November16, 2006: To further reduce combat deaths, the United States has established a Combat Medic Training Center in Iraq. Each month, about 200 medics get special training on the most likely serious wounds they will encounter, and the procedures that will be most effective in keeping the victim alive until more medial aid (like a surgical team) is available. Most of the students are army, along with a few marine medics (who are naval personnel) and civilian contractors. The curriculum is constantly changing, as new casualty patterns develop, and new medical equipment and procedures are introduced. Combat casualty rates in Iraq are the lowest in history, as is the percentage of troops who die from their wounds. A soldier in Iraq is less than half as likely to become a casualty than those who fought in Vietnam during the 1960s, and nearly twice as likely to survive the injury.