thedrifter
12-05-08, 07:17 AM
Battalion breaks new ground
State-of-the-art facility will improve ain corpsmen training
December 4, 2008 - 6:04 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
When corpsmen graduate from the Field Medical Training Battalion school, they could go straight into pre-deployment training and end up in Iraq or Afghanistan within months. So the training they receive in school is crucial.
Thursday, after decades of working in old buildings, the battalion broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art facility sailors say will improve their ability to train corpsmen to treat wounded Marines.
"Our job is to make sure the corpsmen are ready to take care of injured Marines" in Iraq or Afghanistan, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Avila, an instructor at the school.
The old, outdated facilities make it difficult to give the corpsmen the best training, Avila said.
New facilities and new equipment - some of which is already being used at the school - will allow the instructors to ensure students are as prepared as possible and "have the skills to save someone's life," Avila said.
The new building will be named Doc Bradley Hall, in honor of John "Jack" Bradley, a Navy pharmacist mate during World War II. Bradley was one of the six men in the well-known photograph of the flag raising on the summit of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He received the Navy Cross for his actions during the battle.
Marines and corpsmen have a "very, very strong" relationship, and Bradley's inclusion in the iconic photo illustrates that bond, said Navy Capt. Efren Saenz, commanding officer of Field Medical Training Battalion.
"The photographer may not have realized one of the members was in the Navy, but the Marines certainly did ... and the Marines never forgot," Saenz said. "We're a team ... we fight together, live together and sail together."
Corpsmen will train in the new facility using the most recent technology, including mannequins that can simulate vital signs, amputations, hemorrhages and more, Saenz said.
"It's as close to live tissue as possible," he said.
The mannequins are so realistic, "even the skin feels real," Avila said.
Bill Brown, a retired Navy captain who served as the commanding officer of the school from 1993 to 1996, said Thursday was a "very emotional time" for he and the other former commanders, faculty members and other alumni of the school.
The Doc Bradley facility "will better prepare (the students) to care for wounded Marines," Brown said. "The only thing that would be better would be to work on wounded Marines, and let's pray to the Lord that never happens."
The new facility will cost about $8 million and is slated to be complete in December 2009, Saenz said. The 28,000-square foot building will incorporate classroom and administrative space for a "state-of-the-art combat casualty training center," he said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.
Ellie
State-of-the-art facility will improve ain corpsmen training
December 4, 2008 - 6:04 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
When corpsmen graduate from the Field Medical Training Battalion school, they could go straight into pre-deployment training and end up in Iraq or Afghanistan within months. So the training they receive in school is crucial.
Thursday, after decades of working in old buildings, the battalion broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art facility sailors say will improve their ability to train corpsmen to treat wounded Marines.
"Our job is to make sure the corpsmen are ready to take care of injured Marines" in Iraq or Afghanistan, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Avila, an instructor at the school.
The old, outdated facilities make it difficult to give the corpsmen the best training, Avila said.
New facilities and new equipment - some of which is already being used at the school - will allow the instructors to ensure students are as prepared as possible and "have the skills to save someone's life," Avila said.
The new building will be named Doc Bradley Hall, in honor of John "Jack" Bradley, a Navy pharmacist mate during World War II. Bradley was one of the six men in the well-known photograph of the flag raising on the summit of Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He received the Navy Cross for his actions during the battle.
Marines and corpsmen have a "very, very strong" relationship, and Bradley's inclusion in the iconic photo illustrates that bond, said Navy Capt. Efren Saenz, commanding officer of Field Medical Training Battalion.
"The photographer may not have realized one of the members was in the Navy, but the Marines certainly did ... and the Marines never forgot," Saenz said. "We're a team ... we fight together, live together and sail together."
Corpsmen will train in the new facility using the most recent technology, including mannequins that can simulate vital signs, amputations, hemorrhages and more, Saenz said.
"It's as close to live tissue as possible," he said.
The mannequins are so realistic, "even the skin feels real," Avila said.
Bill Brown, a retired Navy captain who served as the commanding officer of the school from 1993 to 1996, said Thursday was a "very emotional time" for he and the other former commanders, faculty members and other alumni of the school.
The Doc Bradley facility "will better prepare (the students) to care for wounded Marines," Brown said. "The only thing that would be better would be to work on wounded Marines, and let's pray to the Lord that never happens."
The new facility will cost about $8 million and is slated to be complete in December 2009, Saenz said. The 28,000-square foot building will incorporate classroom and administrative space for a "state-of-the-art combat casualty training center," he said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.
Ellie