More politicians making much ado over nothing. Oh look, they’re both democrats.
I clearly remember a few things about the first-aid instruction I was given in 1984 during basic training, the same instruction that was revised and refreshed every year since then as part of normal training. One of those things is that tourniquets are NOT generally used, as they tend to do more harm than good.
But hey, don’t take my word for it, allow me to quote from the Army’s http://smct.armystudyguide.com/Skill_Level_1/081-831-1032.htm “Soldiers Manual Of Common Tasks”:
WARNING: THE ONLY TIME THAT A TOURNIQUET SHOULD BE APPLIED IS WHEN AN ARM OR LEG HAS BEEN CUT OFF OR WHEN HEAVY BLEEDING CANNOT BE STOPPED BY A PRESSURE DRESSING. IF ONLY PART OF A HAND OR FOOT HAS BEEN CUT OFF, THE BLEEDING SHOULD BE STOPPED USING A PRESSURE DRESSING.
I didn’t put that in all caps, the Army did. Maybe they consider that to be important?
Ok, that doesn’t mean our boys shouldn’t have tourniquets available for use. Of course they should, for those occasions when their use is prescribed. So the question of “why don’t they have them” needs to be answered.
Let’s first determine what a tourniquet is. http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=tourniquet Merriam Webster says “a device (as a bandage twisted tight with a stick) to check bleeding or blood flow”. Seems pretty straightforward; certainly not some specialized piece of equipment.
So why is the bandage that is standard issue in the first-aid kit not sufficient? What about a belt? Or a rifle sling? The simple answer is: they are sufficient, and have been used for many years for just that purpose. http://www.mwarrior.com/TFAkit.htm This article supports my supposition that the standard bandage can do the job. http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2003/April/19.htm This article provides some pretty solid evidence that the first aid the Marine Corps teaches is effective, and I doubt that hero had any fancy equipment on hand.
Ok, sure – having an item in the first-aid kit clearly labeled “tourniquet” certainly does not hurt anything. (Unless you take into account the creative ‘not-recommended’ uses we often found for many of the items in the first-aid kit) But is this really an issue to bring up with the SecDef as if it were a criminal act? No, it’s simply a couple of bandwagoners eager to get their names added to the mob of liberals trying to get a piece out of Donald Rumsfeld.
In the online world, we call people like this trolls, and tell them to go away.
Senators: Why Do Troops Lack Tourniquets?
March 8, 2005 — Two senators have sent a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asking why U.S. troops in Iraq are operating without inexpensive tourniquets that can potentially save lives.
The letter from Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., obtained by ABC News, refers to a report in Sunday’s Baltimore Sun that there has been a delay in getting new first-aid kits containing tourniquets to the troops.
For anyone still ignorant of what a tourniquet is, when it should be used, or how to use it, http://basic.armystudyguide.com/first_aid/apply_Tourniquet.htm here’s another link from the Army that looks a lot like the same training manual we’ve been using for years.
Note: During my literally moments of research for this article, I came across the following. I hope you enjoy at least as good a chuckle as I did! 😀
“A group of U.S. marines arriving in Afganistan found themselves taking a surprise refresher course on first aid. Following an involved lesson on making splints, dressing wounds and applying tourniquets to stop bleeding, the instructor decided to determine how well the marine class had grasped the information given.
“Goldberg ,” he said, pointing to one of the marines, “say you captured Bin Laden and find he has sustained a minor head wound, what do you do about it?”
“That’s easy, Sir,” said Goldberg. “I wrap a tourniquet around his neck and tighten it until the bleeding stops.”