A U.S. soldier applies pressure to a simulated wound during the ?nal portion of the combat lifesaver course at Camp Bondsteel Aug. 9.
MNBG-E certify as combat lifesavers
Story and photos by U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Parks 4th Public Affairs Detachment
ultinational Battle GroupEast soldiers can safely provide ?rst responder lifesaving measures after completing the combat lifesaver course at Camp Bondsteel Aug. 5-9. Nineteen French and U.S. soldiers from MNBG-E completed the 40-hour course. “This week we went through a basic combat lifesaver course, starting with the classroom portion,” said U.S. Army Spc. Stephanie Crabbe, a medic with Task Force Medical and a native of Front Royal, Va. “We taught them the basics of ?rst responding to combat care and casualties in the ?eld.” The Army combat lifesaver course is
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a bridge between the self-aid/buddyaid training given to all soldiers during basic training and the medical training given to combat medics. The course is a combination of classroom training and practical, hands on training. The “combat lifesaver” is a nonmedical soldier who provides ?rst responder lifesaving measures in accordance with the latest tactical combat casualty care protocols. Crabbe said they taught the different care phases and how to do a proper order of assessment in order to maximize lifesaving. “[Soldiers] went through four days of the in-classroom [training], mixed with hands-on,” Crabbe said. “We also went over extra medical skills just to give them tips and tricks because [CLS] is
important. Ninety percent of the deaths that occur on the battle?eld are preventable.” Following the classroom portion, soldiers were given a written exam and then tested in a combat scenario environment. “We stress them out, put them under a real-life simulated situation and make them hot, stressed out, with heart rates going, so they can really feel what it feels like under pressure when you’re trying to save someone’s life,” Crabbe explained. Crabbe and her teammates put together a blacked out room with chemical lights
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