CENTRAL TRAINING AREA, OKINAWA, Japan -- Corpsmen with 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, executed a field training exercise April 28 through May 1 at the Central Training Area to practice basic Marine combat training and tactical medical care in a field environment.
The exercise familiarized the corpsmen with the skills required of forward deployed medical personnel in a combat environment.
“We’re going over patrolling and immediate action drills while on a patrol, whether it’s dealing with contact from the enemy, improvised explosive devices, or if they receive casualties,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob A. Sandahl, a tactics instructor with 3rd MLG, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “We also did military operations on urbanized terrain, so they can apply the same skills in that kind of environment as well.”
While in the field, the corpsmen’s mission was to patrol from Landing Zone Dodo to Combat Town, engage any simulated enemy, and then medically evacuate all mock casualties once the town was secured.
Training exercises like these benefit corpsmen because they work alongside Marines during combat operations.
“As corpsmen, they are our brothers and sisters of the Marine Corps,” said Sandahl. “In the Marine Corps, we train every Marine to be a rifleman. We push that (training) onto the corpsmen as well because they fight alongside us.”
After a long hiatus from a field training exercise, the corpsmen were ready to learn new knowledge in a field environment, according to Chief Petty Officer Alma Dubois, a Navy chief with the battalion.
“I think it builds character and it kind of breaks them out of their element,” said Dubois. “That is when you really find out who somebody is and how they react to certain situations. I would hate for them being deployed to (experience) their first time in a harsh environment because they would be miserable and would not understand it. At least here, they are given this opportunity.”
The corpsmen spent three days engaged in classes on Marine combat tactics. For many, this was their first time learning how to clear rooms in a simulated hostile environment. The fourth day of the exercise was deemed “test day,” and required the participants to apply their newly learned tactics in an attack scenario.
During the simulation, the corpsmen used blank rounds to engage the enemies and provided field medical care to those who were wounded. Once they secured the town, the corpsmen called for a medical evacuation of any mock casualties.
“The second phase of this training is to bring the casualties back to the forward resuscitative surgical system and Shock Trauma Platoon, which is an operating room and a mobile emergency room,” said Dubois. “This is the medical capability we would bring to the service members when they deploy.”
Setting up the FRSS and STP proved challenging as weather conditions deteriorated and familiar skills were put the test in an unfamiliar environment.
“The first day here, we had to contend with the rain and mud and got to see what it takes to set these systems up in any environment,” said Navy Lt. Joseph LaBarbera, the company commander of Surgical Company A with the battalion. “We had to adapt and overcome the situation, and that is just part of who we are.”
Once the casualties arrived at the FRSS and STP, they were taken into the medical tents and processed accordingly.
“First the casualties would be searched by the Marines, then triaged for where they are going to go in the system,” said Dubois. “They would start in the ER in most cases. If the wounds are bad enough and the operating room is available, they would go straight to the OR.”
After the simulated patients had received the proper treatment, they were placed in the holding area to await further medical evacuation via airlift.
“This is the type of environment our corpsmen will be in once they do attach to a Marine unit,” said LaBarbera. “This is the perfect opportunity for these corpsmen to gain knowledge and experience so they can better serve when on a deployment.”