Part One

THEY DIED FOR THEIR COUNTRY.

Combat Corpsmen checking casualties for signs of life. Iwo Jima took it's toll of men with 648 American Marines dead, 4,168 wounded and 650 missing in the first 58 hours! (Iwo Jima assault, February, 1945)

The following is an account of a select group of America's finest who lived and died for the greater good.

The Honorable James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy during World War II, had these words to say about the men and women of the Naval Hospital Corps for their singular attainments during that deadly conflict. This was the first time in military history any single corps had been commended by that office.

"Out of every 100 men of the United States Navy and Marine Corps who were wounded in World War II, 97 recovered.

That is a record not equaled anywhere, anytime... So, to the 200,000 men and women of the Hospital Corps, I say,

The knowledge which yielded this "unequaled record" was not the brainchild of some coin-flipping bureaucrat, but hard won by the personal sacrifice and bravery of men and women in the bloody cauldron of battle.

A Combat Corpsman (himself wounded) leads a wounded Marine to safer ground. (Okinawa assault, April, 1945)





From World War II until this day, of all the Congressional Medals of Honor presented to Naval enlisted personnel, Corpsmen own the lion's share with well over half the number awarded. Other personal medals such as the Navy Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Hearts won by Combat Corpsmen, number in the multiple thousands and are almost too numerous to count.

On February 22, 1945 John Bradley proudly participated in the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima along with the Marines whom he served. John Bradley was one of those Corpsmen.

Korea was no different. During the Inchon-Seoul operation of 1950 in the period between Sept-15 and Oct-7, Corpsmen attached to the lst Marine Division treated over 2,800 casualties. Secretary Forrestal described the horrific conditions under which the Corpsmen tended the wounded.

Of the seven Congressional Medals of Honor awarded to Naval personnel during Korea, a total of five were conferred upon Corpsmen for their heroic service.

The Corpsmen, Doctors, and Nurses manning the hospital ships in the Korean waters off those beaches found themselves in no better conditions handling 20,000 combat casualties, 30,000 non-combatant casualties and 80,000 outpatients.

Those men and women of the Hospital Corps did not suffer and die for themselves, but presented their minds and bodies to their units for a greater purpose. This willingness to serve is the esprit de corps to which they were drawn. As patriots we would do well to learn from their struggles and the men they loved.

From these nameless heroes came priceless information which revolutionized the world of medicine and surgery. To this day there is no medical practice or attendant service which has not been touched and enhanced by Combat Medicine.

Yet, what is so unique about Combat Medicine which eclipses all other forms of Emergency Medical Technique? Probably the best way to answer this is to tell what the field is not.

Combat Medicine is not just First Aid, First Response, or any of the other euphemistic terms for, "keep 'em alive until the doctor arrives." Neither is it Natural Medicine which is suddenly being "rediscovered" by the masses. It is definitely not "Crude Medicine" unless the saving of lives can be considered crude.

Combat Medicine is the very best of all of the above, and without question, it is much, much more.

Field Corpsmen are trained to not only respond, but to be the only response in obstetrics, mass casualties, surgery, pharmacy, orthopedics, nutrition, sanitation - even pest control. When there is no 911, ambulance, medevac, aid station or E.R., whether on a hunting trip or atop Mt. Suribachi, the basic principles of Combat Medicine cannot be equaled when it comes to survival.

What is accomplished in the field is done without the aid of the marvelous life-saving machinery found in sickbays, emergency rooms and O.R.s. Combat Medicine is a technique borne by the heart, mind and hands of the individual Corpsman which insures the survival of the sick and injured. Above all things, Combat Corpsmen know that war is not glory. War is a river of Blood, Bone, Bullets, Bandages ... and Babies....

Navy Doctors and Corpsmen deliver a Filipino woman's baby aboard an L.S.T. after the invasion of Mindoro. (December, 1944)

We Americans are a passionate lot and once angered, tend to charge the nearest dragon. While this is a fine way to appease our resentment, we should bear in mind that, to a dragon, we are armed with insignificant switches.

If our country does collapse into chaos, we must be ready to respond. However, there is a natural order for this response. We must first have food, shelter and medical training... and more importantly; that Esprit de Corps.

Like those Corpsmen, patriots should understand that Combat Medicine is not just a tool, it is an overriding spirit and essential discipline for what may come.

Accordingly, how we prepare now will determine how well we would fare this dark side of war and too ... how we may receive the bright gift of Peace.

EMAIL MEDICAL CORPS

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