Army set to injure goats for training (then kill them!)

[leftchick]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5942820/


<snip>

USA - A planned training exercise at Fort Carson has drawn fire from animal welfare groups because it involves soldiers injuring an undisclosed number of goats.

Later this month, medics from the 10th Special Forces Group will learn battlefield medical techniques at the post by treating the goats, which will be sedated and then injured to simulate combat wounds, the Army confirmed Tuesday.

The Army is unapologetic about the nature of the training, saying the goats will be sacrificed to save the lives of soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's very important training," said Ben Abel, a spokesman for Army Special Forces Command in Fort Bragg, N.C., which is responsible for the training exercise at Fort Carson.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. well, it used to be dogs

and, it is very good training, and done humanely. anesthesia is maintained and euthanasia is used liberally.
Does that make it right?
No, I guess many will say not.

Would you rather have medics feel their first beating heart in their hand while trying not to get shot themselves?

[UpInArms]

2. Gack!

from "My Pet Goat" to "My Dead Goat".

:eyes:

[WMliberal]

3. what's the reasoning for using doped up goats?

there could be the slightest, yet still sadistic and inadequate, excuse of needing live targets. seriously? why?
i don't feel like reading the article, sorry, I've had too much to drink. My attention span is very low.

[chrisesq]

4. They've been doing this for decades.

My old track commander was a Special Forces medic in Viet Nam. That was the same method of training back in the late 60's. Why all the ruckus now is beyond me.

Besides, It's better to have that training than to have nothing when the shit hits the fan in a battle.

I'd like to know what the activists think a better training exercise would be.

[prodigal_green]

5. Use the kids of the folks that still think Iraq and 9/11 are related

Thin out the idiot gene that way.

[Ohio rules]

6. GOAT MEAT...it's whats for dinner

Please pass the Pita

[shanti]

11. curry goat

thankyouverymuch:P:

[The Stranger]

18. What could you possibly learn from a dying goat that would help you in

battle? The fact that this has gone on for decades is what is beyond me. Are there going to be dying goats in battle that have to be saved?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. No dying goats, but plenty of scapegoats. (nt)

[benddem]

7. There isn't anything new about this

medics have to learn how to do life saving procedures on living animals.

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

8. They were still doing this at Ft. Bragg

In the early 80s. Special forces medic training. Best medics in the world. Sucks for the goats, nice for the injured.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. And the point here is?

This is a very usseful training technique for the medics that will face life and death decisions with human beings

As a medic I can attest that working with dummies to learn techniques IS NOT ENOUGH... the dummies (as in entubation and IV dummies) are just the begining of training.

Gack I used to train my medics to start IVs on EACH OTHER, and there was no anesthesia! They also practiced under the watchful eye of physicians on ER Patients... and of course cadavers... so what is new with this?

DEAR GAWD, two goats and a bunch of our kids COMMING HOME...

[roguevalley]

10. SICKENING! SICKENING! SICKENING! A POX ON ALL OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jack_DeLeon]

12. IMO...

the only thing wrong here is that they are going to cremate the dead goats.

They should atleast have goat for dinner that night or feed them to the homeless or something.

[burrowowl]

13. No the meds used

for euthanasia make them unfil for consumption.
Maybe the goats will come back as good people.

[Jack_DeLeon]

14. then...

they should just put a bullet into the head of those goats, it accomplishes the same thing and the goats are already asleep right?

[biftonnorton]

15. Was This Mentioned In "My Pet Goat"?!

Eek.

[THUNDER HANDS]

16. what's the difference

between a goat and a dummy simulated to look like an injured person?

I guess goats are cheaper. :shrug:

[Radius]

17. Saves Lives

This has been done for a long time. It is used to teach a medic how to treat a gunshot wound. Stopping arterial bleeds and using bandaging and packing material on a live wound is done to save soldiers lives in the field.

This has been going on for years. Politics should not interfere with this. It was done to train medics in Somalia as well.

[DulceDecorum]

20. In Somalia?

I thought they simply used the Somali children,
after they finished roasting them on the fire.

http://www.freedomdomain.com/un/disturbpeace.html

[Radius]

21. This is SOP training for medics.

You want to go OT on Somolia link to another thread.
I guess that was for somali oil too, right?