WIESBADEN, Germany -- As long as there have been Soldiers on the battlefield, there's been a need for Soldiers trained in the art of treating wounds.
Most times this means expert on-the-spot care from an Army medic, but when either the flood of casualties is too great, or a medic is too far away, that job falls to the combat lifesaver.
Combat lifesavers are ordinary Soldiers who have been trained to provide immediate medical care until medical care from a trained professional can be offered. Within an organization as diverse as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the standard for what constitutes a combat lifesaver varies among the allied nations.
To solve this dilemma, and to help shape a unified training standard, Army Europe held an International Combat Lifesaver Course at Clay Kaserne, Feb. 23-27.
In addition to the course's students being from different nations, the training cadre had an international flavor as well. The lead instructor was a British paramedic and four doctors from Ukraine were on hand to advise and assist.
"This is a great opportunity to learn how to learn." said Oleksandr Linchevskyy, the lead Ukrainian instructor, who is also a trauma surgeon in Kiev.
He explained that this training is a way for the Ukrainian medics to work with partner nations and learn other ways of treating casualties.
"We can see different armies and different Soldiers, German, police and American," Linchevskyy said. "We can see relationships in this different atmosphere of training."
Students were taught how to treat casualties while they are under fire, proper movement techniques for ambulance and helicopter transport, as well as the basics of first aid.
For some participants this was an opportunity to refresh their skills or learn new techniques. For others this was a chance to experience training not offered by their country's military.
"We don't have this kind of training in Finland," said 1st Lt. Lauri Lamenpau, a reserve platoon leader in the Finnish Army. "We have to pick up the education and pass it on to our own squads when we return home."
Approximately 30 students from several different NATO partner nations attended this first of its kind training event.
Observers were on hand from NATO Headquarters in order to certify the course and the standard for all NATO countries, ensuring there will be many more of these CLS classes in the future.
"We have an international class of students, and the goal is for every member of the class to leave here understanding the concept of tactical combat casualty care," said Tim Cranton, one of the lead civilian instructors for the course. "It is about everyone leaving with a common ideal, so that when they work together in the future, everybody is working with the same playbook."
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About us: U.S. Army Europe is uniquely positioned in its 51 country area of responsibility to advance American strategic interests in Europe and Eurasia. The relationships we build during more than 1,000 theater security cooperation events in more than 40 countries each year lead directly to support for multinational contingency operations around the world, strengthen regional partnerships and enhance global security.
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