Petty Officer 2nd Class Phillip Lopez (front) and Seaman Jordan Saco, U.S. Navy Corpsmen with Shock Trauma Platoon, Combat Logistics Battalion 13, the logistics combat element for the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, carry a simulated casualty on a stretcher to the rear of a medical aid vehicle at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, during training to familiarize medical personnel with attending to casualties arriving on the flight line at Realistic Urban Training (RUT) Exercise, Sept. 2, 2015. RUT is the final ground-based training requirement prior to deployment as the 13th MEU moves toward operating embarked at sea.

Photo by Sgt. Paris Capers

13th MEU Shock Trauma Platoon: From air to care

3 Sep 2015 | Sgt. Paris Capers The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. -- U.S. Navy corpsmen with the Shock Trauma Platoon assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 13, the logistics combat element of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, practiced handling injured personnel delivered to an airfield during Realistic Urban Training Exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett, California, Sept. 2, 2015, as part of pre-deployment training for their upcoming deployment to the Western Pacific and Central Command areas of operation.

“When there are injured Marines coming back on birds you’ve got to get them into care quick, and that’s where we come in,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Porzio, a corpsman with CLB-13 and leading petty officer for the STP.

“The [Shock Trauma Platoon] is an asset that can transport injured [personnel] to a nearby field facility and stabilize them, or get them to a higher level of care.”

During RUT, the platoon is serving as real-time medical support as well as the aid station for simulated casualties created by conflict within the exercise.

According to Porzio, if care is provided within an hour, survivability is significantly improved. This critical hour is referred to as the “golden hour.” With the “golden hour” in mind, he and his troops train with the aircraft they could encounter while on deployment. The corpsmen will continue to practice these techniques until the transitions from the air to medical care become seamless.

“Most of the platoon hasn’t had any experience with aircraft and this exercise is the first time they’ve worked together, too,” said Lt. Cmdr. Danielle Griffith, a medical officer with CLB-13 and the lead medical officer for the Shock Trauma Platoon. “But the Shock Trauma Platoon has a big job to do, so we train to come together and keep Marines in the fight.”

Navy corpsmen have been keeping Marines in the fight since the foundation of the Hospital Corps 1898, and the sailors slated to deploy with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit continue to train to keep the tradition alive even from the skies in any clime and place.