Medical Bag No. 3 (Aid Bag) - "Unit One" Combat Medicine Bag





The Medical Instrument Supply Set, also known as a "Unit One" bag, was a 3 compartment bag made of heavy canvas, and after 1968 of rubberised cotton. Nylon bags appeared in the early 1970's

Typical contents would include different sizes of dressings and bandages, an emergency instrument set, blood volume expanders, aspirin and anti-malaria ts






(Bottom left - Korean War Era) (Top Left - Early Vietnam) 

(Right - Rubberized m3 dated 1968.)




The Combat Corpsman's Bag

We at Medical Corps are often asked about what would be a good medical bag to carry. If you can find an equivalent bag, we suggest the contents listed below.

For many years, Combat Corpsmen as well as medics have carried the "Unit One" combat medicine bag.

It's their primary source of medical supplies in field environments. For obvious reasons items like the morphine injectors will be hard to come by. It'srelatively lightweight (9 pounds fully loaded), and can be opened without removing it from the shoulder.

Although it comes equipped with standard supplies, these are often modified by individual Combat Corpsmen and medics to meet their tactical situation and personal preferences.



Specifications:
Weight 9 pounds
Volume: 236 cubic inches
Compartments: 4
Shoulder Strap: Adjustable 



Contents:



Below is a Exhaustive list of known

Item Stocked in a M-3 Kit Bag



Num 
Description
Year
NSN
1ea
Case Medical Instrument and Supply Set num 3 
-
-
2ea
Bandage Gauze 6 Ply 4.1x4.5” White Individual Wrapped Sterile (Kerlix) 
01 Jan 1961
6510-00-717-5095
2ea
Field Medical Card DD Form 1380 
01 Jan 1962
-
1ea
Pencil, black lead, mechanical 
-
-
1ea
Surgical Instrument Set Minor Surgery 
01 Jan 1962
6545-00-957-7650
1ea
Card of Safety Pins Medium 1 1/2" 12s
01 Jan 1962
8315-00-787-8000
1ea
Thermometer Oral 
20 Feb 1975
6515-00-149-1407 
1ea
Airway Pharyngeal Berman Child Size (80mm) 
1 Jan 1960
6515-00-958-2232
1ea
Airway Pharyngeal Berman Adult (100mm)
1 Jan 1963
6515-00-687-8052 
1ea
Tourniquet Nonpneumatic 1 1/2" x 42"
01 Jan 1963
6515-00-383-0565
 1ea
Scissors Bandage 7.25" Lg Ang To. Hdl 1.50" Cut Lg Blunt Pts Crs. 
23 Feb 1968
6510-00-935-7138
 6ea
Packages of Band-Aids, 6s 
-
1ea
Tape Adhesive Surgical Porous Woven Rayon 3" x 10Yrd (Durapore Tape Silk Woven)
15 Jun 1966
6510-00-926-8884 
2ea
Dressing First Aid Field Camouflaged 7.75-8.25"lg 7.25-7.75"w (Medium Battle Dressing)
01 Jan 1963
6510-00-201-7430
8ea
Dressing First Aid Field White 4"W X 6.250-7.250" (Small Battle Dressing)
09 Aug 1971
6510-00-201-4883
1ea
Dressing First Aid Field Brown Camouflaged 11.5-12" Square (Large Battle Dressing)
-
6510-00-201-7425
2ea
Bandage Muslin Compress Camouflage 37”X37”X52” (Triangular Bandage)
01 Jan 1963
6510-00-201-1755
3ea
Povidone-Iodine Topical sol usp 10% 1/2 fl oz (14.8ML) 
01 Jan 1960
6505-00-914-3593
2ea
Aspirin Tablets 100s 324 mg  
01 Jan 1963
6505-00-100-9985
2ea
Packages atropine inj. 12s
-
-
1ro 
Roll wire fabric, 5" x 36"
-
-
3ea
Morphine Sulfate Injec. USP 1/4 g, 5s 22 Jun 19736505-00-149-0112
1ea
Bottle tetracaine hydrochloride ophthalmic sol. 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


XXX










Weight: 0.01 pounds

NSN: 6515-01-167-6637



1 comment:

  1. While the photo of the 3 M-3 bags are correctly associated with the Korean and Vietnam wars, the medical supplies in these photos, along with the list of items, are all post-Vietnam era. The items on the list were not part of the Korean and Vietnam era bags.

    ReplyDelete