{"id":158357,"date":"2024-04-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=158357"},"modified":"2024-04-26T07:42:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T07:42:19","slug":"3rd-id-and-civil-affairs-team-up-to-teach-combat-lifesaver-course-to-polish-soldiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=158357","title":{"rendered":"3rd ID and Civil Affairs team up to teach combat lifesaver course to Polish soldiers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n U.S. Army Sgt. Alexander Shaltry, assigned to the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, wraps a tourniquet around the arm of a Polish soldier during a combat lifesaver course in Warsaw, Poland, April 16, 2024. Tourniquets are designed to block blood flow, keeping a casualty from bleeding out in the case of extreme open wounds. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jameson Harris)
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WARSAW, Poland – During times of war, most people think of infantry Soldiers marching through trenches, helicopters flying the air, and artillery crews firing onto the battlefield. Less often are there thoughts of Soldiers performing medical tasks to keep their fellow Soldiers alive and thriving. However, within the Army, every Soldier can become combat lifesaver certified through a course that teaches the basics of medical care in combat.<\/p>\n

Now, Soldiers in the U.S. Army are sharing their medical skills with their allies in Poland. From April 16-19, 2024, the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion teamed up with the 3rd Infantry Division medics to teach CLS training to the 18th Territorial Defense Force Brigade in Warsaw, Poland.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Army has already trained hundreds of Polish military service members through various rotations in the past decade to become CLS-qualified. Once the Polish are well-equipped for medical training, the next step is to create a joint learning environment where the U.S. Army medics observe the CLS-qualified Polish soldiers and teach new Polish trainees. The result is that Poland will become a well-oiled machine, producing combat lifesavers and medics for years to come, thanks to its NATO membership.<\/p>\n

U.S. Army Capt. Burton Boonma, a U.S. Army Reserve team chief assigned to Alpha Company, 415th CA Bn., worked with the key leaders in the 18th TDF to ensure successful training. As a civilian, Boonma serves as a firefighter\/EMT for the Melrose Park Fire Department in Melrose Park, Illinois.<\/p>\n

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\n U.S. Army Sgt. Samantha Coleman, assigned to the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, observes a Polish student placing a tourniquet during the combat lifesaving course in Warsaw, Poland, April 16, 2024. During the course, U.S. Army and Polish instructors worked together to teach and assess new Polish students on CLS training. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jameson Harris)
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Throughout the course, Boonma worked alongside Polish medic Konrad Lesczy\u0144ski. Lesczy\u0144ski currently serves in the 18th TDF Brigade and has over twenty years of experience as a paramedic. Not only did Lesczy\u0144ski work together with the U.S. Army in every area of instruction throughout the course, he also provided interpretation into Polish whenever a student needed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I\u2019ve been doing this for a long time, I was still able to learn something from the U.S. Army instructors here,\u201d said Lesczy\u0144ski. \u201cIt is awesome to still be able to get new knowledge from our NATO Allies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The training began on a Tuesday in the classroom, as the instructors provided in-depth details about every aspect of medical training. Afterward, trainees practiced different drag and carrying techniques. Drawing on his experience as a firefighter, Boonma demonstrated effective ways to move a casualty using a low silhouette. During a fire, firefighters must move low to the ground to avoid the smoke rising at the top of the ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing carries that keep you low has an incredible application in combat,\u201d Boonma said. \u201cIt felt good to bring some of my firefighting experience into the classroom.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The next day, students took a full dive into the contents of the Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK). They also received detailed instructions on every bandage, gauze, wrap, and pen in the pack. The students got to practice the proper way to wrap amputations, open wounds, and broken bones. They ended that day with a walkthrough of the nine-line medevac request and the tactical combat casualty card (TC3). Nine-line medevacs are used to secure military transportation for casualties, specifying the number of Soldiers, type of injuries, and the tactical environment. TC3 cards are used to tell the incoming Army medics what medical issues were noted and what care was provided by the CLS.<\/p>\n

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\n Polish Territorial Defence Forces Private Marianna Schreiber inserts a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) in the nose of U.S. Army Sgt. Alexander Shalty\u2019s during a combat lifesaver course in Warsaw, Poland, April 16, 2024. NPAs are used to ensure that unconscious casualties maintain a clear pathway for air so the Soldier can breathe effortlessly. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jameson Harris)
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Sgt. Alexander Shaltry, a civil affairs specialist assigned to the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, trained alongside the Polish students during the course to earn his CLS qualification. Alongside the Polish students, he practiced carrying technique, practiced bandage wrapping, and worked on other key areas to hone his ability to take care of fellow Soldiers on the battlefield.<\/p>\n

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\n Polish Territorial Defence Force soldiers carry U.S. Army Sgt. Alexander Shaltry, assigned to the 415th Civil Affairs, climbs up the stairs during a combat lifesaver course in Warsaw, Poland, April 16, 2024. Students were required to work as a team to practice and demonstrate safe techniques for properly carrying casualties in a battlefield. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jameson Harris)
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\u201cGetting to work with the Polish soldiers in this class has greatly grown my appreciation for our Polish allies,\u201d said Shaltry. \u201cWe faced challenges and had to come together to overcome those, and it made me thankful for our partnership.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the third day of training, each student took a written test to assess their knowledge of everything they had learned. After the test, students spent the rest of the day in a practice scenario that involved carrying a casualty to safety and delivering a nine-line medevac.<\/p>\n

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\n U.S. Army Sgt. Alexander Shaltry, assigned to 415th Civil Affairs, learns how to properly place a casualty onto a stretcher during the combat lifesaver course in Warsaw, Poland, on April 16, 2024. Shaltry worked hand-in-hand with his Polish classmates to perform all CLS techniques safely and effectively. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jameson Harris)
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\u201cThere\u2019s something incredibly empowering about putting your knowledge into action and honing skills that can save lives on the battlefield,\u201d said Polish Territorial Defence Forces Corporal Katarzyna Kurkiewicz. \u201cEach day brings new challenges, but also the rewarding feeling of becoming more proficient at what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the training came together on Friday for the culminating exercise, where students were assessed and graded to standard for every medical task. In full combat gear, students were divided into teams of four to six to recover a casualty, provide security, perform immediate action, and then escort the casualty to safety. To make the training as realistic as possible, Lesczy\u0144ski combined beet juice and pork to simulate exposed muscle tissue. The casualties themselves were even outfitted with fake wounds and blood to create a realistic environment and setting.<\/p>\n

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\n U.S. Army Sgt. Alexander Shaltry, assigned to 415th Civil Affairs, works through simulated first aid with another Polish student during the Combat Lifesaving Course (CLS) in Warsaw, Poland, on April 16, 2024. This iteration of CLS involved U.S. Army and Polish Soldiers learning combat lifesaving techniques and combat medical training together. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jameson Harris)
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\u201cIt\u2019s important to me that students go through scenarios that match as close with real-world experience as possible,\u201d said Lesczy\u0144ski. \u201cThis meat will allow them to feel what it\u2019s like to properly wrap a wound and stuff gauze beneath the surface of skin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so appreciative of Lesczynski\u2019s efforts to take this training to the next level,\u201d said Boonma. \u201cThe meat worked out super well and added so much to this experience that most CLS classes don\u2019t get to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the sun set that Friday evening, the Polish TDF gained 17 new combat lifesavers. Potential battlefields across Poland are now in better hands with equipped medics capable of caring for their own in times of need. This achievement underscores their commitment to saving lives and strengthens the solidarity with NATO Allies in the global defense community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Army Sgt. Alexander Shaltry, assigned to the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, wraps a tourniquet around the arm of a Polish soldier during a combat lifesaver course in Warsaw, Poland, April 16, 2024. Tourniquets are designed to block blood flow, keeping a casualty from bleeding out in the case of extreme open wounds. (U.S. Army […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158359,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=158357"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158366,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158357\/revisions\/158366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/158359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=158357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=158357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=158357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}