Photo By Sgt. Amber Latham | Staff Sgt. Jason Williams, from Crossville, Tenn., provides assistance during the...... read more read more
Staff Sgt. Jason Williams, of Crossville, Tenn., and Sgt. Derek Kuhlenschmidt, of Oak Ridge, Tenn., both members of HHC, 844th Engineer Battalion, Task Force 844, look on with pride as members of the Headquarters Field Engineer Regiment provide combat care for Soldiers with simulated injuries during a training exercise at Taji, Iraq.
The 844th Engineer Battalion, an Army Reserve Unit from Knoxville, Tenn., as part of their partnership with the HQ FER provided an eight-day Combat Lifesaver Course to a group of eleven Soldiers from the HQ FER. The CLS Course is implemented to train the non-medical Soldier how to provide advanced first aid and lifesaving procedures beyond the level of self-aid or buddy-aid taught during Army Basic Training. The goal was to conduct a "train-the-trainer" course so the Iraqi army soldiers could return to their units and train their own Soldiers.
The CLS trained Soldier is not intended to take the place of medical personnel, however due to the structure of the HQ FER, CLS trained Soldiers often serve as the only medic within the unit. This only intensifies the need for these Soldiers to be fully equipped and trained for the various medical situations that can quickly develop both on and off the battlefield. The students were taught various techniques to treat and stabilize injuries related to combat to include blast injury, amputation, severe bleeding, penetrating chest injuries, simple airway management and evacuation techniques. "Language was a barrier, but we were easily able to overcome it. The curriculum was developed from scratch and everything was translated into Arabic. Our interpreter was a big help," Kuhlenschmidt states.
On the final day of training students were required to take a written exam as well as participate in a live training exercise. The training exercise was a "true-life" test that allowed Soldiers to demonstrate the knowledge that they had acquired during the course. HQ FER Soldiers were taken to a nearby Military Operatoins in Urban Terrain site where they reacted to different scenarios and treated "victims" based on the different injuries received.
"The training is important because as coalition forces withdraw from Iraq, the Iraqi Army needs to develop the skills necessary to be a self-sustaining Army after our departure. Medical skills are an essential part of that development," states Williams.
"Everything we do is by, with, and through our Iraqi partners", said Lt. Col. Adam S. Roth, the commander of the 844th Engineer Battalion. "The training we have done here, as part of our overall partnership efforts, has given the girl of life, and the ability to preserve it in a combat environment to our partners. I can think of no higher calling than to provide that kind of training to our brothers in arms."
| Date Taken: | 11.10.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 11.10.2009 02:14 |
| Story ID: | 41332 |
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| Web Views: | 613 |
| Downloads: | 490 |
This work, Partnership for Combat Lifesaver Course Gives the Gift of Life., by SGT Amber Latham, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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