Unlike the Army, the Marines do not have their own combat field medics. Enlisted members of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps serve with the Marines in this capacity and they are officially called Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Hospital Corpsmen. However, Marines affectionately refer to them as "Doc".Almost every Marine who has served in combat has heard the cry, "Corpsman Up!" Usually under enemy fire, these "Angels in Green" perform lifesaving miracles with complete disregard for their own safety.
Often unarmed, a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman is the one who must get up when the others hit the deck to dodge enemy incoming. When a Marine is wounded and needs help, the Corpsman is the one who rushes to his aide, with the touch of a mother caring for her newborn baby, with the determination and bravery of a bulldog, and the knowledge and experience to do his job. He is the Marine's lifeline. Many a Marine made it home because of a Corpsman.
The job of an FMF Corpsman is one of the toughest jobs in the Navy. Knowing how to save lives on the battlefield in not enough, he must also learn how to fight with a rifle and bayonet. An essential skill since Marines have always fought some of our most savage enemies who ignore the rules of engagement regarding non-combatants according to the Geneva Convention.
This was especially true in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Unlike Army Medics serving in the European Theatre, FMF Corpsmen did not wear a red cross on their combat helmets. This was because the Japanese targeted combat field medics as "priority targets," unlike the Germans in Europe who normally did not target non-combatants. The idea was that if they could kill a Corpsman, more Marines would die unattended, bleeding into the sand on the beach. Even worse, the Japanese were also instructed to wound a Corpsman (who were often easily recognized by their distinctive "Unit 3" medical pouch slung across their chest). Since the Marines valued their Corpsmen and felt protective of them, often three or four Marines would rush to help a wounded Corpsmen, making inviting targets. During the first battle against the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Corpsmen responded to calls for help from wounded Japanese who cried "Corpsman! Corpsman!" in English. When Corpsmen came to their aid, they were either treacherously shot by the wounded Japanese or blown up by hand grenades canceled on their bodies. The Pacific Theater of World War II was a war without quarter, fought with no rules. It was a primitive battle, a fight for extinction. The heroism of Navy Hospital Corpsman serving with Marines is legendary. Medals awarded for their bravery are legion. Half of all Medals of Honor awarded to members of the U.S. Navy have been awarded to Corpsman. Most were awarded posthumously. Fourteen Navy ships have also been named after a Corpsman.
When it comes to articulating the very close bond existing between Marines and their “Docs” a picture is worth a thousand words. This photo taken by Joe Rosenthal of six Marines raising the U.S. flag on Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945 is the most famous photo of the Second World War. Many consider it the most famous combat photo ever taken. One of the Marines in this photo is actually a Navy Hospital Corpsman named John H. Bradley. “Doc” Bradley received the Navy Cross for gallantry a few days after this photo was taken and he was one of only three of the flag raisers who survived the battle. He was the last surviving flag raiser when he died in January 1994. In tribute to his father and the other flag raisers, his son James Bradley wrote the best selling book “Flags of our Fathers” which has now been made into a movie by Clint Eastwood. The point is, wherever there are Marines, there are FMF Corpsmen! This was true on Iwo Jima and it is true today in the Global War on Terrorism.
The Wine Country Marines pays special tribute to all the Navy Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpmen who have served alongside us through "every clime and place" and taken care of our wounded during the wars of the past hudered years.
