Story by 1st Lt. Douglas Bengal, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C BAGHDAD—“Time is life.”Nowhere is that succinct quote more self-evident than in trauma treatment. In a race against time when the stakes are life and death, medics with the Company C, 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center will be prepared as a result of the unrelenting training on the skills needed to successfully treat a patient. Recently, the focus has been the development of a highly efficient trauma team on Joint Security Station Muthana, Iraq, where Co. C operates.“The training is designed for a trauma team of three medics to stabilize a casualty without the need of a provider, using only minimal equipment,” said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Coleman, senior medic with Co. C, and a Soddy Daisy, Tenn., native. “The team only has access to things available in their aid bag.” A well-trained trauma team brings a level of treatment capacity that exceeds that of a platoon medic. In contrast to a line medic responding to an injured Soldier in the field, the trauma team could be set in a secure area and afforded more time to treat a casualty without the risk of receiving enemy fire. Their skills are oriented towards stabilizing the most severe wounds.“Line medics do not get a lot of practice with stabilization, so focusing on this allows us to improve in another treatment area,” said Spc. Ryan Flores, a medic with Co. C. and a Waxahachie, Texas, native.The trio of medics undergoing the training that will make up the trauma team are Flores, Spc. Thomas Bundy of Albuquerque, N.M., and Spc. Eric Pasman of Okemos, Mich., all medics with Co. C.As with every team, each member has a specific role: the team leader is positioned in the center and referred to as the “headman.”  Flanking him on either side of the casualty is the “inside medic”—the closest to the diagnostic equipment—and the “outside medic” opposite him.  Each medic must know the others’ responsibilities and be proficient in every role. During the training and in actual application, the three medic’s roles are interchangeable.The trio worked together as a trauma team for the first time in a simple scenario consisting of a “casualty” with a simulated amputation below the left knee and shrapnel wounds to the right-inner thigh. At “Go!,” the medics instantly and simultaneously began executing what they were taught. The three worked furiously on their single patient, moving in a frenzy of motion that may seem chaotic to the uninitiated. Despite the appearance, there is a method to their madness. The headman determines the casualty’s level of consciousness, checks his or her airway, breathing and circulation. The inside medic checks the casualty’s blood pressure, pulse, and the oxygen level of the blood. The outside medic controls any visible life threatening bleeds, starts to expose the casualty for treatment and initiates any intravenous fluid access on his side. All of these steps are completed within the first minute of receiving a casualty. In a mere seven minutes, the casualty is stabilized and packaged for transport.  Historically, as scenarios become increasingly complex, proficient teams will still complete all tasks within 30 seconds of seven minutes.“The scenarios provide good practice—it keeps you on your toes,” Pasman said. “You get an idea on how important it is to be a medic.”