5/7 Cav refresh combat life saving skills

By SSG Christopher Blakeslee, 1ABCT Public AffairsMarch 21, 2014

Combat Life Saving
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Can you imagine being wounded in combat with no certified medics nearby? This could be a Soldiers worst nightmare.

Soldiers assigned to Troop A, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division, have taken matters into their own hands by conducting a Combat Life Saver refresher course, Aug 7-8.

The CLS teaches participants how to treat major life-threatening battlefield injuries and prepares Soldiers to act as a step between first aid and professional medical responders. Valuable skills such as stopping bleeding, splinting broken or fractured bones and evacuating a casualty are a few of the many topics covered during this two-day class.

"We're conducting a CLS refresher course to make sure we can handle any emergency medical situation which takes place on the battlefield," said Sgt. Anthony Rains, a cavalry scout assigned to A Troop, 5/7 Cav., and a native of Holdenville, Ok.

While military training can sometimes be deemed boring or irrelevant, this was clearly not the case with the "Gary Owen" troops. "

This training was amazing, a lot of medics were running around advising Soldiers," Sgt. Rains added. "We learned a lot of useful and relevant techniques that could actually happen on the battlefield."

Although the training was fun, it was anything but easy.

"The training lanes smoked us," said a tired and hungry Spc. Nicholas Ground, a cavalry scout with Troop A, 5/7 Cav., and native of Ashburn, Va. "It was good training, but it wore me out!"

With CLS training in their bag, the Soldiers of Troop A appear ready, willing and able to take on any emergency medical situation thrown at them.

"Garry Owen!"