Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Keith Anderson | Soldiers at the 115th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st...... read more read more
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FORT IRWIN, Calif. - For the team of seven medics serving at the remote tactical operations center for an artillery battalion, the day started simply enough, with small numbers of routine simulated casualties coming in after an evening skirmish Oct. 14.
But things can escalate quickly at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
As medics treated replicated gunshot wounds and other injuries, a small convoy of vehicles circled the tactical assembly area of the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and began firing into the small camp.
“You come to NTC to see what you can do with your training under pressure - stressors,” said Staff Sgt. Sunil Sharma, medical noncommissioned officer in charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-82 FA. “This is where you improve as you go.”
Medics protected their patients with their own bodies as artillery Soldiers scrambled to defend the perimeter of the headquarters camp. Soon, screams of “medic!” sounded over the gunfire and explosions.
“You train as you fight,” said 1st Lt. Ashley Bahlatzis, physician assistant, 1-82 FA. “If you deploy, you’re more prepared, and you’ve trained with the same team you deploy with.”
Soon, Bahlatzis, a native of Albany, New York, and her medics were overwhelmed with the injured from the battle. Patients with simulated injuries from embedded fragments to head wounds were triaged quickly and provided lifesaving care.
“Our main mission is to evaluate, stabilize and evacuate patients for further care and evaluation,” said Bahlatzis. “It was good teamwork.”
But with more serious patients, there was more needed to be done, and the next level of care at the brigade support area was an hour away over rough, dangerous roads.
“NTC provides us the opportunity to conduct training that we just can’t do at Fort Hood,” said Maj. Greg Shipper, executive officer, 1-82 FA. “Conducting the time-distance analysis to missions from evacuating casualties, to planning much longer fire missions adds layers of complexity. It’s training you just can’t mimic.”
In three field litter ambulances within a convoy protected by gun trucks, the patients and accompanying medical personnel made it to the larger 115th Brigade Support Battalion Aid Station in time to save lives.
“It’s all about timing and understanding your capabilities and limitations,” said Shipper, a native of Sycamore, New York. “Here, we exercise all parts of an operation.”
More than 5,000 Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and other enabling units are currently participating in Decisive Action Rotation 16-01 at NTC.
| Date Taken: | 10.14.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.02.2015 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 180657 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 224 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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