MEDIC!!!
If you've watched war documentaries or listened to the stories of combat vets, you've most likely heard about the fearless Medic. The guy who will brave incoming fire to drag the squirming and screaming pile of meat that was a fellow soldier just a moment ago behind cover, in order to plug the leaks and stabilize the patient. Any unit that is even thinking about the slightest possibility of combat, MUST have someone at the very least Red Cross First Aid certified. But the average Red Cross class doesn't cover most of what you need even as a non-medical soldier, much less the actual medic.
In my experience, you can find plenty of guys eager to learn all of the fun stuff like ambushes and other offensive combat tactics. It is very difficult to find anyone who is willing to utilize available medical training or attempt to find medical training. If your unit has a good medic in your ranks, you have won the lotto! If you guys have any money to send someone for professional training of some kind, make field trauma and triage training the first priority! This individual or team can come back and train the rest of the troops as well as possible.
As everyone is collecting their gear, they need to be consistent with where their first aid gear is located on their "web gear" (combat load harness or vest). The entire unit needs to agree on generally where on their gear they will attach their "battle dressings" (emergency trauma bandages). When in a fire fight and a friendly gets hit, everyone else must know where on his unconscious body his battle dressing is located so he can be patched up immediately after being drug out of the line of fire.
Blackhawk makes many load bearing vests that have a handy carrying strap for your buddies or the medic to drag your bleeding ass out of the kill zone. It is firmly stitched on between the shoulder blades. Some newer military ruck sacks have these "buddy handles" also.
The combat medic should have advanced pistol training to use the handgun in his medic bag if needed. For a rifle, he should have something lightweight and easy to shoot and hump through the woods or streets. AR-15's, M-1 Carbines, or sub machine guns such as H&K MP-5's. A medic needs to carry a lot of extra medical gear that is more involved than the simple bandages that everyone else is carrying. Also, the medic needs less of his own battle gear to deal with when carrying the wounded soldier's out of the immediate area. The medic needs some firepower, but he's going to be busy watching for fallen buddies while they deliver most of the fire to the enemy. Often the medic can be the security element in an ambush position that prevents the enemy from flanking your ambush position. A light weapon should be good enough for this. If not, you picked too strong of a target to attempt to slaughter.
Nobody wants to be the medic. The medic is the hero. Get one, be one, or make one! Then make everyone else a back up medic. Guerrilla fighters will often make enemy medics a priority target. Depending on the situation and the conduct of the enemy, you may or may not want to look like a medic.
A nice toy to have, would be a fairly powerful all terrain vehicle with a med-evac trailer hitched up. If you're not hauling screaming meat, you can haul logistical supplies. Shhhhh.... get a good muffler on the pipe.
Protect your medic and avoid putting him in unnecessary danger.
"Watch your six, keep your powder dry and don't get the bandages dirty."
Badger
If you are interested in free information relating to combat medicine you should look up the on-line medical journals of our Nation's armed services. One source:
Military Medical Manuals Download Site
Many thanks to our associate "YIKES" for this information.
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