US Marine Corps, June 24, 2014 - MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. by Lance Cpl Jared Lingafelt - Marines and sailors with 2nd Medical Battalion conducted a mass casualty exercise as part of a semiannual battalion field exercise aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River, June 19.
The training simulated a mass casualty event, requiring the corpsmen to tend to patients in the field and board them on a CH-46E Sea Knight for immediate extract, taking them to the next step in medical treatment, ensuring the patients are being cared for properly.
“This event trains the Marines and sailors for point of injury care, the proper loading and care procedures while using the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter, proper loading procedures with patient care while transporting them to the next echelon of care and all other tactical maneuvers that go with it,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Francisco Segura, a instructor with 2nd Med.
After the patients were loaded onto the aircraft, the helicopter departed, then circled the landing zone before landing for a second time. The multiple landings simulated an extract that would take place on a battlefield, then landing for the second time to represent the aircraft inserting at the next available medical facility.
Once on the ground, the patients were offloaded to an ambulance and immediately rushed to the shock trauma platoon, simulating a real life scenario where service members would be extracted from the battlefield and transported to the next medical facility.
“This is the first time in years that we have had the aircraft actually come out here, which is great,” said Navy Capt. Michael A. Sokolowski, commanding officer of 2nd Med. Bn. “Loading a helicopter is different than loading any other type of vehicle. It’s one of the best vehicles we can use for a casualty evacuation and offers great training to our Marines and sailors right here on the ground. It gives them a leg up in training so they can be more prepared when they go down range.”
The Marines and sailors took part in the semiannual battalion field exercise to keep their skills sharp and prepare Marines and sailors for future deployments.
“The training went really well,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Mindi Mulcahey, a field medical service technician with 2nd Med. Bn., Alpha Company. “Giving what the sailors I deployed with know and what I know, and seeing how the new team operated, they did extremely well. The whole purpose of all of this is to teach Marines and sailors on these procedures so they can take these tools downrange and save lives, and I am fully confident in my teams’ performance.”
The training simulated a mass casualty event, requiring the corpsmen to tend to patients in the field and board them on a CH-46E Sea Knight for immediate extract, taking them to the next step in medical treatment, ensuring the patients are being cared for properly.
“This event trains the Marines and sailors for point of injury care, the proper loading and care procedures while using the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter, proper loading procedures with patient care while transporting them to the next echelon of care and all other tactical maneuvers that go with it,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Francisco Segura, a instructor with 2nd Med.
After the patients were loaded onto the aircraft, the helicopter departed, then circled the landing zone before landing for a second time. The multiple landings simulated an extract that would take place on a battlefield, then landing for the second time to represent the aircraft inserting at the next available medical facility.
Once on the ground, the patients were offloaded to an ambulance and immediately rushed to the shock trauma platoon, simulating a real life scenario where service members would be extracted from the battlefield and transported to the next medical facility.
“This is the first time in years that we have had the aircraft actually come out here, which is great,” said Navy Capt. Michael A. Sokolowski, commanding officer of 2nd Med. Bn. “Loading a helicopter is different than loading any other type of vehicle. It’s one of the best vehicles we can use for a casualty evacuation and offers great training to our Marines and sailors right here on the ground. It gives them a leg up in training so they can be more prepared when they go down range.”
The Marines and sailors took part in the semiannual battalion field exercise to keep their skills sharp and prepare Marines and sailors for future deployments.
“The training went really well,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Mindi Mulcahey, a field medical service technician with 2nd Med. Bn., Alpha Company. “Giving what the sailors I deployed with know and what I know, and seeing how the new team operated, they did extremely well. The whole purpose of all of this is to teach Marines and sailors on these procedures so they can take these tools downrange and save lives, and I am fully confident in my teams’ performance.”
CH-46F 156476 ( US Marine Corps )
MCAS New River See also |
VMR-1
Marine Transport Squadron 1 US Marine Corps 
