Some people feel as though live animal training for battlefield injuries is unnecessary. Want to know why I disagree?
When my husband was hit by a grenade in Iraq, his life was saved by the quick reaction and response from his Ranger buddies. A fellow soldier rushed to Joe’s side and used his training as a “Ranger First Responder” to quickly and properly apply a pressure dressing to his arm to stop the bleeding from his severed brachial artery.
Battlefield injuries can happen in the blink of an eye, and these first responders need to be on their toes at all times in order to act immediately in the event of a casualty. There is no better way to practice and test these responses than on a live animal. I think the more realistic a scenario is, the better our service members are prepared to react.
I am thankful that our service members have the opportunity to practice their first responder skills on live animals. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals! I have a horse, a dog, chickens, a fish and a miniature pig. I also have my husband. If it weren’t for the training on live animals, I may not have my husband. I may have lost him on that unfortunate day that he was struck by an enemy grenade. Lucky for us, the men around Joe had live animal training and they were completely prepared to treat Joe on the battlefield.
Legislation to end live animal training would be a set-back for our service members. Even though Joe lost his right leg as a result of his injuries and sustained severe injuries to his right arm, he has continued to deploy in the war on terrorism. I stay strong throughout deployments because I am confident that these soldiers have the training and mental toughness to take care of one another in any situation that they may come across. I credit part of this confidence to live animal training.
Here is more information on HB 3172 which is being presented to put an end to the use of animals for medical and combat training in the military.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/3172
Thank you for writing about this! I agree, this type of training is so important for soldiers in the field. I am an animal lover as well, so I think it’s really important to make sure that animal use is necessary, and this is certainly one of those cases. A big thank you to your husband as well!
Thank you – to you and your husband – for your service and for your sacrifice! I am so thankful that animals were able to help your husband survive that attack. I agree – we love our animals!! and that’s why we do everything in our power to make sure that research is done appropriately. It’s interesting to note that this same type of traumatic injury research and training often saves animals, too…..
As in animal testing, the live animal training is not necesary. Soldiers can train with special equipment equal to the body of a human and be even more effective. Don’t tell me that it is not a real option (and cheaper, of course).
Aldo, you bring up a good point! In a perfect world, we could rely fully on computer modeling, mannequins, and other non-animal methods. But, it’s not a perfect world – and we don’t know everything about how a body reacts to trauma. So, there are still important things that can only be learned – and taught – through the use of animals.
This very topic was addressed in a recent blog post here on FBR – check it out!
http://blog.sciencekicksass.com/why-computer-models-cant-replace-animals-in-research/
And to say that non-animal methods are cheaper – well, that’s just not true! Computer simulation and modeling is incredibly expensive. The software and hardware involved cost millions of dollars – and the technical expertise to operate these systems is also very expensive! And then, there are the constant updates as new knowledge is gained – through animal research…..
I am grateful for all the soldiers who put themselves in harm’s way, and have the utmost respect for what they do. However, as an ICU nurse (as well as an EMT), I disagree that live animal training is the only way to get a “realistic” experience in training. As long as 25 years ago when I first took my EMT training and subsequent certification tests, creative simulation was used using human actors and attachable devices. As part of an airplane crash simulation, we had realistically performing arterial bleeds, large pieces of “glass” protruding from an eye, burns — and even an injured person hanging from a tree. Part of the challenge of dealing with a traumatic injury is learning how to properly immobilize and bandage the wound AND deal with the patient’s reaction to the injury …and you just can’t get the same experience with a pig, whose anatomy and body shape is vastly different from a human and who will never communicate with the caregiver as a human would. Live animal use is only one option for providing training …not the only option and not necessarily the best option.
I am so glad to hear that your husband survived. As a former EMT, I can tell you from experience that there is no substitute for training on a live animal. When you train on simulators you learn how to go through the motions of a procedure and that is valuable. When you train on an animal, you add in anatomical variations, the mess of having blood everywhere so that you can’t see, and, most importantly, the incredible stress of trying to save the life of a living creature. You don’t know how you will react to a person or animal in distress until you are there with one. The last thing we need is a medic freezing when they see their first wounded soldier. This training is so valuable.
There is no way to accurately train our soldiers without the use of live animals. You simply cannot mimic the compensatory measures our bodies and various sytems go through. I for one would like to thank all of our brave soldiers and the animals that help save them!