The Havok Journal

The Voice of the Veteran Community

West and Dunn Law

Saving Countless Lives: The MARCH Algorithm in Tactical Combat Casualty Care

Saving Countless Lives: The MARCH Algorithm in Tactical Combat Casualty Care by Andrew Fisher The MARCH algorithm is synonymous with Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC). It is a simple acronym for remembering the necessary steps in priority for saving lives in combat. M-massive hemorrhage, A-airway, R-respiratory, C-circulation, and H-hypothermia. Recently EMS1.com … [Read more...]

The Invisible War in My Brain

The Invisible War in My Brain by Jesse Sage Looking at me, you would never know that I have an injury I will deal with for the rest of my life. You will not see a broken bone, a bullet hole, a missing limb, or a scar across my body. You cannot see the damage that I endured to my brain. It’s 2008 and I’m deployed in Iraq. I’ve been in country for 9 months. My … [Read more...]

5 Tips for Navigating a Medical Malpractice Case

5 Tips for Navigating a Medical Malpractice Case by Scott Faith Medical malpractice is something with which far too many veterans are familiar. Because of the Feres Doctrine it's sometimes hard to get justice inside the military medical system. If you believe you have been a victim of medical malpractice, it’s important that you understand how to make a claim to ensure you … [Read more...]

Why We Need To Stop Opioid Hysteria

Why We Need To Stop Opioid Hysteria by Jeffrey J. Bilyk, A-EMCA, ACP The Hype If you've spent any amount of time on Facebook or Twitter chances are there have been articles or photos shared on your newsfeed/timeline. Maybe you've noticed stories with fire departments and law enforcement agencies in full hazmat gear to remove a bit of "suspected drugs" in the car of a … [Read more...]

Tranexamic Acid (TXA): Does It Really Make a Difference?

Tranexamic Acid (TXA): Does It Really Make a Difference? by Andrew Fisher Bleeding continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in combat.  Even with all the medical advances and the ubiquitous use of extremity tourniquets has not been able to save everyone.  There are wounds, where a tourniquet cannot be applied and we cannot apply pressure against a bone to … [Read more...]

3 Must-Have Emergency Lifesavers for Your Car

3 Must-Have Emergency Lifesavers for Your Car by Andrew Fisher Trauma is the leading cause of death for ages 44 and younger. It is also the leading cause of productive life years lost for ages 75 and under. That is greater than heart disease and cancer combined. As a result of poor understanding of bystander trauma care, people die unnecessarily. You do not want to find … [Read more...]

SpecOps Doc: It’s Better To Get Shot With An AK-47 Than An M4/AR-15

SpecOps Doc Explains Why It's Better To Get Shot With An AK-47 Than An M4/AR-15 by Dan Pronk Editor's Note:  Dr. Dan Pronk is an Australian medical doctor who spent much of his time in the Australian Army assigned to Special Operations units.  This article first appeared in the TacMed blog, and later in several other blogs, and is re-posted here with the permission of the … [Read more...]

5 Ways to Heal PTSD and Save Money At The Same Time

I am not a doctor. I am a guy who is looking for an answer. Each of the following has worked for me greatly. Maybe they can work for you. I urge you to do more research, if you’re still skeptical. If you aren’t sure if we can learn how to hack PTSD and TBI, neither am I. For the last four years, I’ve kept alert for clues that could help. I strive to find things that are both … [Read more...]

Mandatory Tactical Combat Casualty Care: Now What?

Mandatory Tactical Combat Casualty Care: Now What? by Andrew Fisher This article was originally published in March of 2018. From the Next Generation Combat Medic Admins Recently, GEN Joseph Votel, commander of Central Command (CENTCOM) mandated that allilitary personnel deploying to the CENTCOM Area of Operations (AO) must have completed Tactical Combat Casualty Care … [Read more...]