Marine Corps News Room

http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2005/051020-tccc.html

Lance Cpl. C. Warren Peace

CAMP HANSEN (Oct 20, 2005) -- Thirty Marines and sailors attended the Tactical Combat Causality Care Course given by III Marine Expeditionary Force's Special Operation Training Group at Camp Hansen Oct. 11-14.

Service members from 3rd Intelligence Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force, and 3rd Transport Service Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, spent two days in a classroom learning the skills needed for first aid in a combat environment followed by two days in a field environment conducting practical application training.
"Most of the time it is going to be a Marine acting as the first responder to casualties in a combat environment," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard Minter, a TCCCC instructor with SOTG. "That's why it's important for the Marine to know how to respond to injuries in a combat situation."

During classroom instruction, the students learned the different techniques of first aid and when to use them in a combat situation, explained Minter. They had to pass an oral and written test before moving on to the practical application portion of the course.

"The tests really weren't hard," said Pfc. Shaun Sicard, a motor vehicle operator with Motor Transportation Company, 3rd TSB. "The (SOTG staff) did a great job teaching the classes."

The course emphasizes a different type of first aid compared to recruit training, explained Petty Officer 2nd Class George Conroy, a TCCCC instructor with SOTG.

"It is different on the battlefield," said Conroy. "Getting shot at changes the hand you are dealt. You have to ask yourself, ?What can I do to save his life and get back in the fight?'"

The third day was spent at Range 16 practicing the techniques taught in the classroom, according to Minter. Special-effect makeup was applied to members of the SOTG staff to create the appearance of wounds received during combat and the students had to respond to the different injuries during simulated gunfire.

The final test was on the fourth day. The students had to respond to causalities during simulated gunfire while being reviewed by an instructor.

The students also had to perform a mass causality evacuation from a patrolled area to a predetermined landing zone. The entire class acted as a whole for this portion, moving approximately 10 casualties to the LZ.

"Medically, this is the best period of instruction I've received since joining the Corps," said Gunnery Sgt. John R. Bennett, a Marine with 3rd Intelligence Bn.