Story by: Pfc. Mike Pryor
BAGHDAD -- Pvt. Raymond Burnam lay on his back in the dust, his face pale and drained, a bandage on his arm. Not far away, Pfc. Joshua Waltz was being examined by a medic. Bright red blood ran down Waltz's arm and formed a small, dark puddle in the sand. A Soldier nearby looked at him and yelled out, "We've got a bleeder!"
This scene wasn't being played out at the site of a car bombing or a mortar attack or a firefight. In fact, it didn't happen during combat at all. It occurred during the IV insertion portion of the Combat Life Saver classes held recently by the medics of the 3rd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at Forward Operating Base Honor in Baghdad.
The training took place over three days of classes covering 40 hours of instruction. 35 Paratroopers from the battalion's Headquarters Company took part. Subjects taught included IV initiation, evaluating and evacuating a casualty, treating chemical agent casualties, splinting a fracture, applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and more.
To pass the class, each paratrooper had to complete a 100-question written test and properly insert an IV into another paratrooper's arm, said Spc. Josh McElroy, one of the CLS course instructors.
Having Soldiers trained in CLS techniques is a priority throughout the Army, but for Soldiers in Iraq and other combat zones it has a special precedence, said Sgt. Jason R. Irvin, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the training.
"(CLS training) is always important, but it's more necessary in combat because of the risks we have to take. There aren't enough medics to treat everyone who could potentially be harmed, so we have to have non-medic personnel trained in life saving techniques in order to maximize our chances of bringing everyone home alive," Irvin said.
Every Soldier has to take CLS classes in basic training, so much of the material covered was familiar. The big difference for the paratroopers taking part in the classes at FOB Honor was the small group size and the instructor-to-student ratio, several of them said.
Pvt. Jeffrey Charles was only five days out of advanced individual training when he was deployed. The memories of the CLS classes he had in basic were still fresh in his mind.
"There, you go through as a platoon and they just tell you what to do. Here, they break it down smaller. There are real medics you can talk to and ask them questions," said Charles.
"It's more interactive and hands on," agreed Sgt. William Benefield, a military policeman with the 82nd.
The first two days of classes were lectures and classroom demonstrations. On the third day, the Soldiers got to get outside and practice the techniques they had learned on each other.
It was a bright, sunny day, and the paratroopers were enjoying being outside. There was a lot of joking and horsing around as they tied tourniquets on each other and practiced buddy carries.
The smiling and joking seemed to disappear, however, when it came time for the last event of the day -- the dreaded IV insertion test. 82nd Airborne Paratroopers defy death by jumping out of planes for a living, yet a few of them seemed nervous about having to stick themselves with a needle.
"It's typically the hardest part for them because it's an invasive procedure that requires the utmost attention to detail," said Irvin.
Pfc. Patrick Fenton, a cook with Headquarters Company, offered a reason that was a little more to the point.
"It's going to hurt if someone stabs you with a big piece of metal," Fenton said.
In the end, all 35 paratroopers overcame whatever fears they had and successfully inserted their IVs -- although not without spilling some blood first -- to officially become qualified combat life-savers.
"I'm confident in their ability to save lives," said instructor Spc. Nick King about his students, "I"d put my life in their hands in combat anytime."
| Date Taken: | 01.27.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2005 12:15 |
| Story ID: | 951 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 13 |
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