Unit News
Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division practice starting IV lines on each other during the Combat Lifesaver Academy conducted by ‘Charlie Med,’ 125th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bliss’ Range Golf, March 10. Photo by Sgt. John D. Ortiz, 3rd BCT, 1st Armored Div.
Pfc. Dan J. Bernard
3rd BCT, 1st Armored Division
It is one thing to train on your everyday job in the Army, but to train on something you hope you’ll never have to use is another. That is exactly what the ‘Mustangs’ from the 125th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division did during Combat Live Saver Training Academy at Fort Bliss’ Range Golf, March 8-12.
Pfc. Raymond Marquez, a Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic with the 125th BSB, said nobody plans for a lifesaving moment, but everyone should be prepared for them, whether it be down range, or here at home.
“You never know when something might happen that would require you to save a life,” said Marquez. “These are life lessons you can use even in the civilian world.”
The reality is casualties happen on the battlefield and during training exercises, so Company C, 125th BSB, also known as Charlie Med, ensured Soldiers such as Marquez received training on how to react to an injury and give a quick trauma assessment.
“It was a little nerve racking, but it’s something you just have to get over,” added Marquez.
Being the first responder and identifying the wound for a fallen comrade is just one part of CLS training. The two leading causes of death on the battle field are hemorrhaging and shock, and a big part of the training is to learn how to stop the bleeding and treat shock.
Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, perform combat lifesaving steps and security during lane training during the brigade’s Combat Lifesaver Academy at Fort Bliss’ Range Golf, March 11. Photo by Pfc. Dan Bernard, 3rd BCT, 1st Armored Div.
Soldiers went on to learn basic skills such as proper application of a tourniquet and successfully inserting an IV. Spc. Lauren Suydam, a Logistics Soldier with the 125th BSB, said she respected the overall experience, but enjoyed the IV section and found she had a good hand at it.
“I don’t really know the best part of the training because it is all important, but I had the most fun with the IV portion of the training,” said Suydam. “I was nervous, but got the IV inserted correctly on the first try.”
In addition to the training, Soldiers learned different ways to safely carry a casualty to a safer location and call for a medical evacuation.
Combat Life Saver Training is something introduced to Soldiers during their Basic Training, but Suydam said last week’s training took it further.
“It is nice to receive in-depth training like this because there are so many different things to learn in basic training you don’t get a lot of time to spend on combat life saver skills,” she said.