published on: 25/03/2026
Author:
Patch
Medical Support Platoon Interview
For this week’s article, I interviewed 2nd Lt. Chewie, the head of the Medical Support Platoon. This article will contain general knowledge about what the platoon entails, what they do, what you can learn in their school, how to join that platoon, and other information you may find useful.
Pvt.Patch:
2nd Lt. Chewie, for how long have you been the head of the Medical Support Platoon?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
I've been Head of the Medical Support Platoon since March 2023. Which means, this month completes 3 years as the Head for this amazing Platoon.
Pvt. Patch:
What would you say are the main responsibilities of your platoon in the operations in BiA?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
I would say that the main responsibility from the Medical department is to keep every soldier alive and well. We try to keep our best men ready for battle and to support other Platoons. Medics need to be flexible and need to know how to behave in every situation, it is a tough job as things can suddenly change for the worse.
Pvt. Patch:
Regarding knowing how to behave in every situation, is that already expected of a new member that joined the Platoon or is it a skill that's developed over time?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
It is a skill developed over time. Even experienced ArmA players need to adapt to being a medic, as we have operations with more than 90 players, things can change quickly on the battlefield, you need to pay attention to a lot of things. But that does not mean a new member will not be able to join the department, he will be prepared to deal with most situations.
Pvt. Patch:
What can the average member of BiA expect to see and learn by attending medical school?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
The average member will learn from basics to advanced medical. Basic stuff being something like bandaging and giving blood, and advanced being dealing with Mass Casualty situations, where the medic will be under a lot of stress to quickly deal with a lot of wounded people.
Learning the medical system is very good, even if the member is not interested in the medical department. The experience acquired will be useful to be able to save himself in tough situations, or even to act as a medical assistant on the field. Having a rifleman helping a Medic on the field, greatly increases the chances of survival of the wounded people.
Pvt. Patch:
Would you say the teaching done in the medical school is mainly directed towards new members or even more experienced members of BiA can still learn something useful in that training?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
The teaching is directed towards new members, someone who never played ArmA 3 or done any medical in ArmA can join the Medical School to learn. The content is not hard, but getting the experience to quickly do the things learned is the key to becoming a good medic. We have some veterans of Arma and BiA community who will sometimes join the classes, they always learn something new or will be "corrected" on some mechanics that they thought worked differently. Even as the Head of the Medical department, I still sometimes learn some things with other members, be it a new, or faster, way to deal with something, or a recent update to the ACE mod we use in our modpacks.
Learning is a continuous process and it lasts for a lifetime.
Pvt. Patch:
What are the general requirements to join the platoon and what do you, as the head of the medical support platoon, specifically look for when considering a new member?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
The general requirements are very simple, the person has to like to help other people, always look to be useful, be on their best behavior and professional. When considering a new member, I always look for these traits. These match the duty of a medic. If the person is genuinely excited to be a medic, do their best, be respectful and professional, they are almost guaranteed to become a medic if the slot is open.
Pvt. Patch:
Once someone becomes a medic, will they be able to play as a medic in every operation?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
We have internal slots control of who plays and who doesn't. Unfortunately, it is not every mission that a member will be playing a Medic slot, we usually have 8-10 medical slots. Those who do not play a Medical Slot, will be on Hold, and next operation they have priority on Medical Slots.
But as said before, medical knowledge is very useful, even when you are a Rifleman. You can assist your acting Medic in the squad and be very useful in tough situations.
Pvt. Patch:
If a new member wanted to join your platoon today, what would be the necessary steps to achieve that?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
He would need to:
- Send a message to Head or the Deputy
- Express his desire to join the Platoon
- Get permission to attend the classes to learn the Medical procedures
- Attend the classes to receive the ribbon
- Wait for a free slot and be called
The Medical Support Platoon is highly sought after, we even have an internal queue of interested members to keep track of those who want to join us.
Pvt. Patch:
If you could choose one thing for all BiA members to know or to do during operations to help their medics, what would it be?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
- Bandage Yourself
- Usage of Tourniquets
- Check Pulse
- Do CPR
These are the most important for any role to know, you can save yourself and help save others.
Pvt. Patch:
Lastly, what message would you like to leave to the new members and all the readers of this article?
2nd Lt. Chewie:
Learn new things, do your best, make friends and enjoy the community.
Pvt. Patch:
Thank you for your time.
Patch