MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- When rounds start going down range, the worst thing to hear is, “Corpsman up!”
What if the corpsman is already taking care of another Marine? What if the corpsman is the one who got hurt? Is there another way to get Marines out of a hostile zone?
Marines from 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, learned how to use the combat rescue sling here Jan. 29, in preparation for an upcoming deployment, which answers these questions.
“The sling is made to help save lives,” said William C. Wennberg, the chief executive officer for the company which designed the sling. “It is designed to give the Marines a way to quickly grab a fallen brother and get them out of the line of fire.”
The Marines went through eight different stations, including pulling a man from under a debris pile and carrying a Marine up and down a flight of stairs to learn the different uses for the sling. Each station had a specific goal with many different ways it could be achieved with the CRS.
“I could see myself using this in tight situations where a person may need to be pulled out from under some debris,” said Lance Cpl. Peter Barnum, a fire direction controller with the battalion. “It is one of those things you give to a Marine and he will find 100 different uses for it.”
The stations also consisted of pulling a simulated wounded Marine from a tight spot under debris, climbing stairwells with a wounded person and rescuing a downed Marine without leaving cover.
“You can take the sling and connect it to as many other slings as you want,” Wennberg said. “You can use it as a rope that has steps in each loop, or you can strap it to a downed man and pick him up and carry him on your back.”
According to the manufacturer, the sling is made out of nylon, can support up to 4,500 pounds and can be connected to other slings. The five, 2-foot loops are color coordinated for easier use.
“It’s light weight, easy to use and has many uses,” said Lance Cpl. Brandon Mcguffin, a forward radio operator for the battalion. “Those are all the characteristics a Marine looks for in any piece of gear. It takes nothing to put one of these things in your pocket.”
The sling system has already been given out to 3rd Bn, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, I MEF (Forward), who are using it in the streets of Fallujah, Iraq.
“In urban terrain, like the one we are facing in the cities of Iraq, the sling will help get Marines out,” said Lance Cpl. Stephen Canty, a mortarman with the battalion. “It makes it a lot easier to carry a man down a flight of stairs quickly. The litters our corpsmen carry are hard to maneuver through the tight stairwells in Iraq. This moves however we want it to.”
Wennberg says he sees the sling being used more frequently by battalions, two battalions already have it and 1st Bn, 6th Marines will be the third.
“I want it to be a staple of the Marines,” Wennberg said. “If the sling can save lives then I want everyone in the Marine Corps, and every branch, to have it.”