Tactical Combat Casualty Care

[K.L. Davis]

This seems like a good time for this...

I may not know as much about this topic as a lot of folks here, but I can speak from the other side of casualty care; having been Medevaced by military and civilian agencies, I have taken the ride a few times.

Throughout the last few decades, I have met a lot of medical types... three really stand out:

The first is an old gentleman I just called Doc, he was a cowboy, turned veterinarian, turned MD/Surgeon -- The man was a miracle worker, without question the best and brightest in the field. He has since passed, but will always be the standard by which I judge all medical knowledge... he never spent a day in the military, but I am sure that he could put a man back together and breath life into even the most morbid of injuries.

Next up was a Combat Medic I worked with in the Army, all around good medic, took his job seriously and was one hell of an ass-in-the-grass Infantryman... if I were laying in some dirt road in Bananastan, marveling at how the ground under me was getting so warm... he was the face that I would hope the most to see.

The last guy was an Independent Duty Corpsman who consumed all things relating to the medical world, he would contradict diagnosis and prescriptions from the doctors at Medical (and almost always won), he was a BTDT trigger puller, he worked with the local EMS, volunteered time at hospitals and could speak with authority on small arms marksmanship, "goat school" or Reiki healing.

Each of these gentlemen knew something the others didn't, each could learn something from one of the others -- each of them had "a way".

This forum is to share information, to learn from each other... please continue, but please do just that.

[KevinB]

Very good point K.L.

[DragonDoc]

Whoa...that's crazy expensive. $5-600/day????

You could take a whole EMT-P class for the same money ($2K) or less and get more/better training. Volunteer as a paramedic and someone else might even pay your tuition while you get some good experience too while serving your community.

If you really want this training then you can get it for free. All you have to do is VOLUNTEER to join the U.S. Army. If you are partial to the Navy or Air Force, then wait two or three years (all medical training will be standardized by then) and you can get the class for free. If you are really up to the challenge, then you can become a flight medic, dive medic, or Special Operations Combat Medic. There are lots of oppurtunities out there for you if you are up to the challenge.

[ballistic]

I saw this Tactical First Aid & AR-15 Course. Looks like a good opportunity.