Below is my AAR for this past weekend’s TC3 (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) class.
What:This AAR (After Action Review) is to briefly outline my attendance of the TC3 two-day class facilitated by Mechmechanic with the assistance of NC Scout blog owner of
Brushbeater.com.
Who:Facilitator Mechmechanic an active member of the North Carolina National Guard and nine students. The student’s skill range from former military to novice. Mechmechanic had one assistant, NC Scout.
When:Saturday – Sunday, June 1 & 2, 2019. Classes started at 0900 hrs. both days. Day one, the class ended at 1730 hrs. Sunday start was 0900 hrs. and concluded at 1400 hrs. post an AAR discussion.
Where:North Central North Carolina
Comments:The class rallied at 0900 hrs. Saturday morning in the newly remodeled Brushbeater classroom. Once the usual niceties were completed (Welcome, introductions, rest room locations, etc) Mechmechanic took command of the class and he gave a brief history of battlefield casualty care up to the current TC3 standard within the United States military.
As many readers of this AAR know the acronym, M.A.R.C.H (
Massive Hemorrhage,
Airway,
Respiration,
Circulation,
Head/Hypothermic) is what guides medics of today. To care for an injured warrior in the field or on base. The skills learned over these two days can be used by the student out of a military setting like; visiting the shopping center, school, church, etc. till paramedics arrive.
Mechmechanic took the class through each part of M.A.R.C.H on day one with the students in the class practicing each step before we moved on to the next step of the acronym. The final segment of the day was students doing a complete M.A.R.C.H.
Day two of the class was made up of exercises/drills in the field. There were real world patrols conducted where injuries happened. Gun shot to extremities, dehydration, broken limbs, etc. Each student had to perform medical procedures on these folks and then call in a “Nine Line Medivac” to a TOC (Tactical Operations Center). After each exercise an AAR was held to help build on the success of the next exercise.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in no particular order: > The weather was fantastic. Mid 80’s during the day with no humidity. There was plenty of water and a concoction that Mechmechanic mixed up that included sports drinks, ice and water which was kept in a thermos and taken with us to the field for our exercises. He encouraged folks to hydrate all day long on both days
> Unlike past Brushbeater classes where Chef Dan took care of the home cook’en, the students were on their own for food this class. Chef Dan was attending a family wedding over the weekend. No worries to this as the class all jumped in to preparing meals for the two days. Other then a serious debate over what temperature a steak should be cooked too, all the grub was great.
> As is NC Scout’s MO (modus operandi), Mechmechanic’s class was built on blocks taught over the two days. His agenda was well thought out and progressively brought the student along the path to the end game – Saving men & women lives.
> Students stayed in a local motel, in the house at the Brushbeater redoubt, or in tents erected by students around the compound.
> All segments of the two-day agenda were done with the students encouraged to be ‘geared-up’, including primary and secondary weapons. I chose to only use my battle belt while other students were 100% geared up complete with chest rigs, body armor, primary & secondary firearms, etc.
> The class was not physically challenging other than carrying litters or dragging a skeg with an injured student on them down logging roads and through the bush to the medivac location; approximately 100 to 300-meters away depending on the exercise.
> The members of the class blended well by Saturday morning. The ‘after dinner discussions’ certainly cemented the group. As I have reported in past AAR’s, what I learned from my fellow classmates was just as valuable as what we learned during the day’s instruction.
> All the students but three, had been to many of NC Scout’s classes. The students who had attended his RTO and RTO Advanced classes, handled the comm’s on day two like experienced warriors.
> Mechmechanic, like NC Scout, is a soft-spoken facilitator who coached folks till steps were done correctly. If you like the DI (Drill Instructor) style of instruction, you will be sorely disappointed.
> This is the second TC3 class I have attended. The first one was several years ago at MVT’s facility in Romney, West Virginia. By far, this class was leaps and bounds better. The reason being, by the end of the class students were expected to be proficient in tasks such as; tourniquet application, stuffing wounds, wrapping wounds, getting people off the ‘X’ then getting them to a medivac location, et cetera. As stated above, this class was expertly taught. The only thing I would suggest Mechmechanic add to his class would be instruction on ‘how’ to move an injured person off the ‘X’ to a location to administer aide. Fireman carry, drag by chest rig, etc.
> As I have written at ad nauseam, the coming years will become tenuous in this country and around the world. If you have put away your family’s 3-B’s great! Now you need some training. Not just gun running training but medical too. To not do so means you and your family will not survive long enough to use those preps you have stockpiled in your cellar.
73 & God Bless,
JohnyMac
