Fort Bliss Monitor

Maj. Deanna Bague

Soldiers from the 104th and 391st Military Police Battalions provide
combat medical care to a Soldier during a combat lifesaver field training
exercise At McGregor Range, N.M.

CLS prepares troops
for survival

Maj. Deanna Bague
Fort Bliss Public Affairs

Observer controller trainers from the 402nd Field Artillery Brigade’s Task Force Mustang are teaching Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen combat lifesaver skills to increase their survivability on the battlefield.

“A medic is not always going to be there,” said Sgt. Erick Olivares, instructor, TF Mustang, 402nd FA Bde. “It’s not like the old Army when you see the World War II [movies] and everyone is screaming for a medic.”

A lot of people still hold the stereotype that a medic is always going to be available on the battlefield, said Olivares but every Soldier is expected to perform individual first aid tasks, accomplish those missions and be self-sustained within their organization. Since many units deploying into theater are assigned a particular mission, they don’t have a medical section attached. By training combat life savers, the units can have medically trained Soldiers who can assist and provide care until they get to a higher casualty or medical evacuation point.

The combat lifesaver course trains everyone in basic first aid, intravenous infusion, extrication of vehicles, treatment and evaluation of different injuries. What differentiates first aid from CLS, Olivares said is the insertion of intravenous fluids. First aid training does not cover that.

“CLS is your combat lifesaver – you’re training the task of literally combat life saving,” said Olivares. “You can apply it outside the continental United States, overseas or in the continental U.S., stateside.”

TF Mustang instructors prepare Soldiers to deal with conditions they may face in theater by immersing them in a setting that mirrors one where they will deploy. The open field training grounds at McGregor Range, N.M., replicate this theater-like environment.

Olivares said Soldiers engage in different scenarios where they treat casualties under simulated battlefield conditions.

“They go through our lanes, low crawling and reacting to actions, simulated improvised explosive devices and small arms fire,” said Olivares. “They cover their casualties using the set criteria they have for that.”

Staff Sgt. Jesse Rushing, human resources sergeant, 391st Military Police Battalion, said the trauma care taught in a simulated combat environment is very beneficial. Negotiating barbed-wire obstacles, using skids to drag the injured, applying tourniquets for traumatic amputations and stopping bleeding, Rushing said, are important lifesaving skills Soldiers need to know, especially those deploying for the first time.

“It’s better to have this experience here, than to go over into theater and not know [how to react],” he said.

Soldiers said the field portion of the CLS training is more challenging than the classroom instruction. Pfc. Kristen Walker, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 104th MP Bn., said she was assigned the role of a CLS during a field training exercise.

“It showed me how difficult it could be to save someone’s life,” said Walker. “But I could get out there and I could do it.”



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	July 26, 2007

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Maj. Deanna Bague Soldiers from the 104th and 391st Military Police Battalions provide combat medical care to a Soldier during a combat lifesaver field training exercise At McGregor Range, N.M. CLS prepares troops for survival Maj. Deanna Bague Fort Bliss Public Affairs Observer controller trainers from the 402nd Field Artillery Brigade’s Task Force Mustang are teaching Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen combat lifesaver skills to increase their survivability on the battlefield. “A medic is not always going to be there,” said Sgt. Erick Olivares, instructor, TF Mustang, 402nd FA Bde. “It’s not like the old Army when you see the World War II [movies] and everyone is screaming for a medic.” A lot of people still hold the stereotype that a medic is always going to be available on the battlefield, said Olivares but every Soldier is expected to perform individual first aid tasks, accomplish those missions and be self-sustained within their organization. Since many units deploying into theater are assigned a particular mission, they don’t have a medical section attached. By training combat life savers, the units can have medically trained Soldiers who can assist and provide care until they get to a higher casualty or medical evacuation point. The combat lifesaver course trains everyone in basic first aid, intravenous infusion, extrication of vehicles, treatment and evaluation of different injuries. What differentiates first aid from CLS, Olivares said is the insertion of intravenous fluids. First aid training does not cover that. “CLS is your combat lifesaver – you’re training the task of literally combat life saving,” said Olivares. “You can apply it outside the continental United States, overseas or in the continental U.S., stateside.” TF Mustang instructors prepare Soldiers to deal with conditions they may face in theater by immersing them in a setting that mirrors one where they will deploy. The open field training grounds at McGregor Range, N.M., replicate this theater-like environment. Olivares said Soldiers engage in different scenarios where they treat casualties under simulated battlefield conditions. “They go through our lanes, low crawling and reacting to actions, simulated improvised explosive devices and small arms fire,” said Olivares. “They cover their casualties using the set criteria they have for that.” Staff Sgt. Jesse Rushing, human resources sergeant, 391st Military Police Battalion, said the trauma care taught in a simulated combat environment is very beneficial. Negotiating barbed-wire obstacles, using skids to drag the injured, applying tourniquets for traumatic amputations and stopping bleeding, Rushing said, are important lifesaving skills Soldiers need to know, especially those deploying for the first time. “It’s better to have this experience here, than to go over into theater and not know [how to react],” he said. Soldiers said the field portion of the CLS training is more challenging than the classroom instruction. Pfc. Kristen Walker, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 104th MP Bn., said she was assigned the role of a CLS during a field training exercise. “It showed me how difficult it could be to save someone’s life,” said Walker. “But I could get out there and I could do it.”