Corpsman, Up!

On 17 June 1898, the Hospital Corps came into being. Since then help has been but a shout away: “Corpsman!”

The Corpsman has had the back of the Leatherneck in every conflict since. The number of Corpsmen killed in action is 2,012, with 22 Medal of Honor recipients, 174 Navy Crosses awarded, 31 US Army Distinguished Service Medals given, 946 Silver Stars earned and 1,582 Bronze Stars issued.

Previously, the Corpsman was commonly referred to as a Loblolly boy, a term borrowed from the British Royal Navy, and a reference to the daily ration of porridge fed to the sick. The nickname was in common use for so many years that it was finally officially recognized by the Navy Regulations of 1814.

Often sand was used to keep the surgeon from slipping on the bloody ship deck. Their primary duties were to keep the irons hot and buckets of sand at the ready for the operating area as it was commonplace during battle for the surgeons to conduct amputations and irons were used to close lacerations and wounds.

In coming years, the title of the enlisted medical assistant would change several times—from Loblolly Boy, to Nurse, and finally to Bayman. A senior enlisted medical rate, Surgeon’s Steward, was introduced in 1841 and remained through the Civil War.

Following the war, the title Surgeon’s Steward was abolished in favor of Apothecary, a position requiring completion of a course in pharmacy. With the Spanish-American War looming, Congress passed a bill authorizing establishment of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, signed into law by President William McKinley.

During World War I, Hospital Corpsmen served throughout the fleet, earning particular distinction on the Western Front with the Marine Corps. 20 Corpsmen gave their lives in the “war to end all wars.”

In World War II, Hospital Corpsmen hit the beach with Marines in every battle in the Pacific. Between 1941 and 1945, 1,170 Corpsman lost their lives serving this nation and the US Marine Corps.

Hospital Corpsmen continued accompanying Marines into battle during the Korean Conflict and Vietnam wars. Between 1950 and 1953, 109 Corpsmen died in the field of fire and from 1962 to 1975, 639 Corpsmen answered the final call of duty.

Fifteen Hospital Corpsmen were counted among the dead following the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Many were crushed in the debris of the destroyed building along with the 220 Marines they were serving side-by-side with.

Corpsmen have hit the beaches and humped the boonies in defense of liberty and democracy in places like Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Granada and throughout Central America. They’ve also served in clandestine operations that are still classified.

Today, hospital corpsmen continue to serve in both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters. Since March 20, 2003, 42 Corpsmen have laid down their lives in combat.

Semper Fi!