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Corregidor Continued from page 16
prognosis on the Casualty Card as “death.” His courage undoubtedly saved countless lives at the expense of his own.
Because the unit was encircled by restrictive terrain and enemy troops, medevac to higher echelons of care was out of the question until a proper foothold could be established. Therefore, Capt. Spicer and his medics had to render lifesaving aid using techniques
that would be defined today as prolonged field care, or “PFC,” in order to maximize the survival of their patients. PFC differs from conventional Army medicine in that it is reserved for situations “applied beyond ‘doctrinal time- lines,’” and “utilizes limited re- sources, and is sustained until the patient arrives at an appropriate level of care.” Critical evacuation routes would usually be conducted by medevac ambulances or jeeps, but critical evacuation was out of the question.
In both Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has relied heavily on air medevac assets that are expedient and readily available. As the mil- itary moves to large scale combat operations with peer or near-peer adversaries with robust air defense capabilities, the evacuation system will likely be reduced to ground based platforms. Additionally, vital
medical supply (Class VIII) could not be guaranteed to the 503rd until the 34th Infantry Regiment could capture and secure the beachhead to enable amphibious transport of casualties and supplies. Although the term PFC is used to define contemporary military med- icine, the 503rd surely implement- ed this unique style of medicine for extended periods based off of their distinctive mission-set.
In addition to implementing prolonged field care, Capt. Spicer moved himself closer to the front- lines in order to increase survivable patient outcomes, and this is an important planning consideration that medical and maneuver mission planners grapple with when con- ducting operations today. General- ly, the sooner a surgeon or physi- cian’s assistant, or “provider,” can assess a wounded Soldier, the more likely they are to survive. Howev- er, as seen in CPT Spicer’s heroic instance, this inherently places an increased risk on one of the battal- ion’s medical assets. Regardless of battle plans or the risks associated with combat operations, medics will always have an innate sense
of duty to regard the wellbeing of their patients above their own.
As the Army moves back to large scale combat operations, the nation will look to the 1-503 to conduct
its most intrepid missions behind enemy lines and far from supply lines. Learning from the tactics
of its predecessors, the medical platoon must be trained and pre- pared to support missions using the principles of prolonged field care. Today, the platoon trains on non-standard medevac platforms, conducts training on the funda- mentals of PFC, and hones-in on collective warrior tasks. Proficiency in these areas enable the platoon to push the Battalion Aid Station and Forward Treatment Teams closer
to the front line. The best practic- es employed by Capt. Spicer and the 503rd medical platoon in the Battle for Corregidor are just as rel- evant today as they were in 1945.
About the Author
1LT Erik Rajunas is the 1-503rd
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Infantry Battalion Medical Offi- cer. As a Medical Services Officer, he is charged with conducting
the battalion’s medical planning, managing readiness, and acts as the Platoon Leader for the Battalion’s medics.
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