Field Report – May 8, 2010

Field Report - May 8, 2010

In the past we have had classes on First Aid/CPR/AED and certainly those are things that everyone should know how to do. Life happens and you might have to help save a life. But today we learned how to do an emergency tracheotomy. Yes you read this right, we all practiced emergency tracheotomies and laryngectomies. We used pig throats to simulate the human throat. Doc explained that sometimes other methods won’t clear the airway and the only way to save the patients life is to perform this procedure. I won’t go into detail, as this is a class that has to be seen and done hands on.

We had more medical classes, where we learned the proper way to lift and carry people by stretcher in teams of two and four. Then we learned one-person carries and how to drag your buddy out of harms way. Also, we learned how to triage, check for shock and simple ways to treat it, and take care of the patient until help arrives. Both of these add to our unit’s ability to assist in an emergency either at the local, or State level.

Another class we did was basic knot tying. Pvt. Peyton taught this class and it was a good refresher to have, five knots that are easy and can be used when and where needed. We also did a refresher course in shooting azimuths with a compass and doing back azimuths as well as a class on field stripping the AR-15 and AK rifles. Always fun, and a good refresher course.

We also practiced setting up a Gas Mask, purging, and deploying it. We had a review of our basic hand signals, which is something that can’t be over learned. Lastly, we practiced preparing for a patrol, including selection of equipment, gear adjustments, and most importantly, Pre Combat Inspections. This included the squad leaders checklist and doing a physical check on each teammate.

There was a lot of information covered, and we all had to be on our toes and ready. If you missed it, make plans on coming out and learning about these and many other skills. One never knows when you will be the man on the spot and a few skills learned now just might save a loved ones life.