Soldiers on Fort Hood are constantly training for battle, but Thursday the simulation made it feel a lot more real.
"We went through a simulated trauma lane with a lot of extra fixings," PFC Kellen Burke said.
Those fixings included finding out what it's really like to help someone in a war zone, something the instructor of the course Sgt. Christopher Waiters said is one of the most important things they do.
"We do that because of combat, nothing is quiet in combat. When there is a combat casualty there is still an active firefight going on. We try to simulate that here as best we can," Staff Sgt. Waiters said.
"It just made you really have to focus on what you were doing," PFC Burke added.
Which was caring for casualties with double amputees, blocked airways and burn wounds.
Something staff Sgt. Waiters had to handle himself while under fire.
"I pulled two service members out of a tank and a deceased member as well under enemy ambush," Staff Sgt. Waiters said.
Which is when he was shot in the shoulder and had to treat himself.
"I didn't realize anything was wrong until about an hour later when he was actively bleeding from it and it started burning when the adrenaline wears off," Staff Sgt. Waiters added.
A moment he says he will never forget and one that he keeps in mind as he trains his current medics.
"To get ready for combat we have to train here. So we do train hard on a daily basis to get ready for combat so we can bring as many home as we can," Staff Sgt. Waiters said.
Staff Sgt. Waiters received the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart for his actions on the battlefield.
He also added that his favorite part of the job is seeing the beginning of a soldier's journey to the end when he or she becomes a fully trained Army Medic.
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