The First Aid Merit Badge.....Not

So when I was a Boy Scout, one of our main requirements was the First Aid Merit Badge. Closely joined to that, and also required was the Emergency Preparedness Merit Badge. Today - in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan (similar to when I deployed to Iraq) we had to complete basic "First Aid" which is not like any first aid class you'll find anywhere else.



Part of the training was the usage of several life like "dummies" with various "battlefield" injuries which we had to learn to provide 'basic' first aid to in order to sustain life until help can arrive.



Reality begins to sink in.



I guess the most important thing we learned in addition to the actual first aid, was to gain control of yourself, in order to help others.

Let's look at the run down...we worked on major arterial bleeds, severed limbs, open and sucking chest wounds, abdominal wounds, head wounds, shock, psychological injuries, CPR, etc....

Its hard to be cute or joke about these types of subjects, but I think most of us in the class had to use some gallows humor to not think too hard about subject.

Here's to hoping I never have to use anything I learned today.