Fort Campbell, Ky. –
More than 100 health care specialists from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division completed a week of intensive medical training on Fort Campbell, Ky., March 6-10.
“It’s really important that we get this training as close to a deployment timeframe as possible,” said Capt. Justin Adams, 1st BCT nurse. “The skills are fresh in their mind so when they go to a combat area they are ready on day one – they’re in the right mind frame to save lives.”
The Brigade Combat Team Trauma Training course consists of five days of classroom instruction, practical application and field training. BCT3 is led by a staff of experts from the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
“My staff is 16 NCOs and two civilians,” said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph McCormick, noncommissioned officer in charge of the program. “We have a wide variety of experience from special operations, flight paramedics, combat support hospital medics, ground medics, all with a lot of knowledge from all walks of life.”
BCT3 covers concepts such as tactical combat casualty care, trauma management skills and lessons learned from delivering medical care on the battlefield. The course ensures medics across the Army have the trauma and surgical skills to manage combat casualties prior to a deployment.
“Back in 2005, the Army had a lot of casualties that were dying from preventable causes of death,” said Capt. Robert Levesque, BCT3 program officer in charge. “Once that was identified, they built this course and there was a significant drop in died-of-wound rates. It really gives medics the tools they need to succeed on the battlefield, work and think through complicated patients, get them to facilities for surgeries and get them back home safe.”
The week of training began in the classroom, as students were briefed on the latest medical techniques before practicing on 180-pound training mannequins and other simulation devices.
“We started with classroom training, we learned about MARCH (massive hemorrhage, airway, respiration, circulatory, hypothermia) for assessing a casualty,” said Pvt. Andwelle Foster, a combat medic with 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st BCT. “We learned MACE (military acute concussion evaluation) which helps evaluate someone who may have a concussion or traumatic brain injury. We learned rapid trauma assessment. I’ve only been at my unit for a week, but this is the best training I’ve received in the Army.”
Later in the week, the students moved to training at a Fort Campbell field site. Instructors moved the students in small groups through lanes that tested their skills on care under fire, tactical field care, and tactical evacuation care. The process began with training and rehearsals, and culminated in a full-speed iteration with complicated medical treatment under stressful conditions.
“On day five we try to stress them out,” said McCormick. “We run them through some physical training, we use a squirt bottle with simulated blood, we yell at them a little bit, have loud music through the speakers … it really gets their adrenaline moving. We want them to make the mistakes now and know their weaknesses as a medic, so when they get downrange they’re ready to execute.”
The Soldiers from across the brigade completed the lanes in small groups of four. There were also several Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the National Guard participating, so some groups had never worked together before this week.
“Our team worked surprisingly well for never having met each other,” said Pfc. Jairo Martinez, a combat medic for 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT. “This training put us under a lot of stress and a lot of pressure, and it helped me learn to deal with it. When you’re rushing and under fire you have to remember your steps, remain calm and remember your training.”
The BCT3 team travels around the country training Army medics on different installations, but Levesque noted his staff is always impressed by the Fort Campbell Soldiers.
“The 101st medics have been doing great, they’re highly motivated, and we always get that every time we come to Fort Campbell and we don’t expect anything less,” he said. “I have every bit of confidence they’ll be successful on deployment.”
Adams explained that the health care specialists who went through the training were headed soon to locations such as Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. The skills they gained validate the medics to deploy anytime within the next two years, and add increased medical readiness to their units.