VAZIANI MILITARY BASE, Tbilisi, Georgia - In the world of the combat medic, the "golden hour" is the time that he has to triage, stabilize and get a wounded comrade off the battlefield and into the hands of medical staff that has the skills needed to save that casualty's life.
"When you're the only medic available to treat a large number of wounded, you find yourself praying that your evaluation is quick, your hands are steady and that the helicopter you called for isn't delayed," said Georgia Army National Guard Sgt. Gerry Pollock.
And that's where Soldiers trained as combat life savers come in, said the Savannah resident.
Pollock and other medics from Company C, 148th Brigade Support Battalion are here with the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry taking part in Exercise Immediate Response 2008 through Aug. 3.
Immediate Response is an annual Joint Chiefs of Staff directed bilateral security cooperation exercise conducted between U.S. and coalition partners. This year, it is being conducted in the country of Georgia. Other participants include Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The 121st and its commander, Maj. Matthew Smith, are using the time to hone their infantry skills for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan in 2009 with the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Smith and his Soldiers also are training the Georgian army's 4th Infantry Brigade for it's upcoming deployment to Iraq.
Soldiers trained as combat lifesavers get the basics, such as dressing wounds, stopping bleeding and stabilizing fractures, Pollock said, but they're also trained to evaluate a casualty's condition, establish an airway using the proper tools and to start IVs.
"With these skills, the combat lifesaver stabilizes those with less serious wounds, and allows me to spend more time with those who are more critical," he said. "It also gives me more information to feed the radio operator, who's sending us the MEDEVAC helicopter."
Working through an interpreter, Pollock and his fellow medics are teaching these same skills to the Georgian Soldiers. It's a challenge, he said, one that makes the class go slower than normal, but doesn't change the fact that each one must know and demonstrate each skill, just as their Georgia Army Guard counterparts must do if they want to become certified combat lifesavers.
Pvt. Daniel Williams, an infantryman with the 121st's Milledgeville-based Company D, agreed. "Working with the Georgians is a great experience, and it's given them a better understanding of what it means to survive on today's battlefield."
"Besides," he added, "the life they save one day may be mine."