United States Army soldiers share combat lifesaving skills with Malawian troops at MEDREACH 11

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United States US Army News

 

Monday, June 27, 2011, 01:54 PM

 
United States Army soldiers share combat lifesaving skills with Malawian troops at MEDREACH 11.
 
United States Army soldiers share combat lifesaving skills with Malawian troops at MEDREACH 11, a U.S. Army Africa-run exercise designed to enhance U.S. and Malawian military medical capabilities and enhance the two militaries’ ability to work together during a humanitarian emergency or other crisis.
     

Army Maj. Jack Twomey, a 399th Combat Support Hospital nurse and instructor during MEDREACH 11, describes the Malawi Defense Force troops’ performance to international observers following a field training exercise testing their combat lifesaving...

     
In addition to humanitarian and civic assistance outreach projects, a major emphasis during the exercise was on training: in the classroom, in training lanes and ultimately, during a field training exercise.

The Malawians shared with their American counterparts insights into how they identify and treat tropical diseases and HIV, and were anxious to hear about a variety of U.S. treatment techniques. But what they most wanted to tap into was the wealth of experience the U.S. military has developed over the past decade in providing combat medicine and trauma care. It’s of particular interest now that Malawi has deployed a battalion of about 850 soldiers to support a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Ivory Coast.

The U.S. military has learned many lessons about field medicine during the past 10 years of war, particularly the importance of combat lifesavers who provide that first critical “golden hour” care to wounded troops, Col. Marcus De Oliveira, U.S. Army Africa chief of staff, said.

In addition to incorporating these lessons into its own operations, the U.S. military shares them with partners, such as Malawi, that may need to draw on them during peacekeeping or other operations.

     

Malawi Defense Force medics apply combat lifesaving skills to a mock casualty based on training provided by the Army Reserve’s 399th Combat Support Hospital during a field training exercise at MEDREACH 11 in Lilongwe, Malawi, May 12, 2011.