Alaska Army National Guard deploys combat medics to Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Army Staff Sgt. Karima Turner
  • 134th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. --  Six Alaska Army National Guard combat medics are deploying with B Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment to provide care to Soldiers conducting security forces missions in Afghanistan.

With one combat medic for every 20 Soldiers, it's crucial the medics are safe while out on missions so if something happens, they can quickly render aid to the wounded. The medics are split between three platoons.

Each combat medic team, which is composed of a senior and junior medic, has been trained on all the tactics, techniques and procedures an infantryman is required to know.
"As an infantry combat medic, you're first and foremost an infantry guy," said Cpl. Jacob LaMonaco, B Company combat medic, of Anchorage. "You're a trigger puller, and when one of your guys goes down, that's when you become a medic. You generally hang out in the back behind security where you can be kept safe because you're a vital asset to the mission."

In preparation for this mission, the combat medics devised unique training methods to hone their medical skills.

"As medics we're always looking for ways to further our own training, to get better at what we do," LaMonaco said. "But you can only go so far. You can only do the same actions and the same assessments so many times and after a while, it helps to throw a curve ball into it."

The curveball LaMonaco is referring to is an innovative sensory deprivation training the medics have implemented in order to force themselves to focus on the task at hand, caring for a patient.

"We will blindfold ourselves, turn on an iPod, have someone lie down and conduct a patient assessment on them," said Spc. Kenneth Sparks, B Company combat medic, of Anchorage. "It forces us to strictly focus on what's at hand, whether it's a gunshot wound, the patient's respiration or even something as simple as a patient needing to communicate with us. Through this training we are able to learn to ignore distractions and only focus on the patient."

Another type of training the combat medics of B Company have initiated is what they call blind sticks - blindfolding themselves and using touch only to successfully place intravenous lines - to enable them to practice difficult situations that they may encounter.
"You have to do everything that you normally do, but now you can't see and you can't hear," LaMonaco said. "It makes the job of doing it in real life that much easier."
Sparks said all of the combat medics are enthusiastic about the mission and the opportunity to use their skills to help Soldiers if needed.

"We're all very excited about this deployment," he said. "We all know how each other works, and if something happens, we'll band together to accomplish the mission."