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‘Cyclone’ medics prepare for the realities of combat

Nov-29-2004 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

This is one of the articles featured in the most recent edition of The Olympia Observer we linked to previously.

Link to Article
Story by Spc. Aaron Ritter

MOSUL, Iraq -- Soldiers with Company C, 25th Brigade Support Battalion, have been in Iraq for over a month now, but the training doesn’t stop for them. The combat medics conducted a mass casualty exercise Oct. 31 to further hone their medical skills.

The “Cyclone” Soldiers are part of 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) and are responsible for the operations of the medical clinic at Forward Operating Base Marez in northern Iraq. When the daily sick call duties are complete and patients are sent on their way, the medics use the opportunity to train in preparation for the challenges they may face while serving in Iraq.

“The brigade as a whole would be impacted if we didn’t maintain our training,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Longnaker, Company C area treatment non-commissioned officer in charge. “Everybody has faith that our medics are there to save lives and help their buddies and that’s the type of confidence we don’t want to lose.”

Combat medics participated in the exercise that was meant to test their ability to respond and care for the injured patients of a roadside bomb attack, without the assistance of physicians. It also incorporated many of the skills combat medics are required to know as part of their semi-annual Combat Medic Verification Skills Test.

For Spc. Lance Heidt, the training is even more of a reality. Having already been in a couple of similar real-life situations over his short time in Iraq, Heidt took from his experiences to form the training scenario and make it realistic to the Soldiers’ current environment.

Heidt said the medics faced multiple situations and challenges at once, including different injuries and the stressful environment. The medics’ endurance was also tested as they performed the exercise as they would in a real situation - with the weight of full body armor.

“I put the medics in the loudest place I could and did a whole a lot of yelling, as did the patients, to show the Soldiers how loud and chaotic things can get,” Heidt said.
All of the medics have undergone extensive training and certification in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support and National Registry Emergency Medical Technicians, but the experience they gained during the exercise hit home for the Soldiers.

“We’re always striving to increase the knowledge base of each of the medics here and get them familiar to the high stress of actually taking care of a casualty, especially if it’s one of your friends,” Longnaker said. “There’s a little more attachment to that than just going out there and being a regular emergency medical technician taking care of someone in a driving accident.”

According the U.S. Army Medical Department, as many as 1,761 Soldiers have suffered battle related injuries since the start of operations in Iraq in March 2003. Most of the injuries were a result of improvised explosive devices, shrapnel and gunshot wounds.

Heidt said this makes the need for realistic training all the more important, even if it breaks from Army medical training in a non-combat environment.

“Medics are always given the perfect casualty in the perfect setting which does not prepare you for having to pull a Soldier that is pinned in an upside down vehicle while everyone is taking fire,” Heidt said. “I just wanted to give the medics something to think about in training because you don’t have time to think in the field, only time to react.”

Longnaker said he hopes the training helped increase the Soldiers’ confidence and proficiency of a myriad of tasks they are required to know, as well as give them an idea of how to react under stress and how to deal with it.

“We never wish for these situations to happen, but we know the situation we’re in and know it’s a reality,” said Pvt. Mike Deon, one of the participating combat medics. “This training has given us the confidence and given us the opportunity to see how well we work together if the situation arises.”


Comments For "‘Cyclone’ medics prepare for the realities of combat":

May God bless those who tend our wounded and grant them clear heads to do what must be done while in horrific conditions. My admiration for what you do in a combat situation is unlimited and I am a retired critical care nurse. I have known chaos and overwhelming work loads, but never did I have to worry about my life or that of fellow caregivers. You are my heroes! Thank you for what you do in service to our nation.

Posted by: Pat in NC | November 29, 2004 4:19 PM

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