In this episode we talk with Travis and Blake, two 18D Special Forces Medics who conducted an emergency, double above-the-knee amputation on a surrendering ISIS-K fighter at an outpost in Afghanistan in 2020.
Col. Jamie Riesberg, the 1SFC(A) command surgeon, joins us for the episode's introduction to put this procedure in context.
Our 18D Special Forces Medics receive an extremely high level of training in both the classroom and in trauma centers to prepare them for the rigors of austere medicine.
*As a fact-check, the 18Ds consulted with the Director of Clinical Services at Criag Joint Theater Hospital rather than the CJSOTF surgeon. The CJSOTF surgeon was alerted to the surgery plans, but did not provide consultation on the surgery procedure itself.