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FoxtrotOscar
02-16-18, 10:10 AM
No guaranteed ‘golden hour’ for Marines headed into the next big fight.

A lifesaving Defense Department policy that whisks wounded troops off the battlefield to lifesaving care within the first hour of injury (https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/flashpoints/2017/11/19/us-troops-lack-support-despite-expanding-mission-in-africa/) is a luxury Marines may not have headed into the next big fight.

The policy is credited with a near 98 percent survival rate, Rear Adm. Colin G. Chinn, Joint Staff surgeon, told audience members at a Navy medical symposium held at Marine Corps Base Quantico (https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/02/09/marine-corps-fears-about-enemy-missiles-prompts-top-secret-meeting-at-quantico/), Virginia, on Wednesday.

But as the U.S. is facing more capable adversaries, it’s a promise the Defense Department no longer believes it can keep.

“The last 15 years of war we pretty much adapted to the operational environment and dominated it,” Chinn said. “We are not going to have all the advantages we have now.”

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Joseph Dunford, relayed his concerns about the ‘golden rule’ last week to Chinn, the admiral said.

The ‘golden hour (https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-army/2017/08/06/new-golden-hour-medical-treatment-system-is-designed-for-hot-climates/)’ policy was put in place by then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in 2009 in an effort to stem the tide of increasing battlefield casualties. It was a promise by the DoD to surge medical assets and rotary wing support to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan to save the lives of troops wounded in action.

For the past 15 years the U.S. military has dominated the battlefield, allowing U.S. forces to set the time and space for hostilities. U.S. forces controlled the terrain, and were afforded the ability to move medical assets when and where they wanted.

“But in a future fight that may not be the case,” Chinn said. “We need to be ready now. You fight tonight with what you have.”

Rising adversaries like Russia, China and North Korea are investing heavily in new missile technology and advanced weapon systems to contest the U.S. in hot spots and choke points around the globe.

In the next big war, the Corps is going to have to “fight to get to the fight,” Gen. Robert B. Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, has said.

Ensuring proper medical care for U.S. troops and Marines in this environment is an issue the Joint Chiefs are taking seriously: “We’ve been focusing on the Korea question the last several months,” Chinn said.

Senior U.S. military leaders are working to find and identify current gaps in medical planning and capabilities before the next big fight breaks out.

“Our potential problem is air lift capacity, in certain scenarios we are not going to have enough capacity and so as opposed to right now, we are going to have to hold onto those patients much longer,” Chinn said.

There are other problems too ― medical gear isn’t always uniform across the services.

A Marine wounded on the battlefield and patched up by a Navy doc on the ground may find his medical equipment isn’t interoperable with the Army or Air Force as he’s moved through different echelons of care.

“We need to solve that problem,” Chinn said.

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Mongoose
02-17-18, 07:37 AM
Some little know information about battle field casualties in the Corps. Viet Nam, was the bloodiest war fought by Marines, as far as Casualties. WW2 had 19,000 KIA and 40,000 WIA. Nam had 15,000 KIA and 65,000 WIA. With out the Helicopter, the causalities in Nam would have been over 100,000. In WW2 it took an average of 1 and a half hours to get wounded to a Aid center. In Nam it took an average of 20 min., thus saving many more lives. There were more Marines killed in 1968.......than all branches of the service combined in Iraq and Afgan in the last 15 years. Just saying.....Also in Nam 1 out of every 9 Marines was either KIA or WIA.........in the Army it was 1 out of every 45 soldiers.

advanced
02-17-18, 07:57 AM
Billy, you said that "Also in Nam 1 out of every 9 Marines was either KIA or WIA." My guess is that was all MOS's combined. Any info on how it reflected with our MOS's? Inquiring minds want to know.

Zulu 36
02-17-18, 02:25 PM
Billy, you said that "Also in Nam 1 out of every 9 Marines was either KIA or WIA." My guess is that was all MOS's combined. Any info on how it reflected with our MOS's? Inquiring minds want to know.

When I was in truck driver school, they told us that truck drivers were second place in the casualty count, behind only grunts. Seeing as most of the instructors had at least one Purple Heart, it was a possibility.

Mongoose
02-17-18, 04:36 PM
Russ, I will try to find out. One thing I know is that the majority of Marines killed were Lance Corporals.

advanced
02-18-18, 08:26 AM
Of course, that's because the majority of the Corps was made up of Lance Cpl's. Remember, the rank Terminal Lance?

Mongoose
02-18-18, 04:35 PM
32401 Here you go Russ....everything you want to know....just click on attach

Zulu 36
02-18-18, 04:51 PM
32401 Here you go Russ....everything you want to know....just click on attach

Well, I guess my MT instructors were a little off. But not by much. Motor vehicle operators were #9 on the list, but except for radiomen and combat engineers, everyone else was a grunt of one MOS or another. So motor vehicle operators were #4 when all the grunt MOSs were combined.

advanced
02-18-18, 09:42 PM
Looks like grunts were 71% of MC casualties. 0311's (me) were 53%. And I came through without a scratch and lived happily ever after. Just saying.

Mongoose
02-19-18, 07:20 AM
If you keep strolling down....you will see how many deaths in every pay grade along with how many from each state.....and so on.....interesting.

Zulu 36
02-19-18, 08:35 AM
Looks like grunts were 71% of MC casualties. 0311's (me) were 53%. And I came through without a scratch and lived happily ever after. Just saying.

Russ, you must be a real outlier to have been unwounded as a grunt in all you went through. My dad said he didn't know a Marine infantryman in WWII that hadn't been wounded at least once, officially or not. He got two Purple Hearts, but guessed he'd actually been wounded 12 or more different times. Not counting at least two friendly fire incidents that he knew of (Willy Pete grenade fragment and a concussion from naval 5" fire). The concussion was the only one that put him in the battalion aid station overnight.

advanced
02-19-18, 10:49 AM
Thanks, Zulu. If you look at the chart only 1 Marine Baptist was killed, I was a baptist back then. The guys in my squad would tell the new guys that I couldn't die. What they didn't tell the new guys was that everyone around me died.

Seriously, I don't know how I came out so well, I never even got the clap. I knew I had the charm and I realized early on that I was one of those that was hard to kill. Later as a cop, I always came through as well. 2 serious car accidents and each of my partners had to have neck surgery, not even a scratch for me. 4 partners killed over the years, always when I took off for the night. Something always told me to change position/location right before everything where I had been was KIA.

During my counseling at the VA, I was told that my biggest problem with "getting well" was that I believed that I was immortal. I'd tell them that if they had been where I had been they'd believe they were immortal as well. They didn't understand, just thought that I was being an asss.

A week ago today we went into Hue City, that's where I became a Marine. It's also where I started smoking, everyone was smoking there. I don't know if I was in shock or not, but I stopped feeling fear. Instead, I learned to attack anything that came at me. That was a hard one to put down. Every Marine friend I have today, except for a few, were wounded.

From my counseling, they did say that I had PTSD real bad, made me 100% P&T. If I had known what I know now I would rather not have all the memories, 2 many prices to pay over the years. Just saying.

Zulu 36
02-19-18, 11:49 AM
Russ, I know what you mean about the memories. Most of my ugly memories come from police and paramedic work, only some from Vietnam. As I wrote in the thread on non-deployable people, my #1 daughter has some really bad memories from Afghanistan and has nightmares from them. She's just too soft-hearted of a gal to be wrapped up in that kind of stuff.

I wouldn't call you immortal; hard to kill is a good descriptor though. Remember, life is a sexually transmitted disease that is 100% fatal.

advanced
02-19-18, 02:13 PM
I feel for your daughter Zulu, I don't think women should be put into those places. I hope she comes through OK. If what I have is PTSD I wouldn't wish it on anyone as it really gets in the way.

As you know the memories never go away, but we can learn to handle them, most of the time. If I'm not immortal I do know that I'm one hell of an adrenaline junkie as I always felt most alive with all my senses running at peak, both in the bush and in the projects. I liked being a cop a lot better though because I could get a drink and get laid every night. Lot to be said for that for relaxation and such.

One great benefit your daughter has is that you're her dad, hang in there for her. I know you will/do.

FistFu68
02-21-18, 07:07 AM
I’ve seen Blood come out of the hinges on a 46 I Thank the Lord for those Green Angels...Honor goes too the Man that Kills...Greater Honor goes too the Man that Saves :beer:

Mongoose
02-23-18, 07:34 AM
Saved me a couple of times.......Jack, a duster lifted you out of Meade River in a basket, all while being used as a moving target by the NVA.

FistFu68
02-23-18, 07:39 AM
Yes Billy and for Me it was all in Slow Mo probably never could put it2 Words for anybody too eVer understand Brother