c. If a patient at an aid station or treatment station--or even at a more forward
location--requires emergency resuscitative medical or surgical care to save life or limb,
the evacuation system can be readily adjusted to respond to the situation. Instead of
being evacuated through the normal evacuation chain, a patient may be taken directly
to a MASH or CSH. Usually the air ambulances from corps that are operating in
the division area are used to transport this type of patients. The pilots know the
capabilities of the various hospitals and may over fly a hospital in the normal evacuation
chain to take a patient to a facility with more sophisticated capabilities. This is an
example of the alternatives noted at the bottom, of Figure 4-1. After receiving
emergency resuscitative care and having been prepared for further evacuation, the
patient is evacuated to an evacuation hospital, also in the corps area, or to a general
hospital in the COMMZ.
d. Patients leaving the evacuation hospital are evacuated to a numbered
general hospital in the COMMZ for further treatment or are moved to a convalescent
center in the corps area for physical reconditioning prior to return to duty. Primarily USA
aircraft accomplishes this evacuation. Other evacuation means can include field
ambulances or bus ambulances.
e. Patients originating in the COMMZ that require hospitalization and treatment
beyond that provided by field or station hospitals are also evacuated to numbered
general hospitals, usually by field ambulance.
f. If a patient in a COMMZ general hospital cannot be returned to duty within the
evacuation policy period prescribed for COMMZ hospitals, he is evacuated--this time to
the ZI, where he will be treated at an Army medical center, a US Army hospital, or some
other Federal hospital. Military Airlift Command (MAC) aircraft normally are used for the
evacuation of patients from the COMMZ to the ZI.
4-6.
IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH SERVICE SUPPORT
Health service support is of great importance to a commander in several ways.
For one thing, it affects the mental attitude of the soldier in the forward area. For
another, it conserves experienced manpower. The health service support mission is to
conserve military manpower through appropriate preventive medicine measures, prompt
and controlled evacuation, suitable hospitalization, and maintenance of the highest
possible standards of medical and surgical care and treatment.
a. If a soldier knows that he will be well cared for in the event of injury or illness,
he is better prepared mentally to perform his mission and thus becomes a better fighter.
The commander's "medics" operating alongside the riflemen provide the all-important
emergency medical treatment and evacuation that mean so much to a man undergoing
the stress and strain of battle.
b. From the standpoint of military operations, the conservation of experienced
manpower assumes major importance in battle areas. Every overseas commander has
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