CAMP LINCOLN, IL -- “It doesn't matter if you’re in a combat zone or you’re driving down the road and somebody’s in a car accident,” said Master Sgt. Zachary Pearce, a defender with the 183d Security Forces Squadron in Springfield, Illinois. “If you have the tools and the training, you can save someone’s life.”
Pearce and other members of the 183D SFS completed a combat lifesaver course as a part of annual security forces training with soldiers from Camp Lincoln on July 12 at Camp Lincoln.
The course, hosted by the National Guard, teaches defenders and soldiers the skills needed to stabilize a casualty on the battlefield and prolong their life, increasing their chances of survival.
Airmen and soldiers in the course learned how to apply tourniquets, Israeli and hemostatic bandages, nasopharyngeal airway devices, needle
decompression of the lungs and more lifesaving skills.
“Having this sort of training and having this sort of background gives people confidence to actually do something as opposed to being a bystander,” said Sgt. Tory Owens, a combat lifesaver course trainer.
The combat lifesaver course is available to service members who coordinate with their units and obtain approval to attend.