The Red Bulls

One doctor and two medics staff the aid station and can treat a wide range of injuries.

“A call came from the U.S. Embassy that an American citizen was in a hospital with serious injuries, so we rolled out quickly in a convoy to get the patient evacuated to a U.S. hospital,” said Sgt. Garrett E. Poole, aid station noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “We secured her and got her back here to meet the helicopter that was ready to take off.”

The medical staff also provides classes for the brigade Soldiers stationed here.

Training is important for Soldiers and the 172nd infantry brigade places emphasis on the Blackhawk First Responders certification, which trains Soldiers on more skills than a certified combat lifesaver class.

“My goal is to bring all of the Blackhawk first responders up to medic capability, which includes how to do trauma exams, fluids and vital signs,” said Poole, a Houston resident. “I want them to know what I know, so they can better take care of themselves while they are in the field.”

Some medical professionals are deployed to Iraq for the first time and it’s not quite what they were anticipating.

“I was expecting more trauma during this deployment, and it’s a very good thing it hasn’t met that expectation,” said Maj. Logan F. Kratt, Company C, 172nd Support Battalion, 172nd Infantry Brigade, medical provider officer-in-charge at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, of Spring Valley, Wis. “I think you are as trained as possible when you get here, but the hard part to train for is the emotion that is involved with dealing with a trauma.”

The training has been designed to simulate realism and repetition to help combat stress and emotions that can be overwhelming while treating patients.

“If you train often and as realistically as possible it will prepare you as much as possible, but you never really know until you have had that first trauma experience,” said Kratt. “Fortunately, in most traumatic situations the training takes over, and medics are trained to be confident as possible in any situation.”