By Maj. Johnathon Knapton
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
Soldiers load a simulated casualty onto a fold-up stretcher as part of 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, combat lifesaver training Jan. 25, 2017. (Photo by Maj. Johnathon Knapton)
Combat lifesaver training builds on the fundamentals Soldiers learn at Basic Training and bridge the gap between the skill sets of the common infantry Soldier and those of the more highly trained combat medic.
Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted combat lifesaver (CLS) training Jan. 23-27, 2017, to increase the unit’s readiness. The training is part of the “Warhorse” Brigade’s overall training plan to train new Soldiers while retraining troops who recently redeployed from Afghanistan.
“Combat lifesavers are the first responders. They’re generally the guys that are with the people that get injured; they’re the first line of defense in preventing battlefield casualties,” said Cpl. Jeff Miller, senior medic, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., as he moved throughout the training area assessing students and assisting instructors.
“We like to teach them how to treat those injuries before the medic is needed. In the end, seconds save lives,” said Miller.
Using a crawl, walk, run training methodology, “Lethal Warrior” Battalion Soldiers began with a refresher on the basics of combat medical treatment and progressed to advanced practical exercises. The training culminated in testing that certified each Soldier as a combat lifesaver.
“The quality of this training has been more than above standard,” said Pvt. Joshua Ingram, Company B, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg. “The instructors have taken excellent care in ensuring that we know exactly what we need to do when we’re on the battlefield.”
The majority of the battalion recently redeployed from Afghanistan where its mission included security operations involving daily patrolling, maintaining the perimeter security of the operating base, and advising and assisting Afghan partners. After some well-deserved leave, the battalion immediately launched into a rigorous training cycle.
“It is important that we never stop training,” said 2nd Lt. Blake Hanebut, officer in charge of the training. “We need to take care of our Soldiers in everything from sick call to squad and team live-fire ranges.”
After building on individual skills such as CLS training, the focus will shift to collective training until the battalion as a whole is certified as combat-ready.
“We always have to be ready to deploy against any enemy, all the time. Our unit’s always ramping up so we always have to be ready,” said Hanebut.