpsmen’s training kicked into action with each man playing a vitally important role.
"Instinctively we ran inside," said Hospital Corpsman Third Class Zachary Eaves. “Once in the showers we found the individual laying on the floor, with his head being wedged in the corner we suspected a cervical spine injury”. The man was unresponsive, despite numerous efforts by the team to produce any form of response, the lack of feedback conscious or otherwise, pointed toward a serious problem.
"I checked his radial and carotid pulse," said Hospital Corpsman Third Class Dillion Talburt. "I also sternum rubbed and trap pinched to try and illicit a reaction."
All four described the man making a noise akin to a groan during this initial assessment but all agreed that this ominous sound was a sign of agonal breathing. Agonal respiration or agonal breathing are abnormal, involuntary reflexes (gasping, snoring, or snorting) that usually signal a severe medical emergency such as respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.
With the potential of a compromised airway, cervical injury, and the man already unresponsive, the group agreed that they needed to move the man and that they had to act quickly.
"I held C-spine while Clark and Eaves pulled his feet to get him straight and off the wall," said Talburt.
The men moved the unresponsive man to a better and safer position, not only for him but for all responding. As the situation progressed what followed was not chaos, but the delivery of professional medical training the students had been honing. All possible assessments were done. They dried the man off in preparation for the need to give a potential AED shock. They repeatedly re-evaluated the man but then the moment every first responder dreads, happened.
"As EMS was 5 minutes out his breathing went quiet. I checked his airway again, checked his carotid pulse and noticed he was pulseless" said Altreche. “I told HM3 Talburt to start compressions.”
Talburt immediately began performing two full rounds of CPR before turning over.
“Before coming here I had never performed CPR on an actual person,” said Eaves. “But when the man stopped breathing, I knew what to do.”
After a few tense minutes the group was able to hear sirens as the paramedics drew close. HM3 Talburt was able to provide the incoming EMS crew with vital information which allowed them to seamlessly pick up care as they relieved the men.
Their role wasn't finished even then. The four corpsmen continued to assist the paramedics until the EMS heart monitor revealed finally what any rescuer would hope for: return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The man was quickly loaded and transported to a local hospital to receive further treatment. The men credit their training and exposure to critical scenarios with real patients for their success.
“I felt competent before, but now, having been able to respond I feel more prepared and confident inmy medical skills,” said Talburt. Talburt’s sentiment was echoed by his peers.
“I do feel that the training we received at HMTT greatly influenced our ability to recognize signs of patients being in distress,” said Altreche.
The HMTT program, in principle, centers around trauma, but the skills learned by the corpsman and the exposure to a wide range of patients with critical issues elevate the knowledge of all who attend. Corpsman, whose daily primary duties might be a specialty like an X-ray Technician at one duty station, such as Altreche, may not otherwise get the opportunity to hone the critical skills before being assigned to an operational unit with the Marines who solely rely on corpsman as their medical lifeline in combat. For those that are assigned to Marine units, such as Eaves, Clark and Talburt, the training is an immediate benefit to the units upon their return.
“Being with the Marines they tell us the importance of managing trauma almost daily, however nothing can prepare you for the real thing like the real thing,” said Eaves. “The hands-on training, ride along opportunities with local EMS, and time spent seeing the specialties has given me a better understanding into how it all fits together rather than just a single intervention can do. I believe exposure and practical application has helped me more than any other aspect. Giving real care to a real patient makes me feel so much more confident to care for what I’ll eventually face.
These Sailors bridged the gap between training and real-world field care. In the locker room of a local gym, far from any classroom, four Sailors proved the profound value of being equipped with knowledge and confidence in their craft. They saw what needed to be done, and they engaged.
For more information about the Hospital Corpsman Trauma Training (HMTT) program, the Navy Operational Training Command visithttps://www.med.navy.mil/Navy-Medicine-Operational-Training-Command/ For news about NMOTC follow us on DVIDS https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NMOTC