CAMP LEJEUNE, NC. -- U.S. Navy corpsmen from 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group participated in a certification exercise in preparation for an upcoming deployment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 28, 2017.
The certification exercise tested and trained the corpsmen’s proficiency and improves their confidence and teamwork by putting them into an uncontrolled environment with simulated casualties with varying injuries-.
“We’re a medical asset and we have to be prepared to support Combat Logistics Battalion 6 or any unit we’re attached to medically,” said Hospital Corpsman 2 Tarson Powers, a surgical technician with 2nd Med. Bn., 2nd MLG.
The exercise began with the corpsmen familiarizing themselves with their equipment and with each other in an uncontrolled environment, followed by scenarios that included mass casualties where manikins and other sailors with simulated injuries were brought in for medical care before extracting them by air in a V-22 Osprey.
“This training is important because it gets us ready medically to support the Marines and all the warfighters out there, should something happen to them,” said Powers. “It’s going to refresh our skills as well.”
The corpsmen are evaluated by their instructors on their ability to conduct proper medical procedures and complete their mission within a certain amount of time.
“Before we send anybody out on deployment they need to meet the requirements,” said HM3 William Drumwright, an enroute care corpsman with 2nd Med. Bn.. “If you’re going to send a doctor who has been at the hospital for the past few years, then say they’re going somewhere like Syria or Korea, we need to make sure they’re good to go. If we just send them out they won’t know how to operate in a field environment.”
The units involved in the exercise were comprised of 2nd Med. Bn. along with personnel from other hospitals and units.
“It gives us that opportunity to work as a team because for most of us this is our first time seeing each other and working in this environment… we come from different backgrounds, some us have worked in the emergency room and others come from a clinic but we’ve never worked in this type of environment -so it really helps us come together,” said Drumwright.