PALAWAN, Philippines -- U.S. Navy corpsmen attached to 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade conducted combat lifesaver training alongside their Filipino counterparts here, Oct. 17-18.
The training was part of Amphibious Landing Exercise 2012, a bilateral training exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military.
The exercise is designed to increase interoperability, operational readiness and enhance security cooperation throughout the region.
During this year's exercise, more than 2,000 members of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and their Filipino counterparts will participate in a variety of other training evolutions including live-fire maneuvers and amphibious operations.
U.S. Navy Medical personnel from the III Marine Expeditionary Force's Tactical Medical Simulation Center in Okinawa, Japan used a simulated casualty, known as 'sim man' to teach the participants muscle memory when performing life-saving measures when in a combat zone, said Lt. Cmdr. Trey Hollis, a chief medical officer for PHIBLEX.
“We are trying to enhance the training our personnel receive,” said Maj. Jeffrey G. Pizarro, command surgeon for the Philippine Marine Corps. “The sim man supports the training because it gives us the capability to perform various medical procedures. It also allows the surgeon to see if what they are doing is correct, because the sim man reacts to the procedure being done.”
Pizarro added that training alongside visiting U.S. Marines provides an opportunity for the AFP to improve their own training in lifesaving techniques.
“We are upgrading our training an using this as a template for further medical training,” said Pizzaro.
The ability to employ such a unique asset during a field training exercise to train multinational forces in lifesaving techniques shows III MEF’s commitment to support U.S. Pacific Command’s mission of enhancing partner nations’ capabilities, said Hollis.
“I am very happy with the outcome of our planning and the cooperation I have received from our counterparts,” said Pizarro. “Our planning and implementation of this training was very successful and it has been a great experience.”
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