When I started in EMS in the early 90s, artificial blood was a hot area of research. More than 30 years later, we're still working on it. The key trick is to get a fluid that can carry oxygen to supply the body's tissues. So far, only real blood does that. Artificial blood could save a lot of lives in civilian EMS and on the battlefield.
Although there were medics before the 1960s, my understanding of the history of the field is that current EMS is the product of the Vietnam War. Military doctors and medics got used to working together and, when they returned home, understood they could do something similar in a civilian setting. The GWOT has improved civilian EMS as well. Talking to young medics today, the advances made in the last 20 years are pretty cool (not to, uh, mention all the life saving).
That's a fascinating video. Am I wrong in thinking that the assumption you can't air evac means we are assuming that any enemy we face will not allow marked medical vehicles/aircraft unmolested travel through a combat zone? Does this mean we're assuming that none of our potential enemies are expected to actually abide by recognized rules of warfare, or am I off base in thinking that marked medical vehicles are supposed to be allowed to travel through combat zones unmolested?
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I think it's a correct assumption- I can't remember the last time we faced anyone that even tried to comply with the rules of warfare (maybe the Nazis).
In principle, clearly marked rescue vehicles (Red Cross or Red Crescent) should not be fired upon. In practice, they make excellent targets for snipers.
ReplyDeleteYeah, douglas, I was also thinking the Nazis were the last enemy we fought that actually followed the rules.
ReplyDeleteDiscrimination in war is a two-way street. It is not just that the attacker should not attack medical vehicles and hospitals, but that the defender should not put arms or fighters in them either. None of our enemies since WWII seem to have cared about either side of that rule.
Also, with all the long-range anti-air weapons out there now, I wonder if a soldier who would normally follow the rules just couldn't actually see the medical markings when the decision to fire had to be made.