FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Kirkuk, Iraq- Hands on training was the approach for Iraqi Army soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 15th Iraqi Army Brigade, who, for the first time, began learning combat life saving skills with assistance from medics of 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, at an IA outpost near Forward Operating Base McHenry, Kirkuk province, Iraq, March 29.
The goal of the training was to give IA medics and soldiers basic life saving skills they can continue to practice and refine.
"We are trying to teach them basic combat life saving skills," said Pfc. Josh Sutfin, a Harrisburg, Penn. native and a medic with Company B, 1st Bn., 8th Cav. Regt. "This includes: controlling hemorrhaging, maintaining airways, assisted breathing, and how to use a tourniquet."
This is the second time 2nd Bn. 15th IA Bde. soldiers have had the opportunity to practice CLS skills with their U.S. military counterparts, and Soldiers from all four of the companies that make up the 2nd Bn. 15th IA Brig. participated.
"Every Soldier in the Iraqi Army should know how to do these skills," said Salem Hussein, a non-commissioned officer with the 2nd Bn. 15th IA Bde.
"America is going to leave one day," said Hussein. "We are going to be the only ones out on patrols, and we need to know how to save each others' lives."
Soldiers from the IA are beginning to learn these skills from the ground up, and IA medics are starting to teach their own soldiers.
"We are getting their medics to do what we do," said Sutfin. "This is the first time that their medics have come out to the classes."
We are working with them from the bottom up, said Sutfin.
According to Sutfin, the IA medics have all the equipment necessary to train their soldiers on basic combat lifesaving skills, but they are lacking an ample-sized training area. They are hoping to fix this in the future so the IA medics can host CLS training on their own.
"This training builds courage in the soldiers," said Sutfin.
This helps them have faith in not only the medics, but also the soldiers they fight next to, said Sutfin.
"The overall goal is to improve their ability to save lives if something goes wrong," said 1st Lt. Nathan Browning, a Thief River Falls, Minn. native and 2nd platoon leader, in 1st Bn. 8th Cav. Regt.
"We want to enable them to function safely and independently in a fluid tactical environment," said Browning.
According to Browning, Soldiers from 2nd Plt. have been working with their IA counterparts to improve the core competencies in skills like CLS, map reading and detainee operations.
We are doing this type of training to help prepare us to lead our own country, said Salem.
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