Page 161 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2015

The SOF Truths have provided time-tested Historically, combat medical lessons learned
guidance to the Special Operations com- are often forgotten following the end of
munity for daily activities as well as long- wars, only to be relearned at great human
range planning. When they were originally costs at the outset of the next war. Only
penned, there was a fifth truth that was by collecting, synthesizing, disseminating,
never published—“Most Special Operations require and incorporating combat medical lessons on an ongo-
non-SOF assistance.” It’s being included now so that ing basis will we be able to prepare for and maximize
we all understand the importance of force enablers and combat casualty survival at the onset of future large-
the contributions they make to mission success. To think scale armed conflicts.
otherwise would levy unrealistic expectations as to the
capabilities SOF bring to the fight. SOMA is working with military medical leaders at Fort
Sam Houston, Texas, and Fort Hood, Texas, to estab-
The operational effectiveness of our deployed forces lish an low-cost forum for SOF and conventional forces’
cannot be, and never [has] been, achieved without be- medical providers to meet and exchange ideas, concepts,
ing enabled by our joint service partners. The support and medical lessons learned on an annual and recurring
Air Force, Army, Marine and Navy engineers, [explosive basis in order to improve the survival, minimize the suf-
ordnance disposal] technicians, intelligence analysts, fering, and maximize the functional recovery of Soldiers,
and the numerous other professions that contribute to Sailors, Airman, and Marines serving in harm’s way.
SOF have substantially increased our capabilities and
effectiveness throughout the world. SOF depends on and will continue to depend on medical
—ADM Eric Olson support of the all the respective military services in the
years to come.
n keeping with the “lost” fifth SOF Truth, “Most Spe-
Icial Operations require non-SOF assistance,” SOMA is The intended audience of this event consist of the med-
pleased to announce the first annual “Translating SOF ics, nurses, physician assistants, and physicians serving
Medical Lessons Learned to the Conventional Forces” in non-SOF units. The speakers will be medical leaders
symposium to be held at the Embassy Suites and Con- from the SOF community sharing key lessons learned
vention Center in San Marcos, Texas, on 15–16 Decem- from more than a decade of conflict. Seating will be lim-
ber 2015. ited to 500 participants, with the vast majority of those
dedicated to units at Fort Sam Houston and Fort Hood.
As combat operations wind down in Afghanistan for
conventional forces, SOF face sustained conflict in im- It is my hope that this first-of-its-kind symposium will
mature theaters for the foreseeable future. Many battle- become an annual event where SOF and general pur-
field medical advances currently used today had their pose forces and meet, improve interoperability, and ex-
origins in the Special Operations community. The ma- pand the SOF network.
jority of the concepts currently prescribed in current —LTC Bob Mabry, MD
Tactical Combat Casualty Care guidelines are salient SOMA President
examples of SOF medical techniques, tactics, and pro-
cedures adopted by conventional forces.

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