What do you do when placing the Mission first requires you to leave a fallen comrade?

2017-05-22T18:20:19-04:00

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made May 22 at 2017 10:05 PM

2017-05-22T22:05:14-04:00

Dear God PLEASE don't ever let me be put in such a position to have to choose!

Response by SGT James Frazier made May 22 at 2017 10:11 PM

2017-05-22T22:11:35-04:00

A fallen comrade IMHO is not someone that has been hit but KIA. At the point it is mission first. Much like on D Day the troops were told not to stop and help wounded on the beaches but let the follow up medics care for them as the mission was to secure the LZs. I read the ethos I will not leave a body without ever effort to recover the remains. But, that is my take.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2017 2:34 AM

2017-05-23T02:34:02-04:00

I am having a hard time connecting the dots on when a mission first requirement would put you in the position to leave your fallen comrades. I have never been put in or seen this type of situation. Please give an example.

Response by CPT Jim Schwebach made May 23 at 2017 8:28 AM

2017-05-23T08:28:15-04:00

If you are receiving hostile fire, whether in an offensive posture(moving to contact) or a defensive posture(NDP or firebase) stopping to care for a wounded Soldier takes you out of the fight and endangers other Soldiers in your unit. Mission first in this case means call for a medic and carry on. If you are disengaging or being extracted from a hot situation then bringing back your fallen comrades is part and parcel of your mission.

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made May 23 at 2017 9:36 AM

2017-05-23T09:36:13-04:00

Without proper context, you do both at the same time - PART of your mission is to care for the "fallen" - which means to protect them from further injury, do triage, etc - the situation will dictate which you do first and obviously, you can't help them if you're dead.

Response by SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM made May 23 at 2017 9:54 AM

2017-05-23T09:54:59-04:00

ASK yourself have you ever been put in this situation? Don't this really sound like another catch phase the ARMY is trying to use maybe it time to but the WARRIOR ETHOS to rest and come with something new. Every time we come up with something NEW, someone has something smart to say. Just try it for once, go in to a combat zone and try to remember all this crap they try to feed you because its a lot different when your facing the live situation. You really going to leave a FALLEN soldiers behind if he or she can go on? I can see if they are all blown apart and you can't recover the body, move on and accomplish the mission or stay to die. Please don't try to remember the WARRIOR ETHOS or the soldiers creed while on the Battle field, That's for SOM or a Promotion Board question.

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made May 23 at 2017 9:55 AM

2017-05-23T09:55:46-04:00

Chaplain. Take a read of FM 7-8 Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad. Troop Leading Procedures and a unit's SOP addresses CASEVAC. Not to be condescending, this is tactics 101 not ethos. Back in OIF/OEF (I was in OEF 7) there was an imperative to NOT let US/NATO KIA's fall into the hands of the enemy. That was drilled into our heads at CRC Ft Benning/Ft Bragg and something we trained to. If you deploy and get off the FOB you will need to have these drills down cold. Soldiers / Marines / Airmen / Sailors / Coast Guardsmen fall back on training.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 23 at 2017 10:30 AM

2017-05-23T10:30:59-04:00

Thankfully the decision to leave a fallen comrade is extremely rare. Proper accountability and fire teams generally ensure that anyone wounded can get evacuated to the nearest collection point. If there is a hasty retreat from an ambush site, and there is no tactical possibility to recover personnel, you tactical retreat then attack from a position of strength, aka call in fire support and QRF. If a wounded Soldier is captured no respite until they are rescued. All enemies of the US know that we will not stop and will bring the full devastation of the US military to get them back.
If your unit has been in that situation where they have left out of necessity a comrade the best thing to do is keep them occupied with recovery so there is hope rather than a defeated mentality. Tough situation to be in for sure. Thankfully this type of situation is extremely rare in today's environment.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2017 11:45 PM

2017-05-28T23:45:01-04:00

Sir, personally in that case I'd get a CLS and/or Medic to do what they can whilst the rest of the unit continues to engage the enemy and press on with the mission. Granted, I've been through both CLS and BCT3, that's what the instructors taught us at both: mission first, and gradually do what you can for the friendly casualty, otherwise other Soldiers in the unit and the mission itself can very well be endangered.

Response by PVT Raymond Lopez made Jun 1 at 2017 12:42 AM

2017-06-01T00:42:52-04:00

What do you do when placing the Mission first requires you to leave a fallen comrade? The name of the game is to close with the enemy by fire and maneuver and to destroy his forces by attack counterattack and close combat. I always preferred a .45 ACP pistol because I wanted to kill my opponents so they could not kill or wound my people. I want you to look at logic of this for seventy-five years American military forces used the Model 1911 pistol which was a real man stopper it replaced the .38 Long Colt or .38 Smith and Wesson Police Special in its smokeless powder loading because the Army in the Philippines were losing an inordinate number or second lieutenants to doped up Moro with bolo knives. The Europeans used 9mm Parabellum round or smaller in their pistols or revolvers because they wanted to wound people which instead of taking out one person out of action will take three. You cannot afford to let your people to get caught in a kill zone you have to get through it and destroy the enemy then you take care of your wounded. That is how you keep your people alive.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Apr 21 at 2021 9:07 PM

2021-04-21T21:07:29-04:00

The Vietnam Cong knew that two or three wounded soldiers would bring an American unit to a halt until the wounded were air evacuated. It was integrated into their withdrawals