Honoring the Navy Corpsman
BY Herschel Smith
14 years, 10 months ago
Every Marine infantryman and parent or spouse of a Marine infantryman knows the value of a Navy Corpsman and the high esteem in which they are held by the Marines. They are technically in the Navy (while the Marines are only part of the Department of the Navy). They have had extensive medical training, and essentially serve as the doctors for the Marine infantry. But these doctors aren’t just there for medicine. They carry a rifle, they engage in combat, and they do all of the things that Marine infantrymen do. When the Marines go on twenty mile humps with full body armor, backpacks and weapons, the Corpsmen do all of that and more. The Corpsmen take all of their medical gear in addition to their other load. In many units they carry the nickname “doc.”
One such Corpsman I know returned from Iraq with my son’s unit, 2/6 Golf Company, in 2007. His last name was Prince, and he was a prince of a guy. He was very kind and friendly, well trained, in excellent physical condition, and had absolute commitment to his fellow Marines. He showed me his wound from Iraq within several days of returning. A round from an AK-47 had entered through the front part of his lower thigh, ricocheted up his thigh, and exited out of the very upper part of the back of his thigh. Entry and exit wounds (now scars) were at least a foot apart.
Corpsman Prince stayed in Iraq and did his own rehabilitation during the deployment. The hardest thing about the experience, he told me, was getting enough pairs of clothing after each successive pair became blood stained. The more interesting thing about what happened that day with Corpsman Prince was what happened to his fellow Marines. He wasn’t the only one who was wounded in that engagement. Several other Marines were also wounded, and Prince had to treat them before he could treat himself. He did so while bleeding out.
Navy Corpsmen are worth their weight in gold, and even if the Commander in Chief isn’t smart enough to know how to pronounce their billet, we have the utmost respect for them.
On February 5, 2010 at 2:25 pm, tatertot said:
Thanks to all the Corpsmen who do so much for our soldiers and country!
On February 5, 2010 at 5:33 pm, gunner said:
Thanks for the kind words about Corpsmen. I spend 7 years as a Corpsman during the 60s. If the Navy would have left me with either the Marines or the flying Navy I would have stayed for 30. There’s nobody better to have on your side than United States Marines – God Bless ’em every one!
On February 5, 2010 at 7:48 pm, DesertPete45 said:
What an ass!!! As he destroys our entire nation and our extraordinary military he can’t even pronounce the damn word correctly!!! What a damn fool!! I want to see this idiots transcripts! By the way, in case their is any doubt, I honor all the CORPSMEN. Having served in I Corps in RVN, I know the value of our CORPSMEN.
On February 6, 2010 at 11:30 pm, ChrisH said:
As a former Marine, also serving in I Corps in 69-70, I too respect and honor the unselfish work of our Navy Corpsmen, male or female regardless of how any one individual pronounces the word. The President was also honoring the tradition of Naval medical care to the Marines and DesertPete should lighten up his tone. Semper Fidelis Pete, and all Corpsmen throughout time!
On February 8, 2010 at 3:11 pm, grunt said:
Please allow an Army grunt who loves all medics to remember here HM3 Russ McGee of Chattanooga, TN, the brother of a dear friend, who was KIA 9 Sep 67 near the DMZ, and who is remembered on The Wall at Line 14, Panel 26E.
On February 8, 2010 at 3:26 pm, runawaygun762 said:
The time I spent attached to 1 MEF during OIF 1, I saw how woefully untrained our Army medics are compared to Navy corpsmen. Those guys attached to Marine units carried things in their aid bags that Army PA’s weren’t authorized to administer. If I am ever hit, I really hope that if I can’t have an SF medic sergeant nearby, then there is a corpsman there.
On February 16, 2010 at 9:03 pm, Corpsman1971-79 said:
I don’t hold it against our Leader. At least now many more Americans have been exposed to the “Corpsman” and what they do. If one is ever lucky enough to become a Corpsman, later in life they will comprehend the great fortune they had. A “HOORAH” to all you “Devil Docs” and a Semper Fi to all our brothers in arms!
On February 17, 2010 at 12:06 am, DesertPete45 said:
Dammit, I can’t lighten up my tone. Can’t you see what this ass in the oval office is doing to our nation. This ass only says what he thinks will engender a postive reponse when he needs it. Can’t you guys see through this idiot?? That is why he was elected because of stupid damn people who couldn’t see through the veneer of this fool. He is a commie and hates our military!!! We lost 58,000+ in RVN and for what dammit???? The politicos like McNamara, Kissinger, and the fool Cronkite defeated us dammit. You bet I am mad and I will not lighten the hell up. Our nation is being destroyed and I don’t give a damn what Obama says – he doesn’t know how to pronounce the name because he doesn’t dwell in that realm. He is destroying MY country and the future of my children and grandchildren dammit!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell no I con’t lighten up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On February 17, 2010 at 12:14 am, DesertPete45 said:
Hey ChrisH, SEMPER FIDELIS Marine, you have my admiration and respect, USMC 64-68 (RVN ’67) but dammit how can you think the commie in the White House is honoring anyone except himself. Hope and change! Hope for what, never defined and change from what to what, never explained.
On February 17, 2010 at 12:17 am, Herschel Smith said:
DesertPete,
Thanks man. Change from constitutional America to the progressive agenda, because they know better than the founding fathers.
On February 15, 2012 at 3:04 am, Paul Kahr said:
Thank You MARINES and MARINE FAMILIES !!!
I was a Navy Hospital Corpman for 20 years and I will die
as that. I Love You MARINES you fellas and gals are My People.
Once a MARINE always a MARINE. THANK YOU “Devil Dogs” for keeping
me safe and well.
Your Devil Doc for Ever Semper Fidelis
HM1 Paul Kahr USN(Ret)
On January 20, 2020 at 5:19 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
After 9-11, I tried to enlist in the military despite having just turned forty, one year past the cutoff age. First, I tried getting in as a shooter in the combat arms, but when didn’t pan out, I switched to trying to become a FMF Corpsman. In those days, I could still PT with the young cats, and since I am a trained medic in civilian life, I thought I might have a shot at getting a waiver. The Corps was really short qualified HM’s during that time period, so maybe the Navy would give me a chance.
Long story short, it didn’t happen. Not even after two years of effort. Not even my Congressman could get the Navy to waive their regs.
That’s all water under the bridge now, but I have since worked with former Corpsmen on the civilian medical side, and without exception, they have all proven to be very capable individuals.
I would have taken Army medic if offered it, but preferred the navy model – the Corpsmen model – because of the fact that Corpsmen are warriors as well as healers. Our enemies in the fourth-generation wars we are now called upon to fight places in Iraq and Afghanistan do not recognize unarmed combatants as protected under the Geneva and Hague Conventions, and often preferentially target them in battle. If I was going outside the wire, I wanted to be cocked-and-locked like the other guys in the unit. Any HM knows the saying: “In combat, sometimes the best medicine is fire-superiority…”
Strange coda to this tale: A buddy (another overaged dude trying to enlist) and I later learned that if you are politically-connected, getting waivers for various things – including age waivers – is a snap. During this time period, a Governor of one of the Southern States (Mark Sanford, R-S.C.)decided suddenly in his mid-forties, that he wanted to join the military. He called the Pentagon, explained his wishes, and in short order, a direct-commission came through for him in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a medical service corps Captain, despite Sanford’s complete lack of prior experience in either medical care or the military.