PETA Hits DoD Use of Pigs in Training
February 19, 2009
Northwest Florida Daily News
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The base is among several military installations that have been singled out by PETA for using live animals when training medics for traumatic combat injuries.
Through reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has confirmed that Hurlburt Field operated as a temporary site for training that simulated combat injuries on pigs.
"Typically, these exercises involve killing, stabbing and shooting these animals," said Shalin Gala, senior researcher at PETA.
The training has its defenders.
"I would much rather that an animal be used to do this than an animal end up as a pork chop in a supermarket," said John Hagmann, medical director and owner of Operational and Emergency Medical Support Group, a civilian organization that trains medics at Hurlburt and provides the pigs.
"For the first time in the history of U.S. military, we're actually saving lives long before they get to the surgeons because our people are actually experienced and trained in doing that," Hagmann added.
Former Navy medic Victor Everett of Crestview received his live-tissue training from the FBI at Camp Lejeune.
"It was the best training anybody could ever receive," he said. "It definitely saved lives. If you've seen something similar, it gives you the ability to react quick instead of stopping and being in shock." Read More
We shouldn’t have to even ask this question, but wouldn’t you rather have a pig make this sacrifice than a US Soldier die in the field. PETA can be radical all they want and we can take it with a grain of sand, but when their actions are endangering the lives of the men and women that are protecting me, my family and my country, that’s where I draw the line. This story needs to be shared with everyone. If anything PETA has ever done should be considered offensive, this is it.
2 comments:
This one really got me, as a former USMC from Viet Nam Days and the father of a career Army soldier who has been to both Afghanistan and Iraq (he will probably re deploy to Middle East this spring... they call it "going down range"). I hope the medics in his unit are as highly trained as possible. I really like pigs, but I hope the expertise gained on working with them will save more of our young good people's lives.Can those Peta-heads be for real?
First off, thank you for your service and thank your son for me as well.
This to me crosses the line and really upset me as well. It just shows how out of touch they are with reality when they would trade the life of a pig for that of an American Soldier.
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