Medic!!!!

We spent some time learning about combat medical treatment.  This is serious stuff, though we had some fun in class which made our instructor laugh.  We got our own pouches with the things we need to stay alive while under fire.  Unlike at home, there is no time to dial 911 when bad guys are shooting at you or a roadside bomb has gone off.  The instructor was very blunt….If you are conscious, you have to stop your bleeding with your own tourniquet.  Period.  Its pretty sobering.  We spent time learning how to do this and how to put tubes into another’s nose to get them to breath.  

After that we went into the simulator room where we marveled at a mannequin who could breathe, spurt blood and yell if needed.  All controlled by the instructor.  This was pretty eerie but well worth it.  Next is was a battlefield casualty room set up to look as if a bomb had gone off in a crowded room.  We were put in groups of three to tend to the wounded.  Although we knew these were smart mannequins, it made your heart race thinking of little time you had to keep them from bleeding out.  I hope never to have to use this knowledge.