Bataan Sailors, Marines Hit Combat Casualty Course
Navy News
Erin Lea Boyce - Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class
November 7, 2011
USS BATAAN, At Sea - The Medical Department aboard multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) conducted training using Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) courses October 15.
Sailors and Marines received instruction in the proper treatment of severe combat-related injuries.
The 11-day course is taught in a classroom setting and covers injury treatment, followed by hands-on training and a practical exercise. The course is voluntary and available to all Sailors and Marines aboard Bataan.
"The learning objectives are based on first aid with an emphasis on battlefield treatment and safely evacuating all of the wounded," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW/FMF) Jeremy Harness, a TCCC instructor.
To ensure the students could carry out treatments in a combat zone, the instructors created a wartime scenario for the final exercise.
"It was intense," said Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class (AW) David Heishman, a TCCC student. "The instructors put body armor on us and made us run up and down the ramp to stimulate the transit to a patient in the field. There was yelling and all sorts of noise. Multiple casualties further complicated the scenario and each of them had several wounds. The scenario stresses your nerves, skills, resourcefulness, creativity, time management, and your physical strength and endurance."
Sailors and Marines learned how to treat a number of battlefield wounds to include: sucking chest wounds, amputations, compound fractures, burns of the body, protruding intestines, and facial wounds.
"The goal of the final practice is to put these students in an environment that they have never been in before," said Harness. "The more chaotic the situation, the better. They learn to think on their feet. They have to triage, treat, and then transport their casualty to the landing zone for medical evacuations. It is an awesome experience to witness these Sailors and Marines become extraordinary combat life-savers."
Sailors and Marines gained additional skills and confidence.
"I do feel very confident about combat casualties," said Air Traffic Controller 3rd Class (AW) Coty Shearer, a TCCC student. "The training I received is really going to help combat casualties that a Marine or Sailor might encounter on the battlefield."
The course will be offered throughout Bataan's current deployment.
"It is important to have this course, especially in the theater we are currently in," said Harness. "Every student that becomes trained in TCCC extends every corpsman's reach throughout this command. We will have more properly trained personnel to respond to medical emergencies and start treatment prior to the arrival of a corpsman at the scene."
"The course forces you to think about, clarify, reinvestigate, and hone your lifesaving skills," said Heishman. "It is a great course that I would recommend to anyone. More than anything, it shows you how little you know, and in turn, how much you need to learn."
Bataan is the command ship of the Bataan Amphibious Ready group, supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.