July 30, 2015, COMBINED ARMS TRAINING CENTER CAMP FUJI, SHIZUOKA, Japan — An unanticipated training event put Combat Logistics Company 36 corpsmen’s training to the test during Exercise Dragon Fire 2015 at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, Japan, July 20, 2015.
To begin training day 12, Staff Sgt. Anthony M. Phaire, operations chief for CLC-36, surprised CLC-36 corpsmen with an injury scenario to test their training and readiness capabilities.
During this unexpected training scenario, Marines were setting up for the live-fire event, when one of the Marines unloading the truck collapsed, and started kicking and screaming in pain. All three corpsmen were at the safety vehicle.
“The other two corpsmen and I had no clue the training was going to occur and were not told it was just training until after we treated and evacuated the patient,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Trevor A. Tisby, a hospital corpsman with CLC-36.
During training exercises, if the corpsmen are not at the firing line, they are usually standing by at the safety vehicle located near the exit.
Sgt. Kendrick Moore, a motor transport operator with CLC-36, acted as the injured Marine during this scenario.
“They got to me pretty quickly coming from about 100 yards away,” said Moore. “I was impressed by the way they handled it. They didn’t immediately throw me on the stretcher and carry me to the safety vehicle; they took the time to access the situation.”
Tisby said they first responded to the patient and ensured he was conscious before exposing the injured area for assessment and aid.
Tisbey cut open Moore’s trousers to locate the injury and although realizing nothing was wrong, the corpsmen still carried the Marine over to the safety vehicle for further evaluation.
“Everything went the way it should have gone if it was real,” said Tisby. “Both of the other corpsmen with me did their job on par. We acted accordingly and had good team cohesion. The only thing that could have made our response better was having our gear staged closer, so we could get to him quicker.”
Exercise Dragon Fire focuses on developing service member’s combat mindset, which is preparing for the mental and physical stresses of being in a combat zone. This surprise training forced participating corpsmen to act swiftly and diligently as if it was real.
“I’ve been doing this for about two and a half years, so it was natural instinct for me,” said Tisby. “I kept calm and did what I know I had to do.”
Tisby added that the unexpected scenario was great practice and would be extremely effective training for personnel who have little experience in similar situations.
The Marines and sailors have a couple more things to look forward to during this exercise including land navigation training and climbing Mount Fuji.