Page 155 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2015

While teammates move a casualty to a safer location, a Marine gives some cover fire.
power projection unit that comes ashore as a part of the Improved explosive devices, mines, and gunshot wounds
operational component of the Navy. The Marines can be can take a life in just a few minutes; but with the advance-
used as regular Infantry, but as an elite special unit, they are ments in body armor, such trauma typically affects the
responsible for specific missions. This requires permanent casualty’s extremities. Therefore, these Marines always
operational readiness, which is why the Fuzileiros have carry tourniquets; some of them carry more than one,
some of the most specialized and demanding missions in and some carry tourniquets even in their rifle buttstock or
the Portuguese Armed Forces. In this century, the Fuzileiros sling, where they are very accessible. It is very common to
participated in several international missions, including see exercises where the instructors will drop some tomato
missions in Afghanistan. ketchup on a soldier’s leg as an arterial wound simulation
starts. Soldiers are used to using the tourniquets by them-
selves, even one handed, if necessary. They know that the
Tactical Combat Casualty Care in the Fuzileiros faster they apply the tourniquet to control arterial bleed-
The Portuguese Marines take casualty care very seriously ing, the better chance they have of survival.
and train for the worst. In every combat training exercise,
the Marines try to rehearse life-saving techniques. They Of special relevance to the Fuzileiros are methods of
receive the principles of Tactical Combat Casualty Care extracting wounded soldiers. Portugal is a small nation
(TCCC) in training within a modern Navy facility. With
the aid of dummy simulators and medical personnel from
the Navy hospital, the level of knowledge is very current.

On the firing ranges, TCCC knowledge is put to the test.
The Marines execute complex firing drills in which casu-
alties must be taken care of effectively. A big emphasis is
on fire superiority. No one focuses on the casualty until
fire superiority is achieved. Soldiers have their own first aid
kits, so teammates will direct the wounded Soldier to try to
take cover and start his self-aid. The philosophy is that the
enemy needs to be put on the defensive first; otherwise, the
Marines will suffer more casualties.
With 60% of deaths caused by extremity hemorrhages,
the Unit considers this subject one of its biggest concerns. Improvised explosive device and countermine training.

Portuguese Marines 145