Coping with the searing heat of the desert was just one of the skills being put to the test by Westcountry-based medics on exercises thousands of miles from home.
Members of 42 Commando Royal Marines have been training for future deployments in the Californian desert, an inhospitable environment designed to mimic conditions they might face in Afghanistan.
With temperatures soaring past the 30C mark, the teams faced dehydration and fatigue while carrying out their lifesaving mission.
Kilo company of the Bickleigh-based commandos have been based at the US Marine Corps' Air-Ground Combat Centre at Twentynine Palms using a mock-up Middle Eastern village in a vast training facility which comprises of 932 square miles of desert terrain.
For three days the medics took part in a bespoke version of the US Navy's Tactical Combat Casualty Care training package which covered how to deal with serious battlefield casualties.
As part of the training, the men were given a state-of-the-art dummy to practice on which is capable of bleeding and can shout out in pain, describing where he is hurting.
Petty Officer Ralph Crook said it was an ideal opportunity to train with American forces with whom they often work on the battlefield.
"We have got a really good working relationship with the American military medics and it is interesting to see their training techniques," he said.
Apart from the medical training, 42 Cdo have been working on the US military's live-firing ranges, including a specialist engagement exercise to take down the enemy.
Major Ben Halsted, Officer Commanding Kilo Company said he was impressed with the facility.
"It is such different terrain that it makes a lot of difference for the lads to come and operate here," he said.
"The guys are still working very hard and now we are starting to see it come together at troop level."
