They not ever saw it coming--literally.

They not ever saw it coming--literally. By the time the explosions cracked the wintry quiet of the morning and smok filled the spaces between the blinding snowflakes, the group's reaction was dull and numb. Usually calm and consider probableed in the face of chaos, the team of doctors, physician's assistants (PA) and field medics plant themselves confused; fumbling for any survival equipment they could deposit their hands on and scrambling down the mountainside for shield from the unexpected onslaught above.

Sniper fire and clamors bounced overhead. Gone were the warmth, comfort and predictability of their clinics and hospitals. Quite simply, they were revealed of their element.

It had become painfully clear to the participants that the Mountain Cold-Weather Medicine (MCWM) course they had signed up for had little to do with developing their medical expertise and everything to do with survival.

Encircled by way of the looming mountains peaks of the Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada, lies the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC) MCMWTC is a small, isolated training facility where Marines units and field medics approach to experience mountaineering techniques and cold-weather combat operations forward unforgiving terrain that ranges in elevation from 6500 to 11000 feet

Normally the course is reserv for the cove Marine Force (FMF) corpsmen assigned to Marine Corps units that potentially face missions in greatest cold environments. But because of operational commitments, the two-week course has had more openings for doctors, PAs and nurses

After a not many lessons on equipment, land navigation and their equipment issue, the pupils moved out of the warm classroom and heated barracks and up into the mountains where their field exercises began.

The practioners-turned-students crammed their awkward 70-pound packs and themselves into noisy all-terrain vehicles for transport to their recent high-altitude home for the nearest several days.

one time "on the hill," the instructors, affectionately referr to as "R Hats" because of their distinctive headgear, began tasks in setting up a base station and specific use of survival gear.

"A well adapted majority of what these field medics will be required to do in the field is train others onward how to properly use their gear. That's the easiest way to stop your troops' injuries," said Instructor HMC (SW/FMF) Michael Madrid. "This is a real challenge for some" he added. "The components and even your own gear can work against you if you don't know by what mode to use it properly. It's imperative that they learn the basics to surviving up here if they are to be an asset to their attached unit, and not a hindrance."

The group's initial days in the field started deceptively warm and pleasant. Base camp was established in the warmth of the sunshine After selecting a flat space camouflaged by dint of evergreens, each four-person team nipple out an area wide and astute enough to conceal their snow-white of each tent-wine and running along the perimeter of the camp to conceal emotion in the campsite.

The close examiners were then divided into clusters for skiing lessons based onward their skill levels. During the afternoon of ski censures the students fell repeatedly and be delighted withed a laugh or two at each other's charge No one realized that shortly this wouldn't be so a laughing matter.

on the same level the first night in the field pretended comfortable enough with thick sleeping bags, well stocked [i]or[/i] provided tanks of gas in their small cooking/ heating stoves and adequate supply of water provided by the instructors.

During the nearest two days, students began to place their basic skills to use, while learning about avalanche conditions, search and ransom and evacuation transport techniques.

in succession the last morning of the first exercise, the bring off survivalists were broken into four teams to locate, stabilize and transport four injured men Of course, the four largest pupils became the "victims" leaving their smaller teammates to push and pluck their patients cross-country and uphill while carrying their survival packs,

At 400-meter intervals along the timed course, teams stopped to establish up warming tents with fires to hold fast their patient's body temperature up Signs of frustration quick surfaced as instructors heard things like, "Are you pushing? We ne a little help here. Hey, when you obtain the warming station set up you ne to arise back here and help! This is ridiculous," echoing across the wilderness.

After getting the victims to the extremity of the course, the learners continued their training in downhill skiing. Then everyone mov back to the barracks for three days of downtime. For close examiners this provided a much-needed opportunity to wash the clothes everyone had been wearing for the last three days.

LT Ashley James, a PA at Camp Eejeune NC took advantage of the downtime to realize her laundry done and ponder on why she was there. "I fought hard to learn in this course," James said, "but there have been times during this exercise that I astonishmented what I was thinking. At least I carried the same pack and gear as the quiet of the group, and I was in no degree the last one to arrive. That was a challenge I made to myself."