HM1 Austin Peevey Reflects on His Use of TCCC During Operation Enduring Freedom
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Austin Peevey, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) instructor, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Pensacola, credits his medical training for his ability to provide critical care in combat emergencies. Those hard-earned experiences shaped him as the Corpsman he is today and how it inspired him to train future generations of military medical professionals.
In 2011, Peevey deployed to Afghanistan with 81mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
During the deployment, an improvised explosive device (IED) intended for U.S. forces was detonated when children from a local village began playing with it. The blast resulted in a mass-casualty incident involving eight civilians, most of whom were children, along with several adult women.
“No one died, everyone got injured, they suffered blast injuries and penetrating shrapnel” said Peevey.
The casualties were medically evacuated to a main outpost where Peevey and a few other Corpsmen remained ready to provide care. The medical team utilized TCCC protocols to triage the casualties and determine who required critical attention.
“My adrenaline was pumping and I wasn’t thinking but just moving off muscle memory and addressing the wounds one by one” said Peevey as he reflected.
Peevey credits his readiness during the chaotic incident to the repetition of life-saving exercises during his prior training. These exercises include critical, high-stress medical interventions.
“An example of interventions would be the medical procedures of needle decompression and cricothyrotomy,” said Peevey. “Needle decompression helps release trapped air from the chest, while cricothyrotomy creates an emergency airway through the neck when a person cannot breathe through their normal airway. The practice of performing the exercises over and over prepares you to be able to perform under pressure".
“We started off by applying tourniquets, gauze, and pressure dressing to ensure control of bleeding while assessing and treating further injuries,” said Peevey. “A lot of tourniquets were applied, the tourniquets worked on pediatric patients and held out good”.
The team used pressure dressings and combat gauze to stop arterial bleeding in deeper wounds where the tourniquets could not be applied while additional bandages and ointment were applied to small bruises and cuts.
During TCCC training instructors frequently use loud speakers to blast noise, creating a distracting and chaotic environment.
“The simulation of overwhelming noises is used to help you work through stressful conditions,” said Peevey. “If you can work through it in training then you’ll be able to work through real scenarios”.
“It was chaotic with all the screaming and kids crying,” said Peevey. “It was like I had to block out all of the distractions and focus on treating the injuries”.
Despite the distractions, Peevey remained focused on his training.
“The thoughts running through my mind were ‘Is the kid breathing? Let me check. He has a patent airway and he is making noise which should mean his airway is good for now. Where is the kid bleeding? Did I check his arm or leg and where do I need to wrap a bandage?’” he explained.
All of the injured survived after being treated and they were then medically evacuated from the outpost to a U.S. base for further advanced care.
Peevey says going through the experience strengthened his clinical skills and solidified his capabilities as a Corpsman. Reflecting on the incident and the sheer volume of casualties, he noted, “It’s like drinking from the fire hose and getting blasted by it”, he said.
Providing life-saving care in a combat environment ultimately inspired Peevey to become a TCCC instructor. “I became a TCCC instructor to be able to ensure readiness in Corpsmen,” Peevey said. “It’s good to know that I can instill confidence in a student to hopefully go out there and save lives whether it is in battle or anywhere”.
His advice to his students is simple, but vital.
“Pay attention as much as possible to what is being taught in training, don’t take anything as a joke,” said Peevey. “Do the best you can when performing on dummies and learn the material. The muscle memory from training translates to the real practices used on an actual person, the confidence developed from training is what instills us to provide quality care”.
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