Post by PhM3/c Bowers on Oct 11, 2012 15:40:31 GMT -5
They dress like Marines, they train like Marines, and when necessary, they fight like Marines. In garrison, they care for the sick. In the field, they care for the wounded. When a Marine is wounded they are there. When a Marine is killed, they are there to tag and cover the body. Perhaps no member of a United States Marine Corps unit is more universally respected than the attached US Navy Hospital Corpsmen. Their intertwined roots originate from the Revolutionary War and continue on till today during the Global War on Terrorism, everywhere the Marines go, you can rest assured that a US Navy Hospital Corpsman is with them.
From the early days of the United States Navy, when Marines served aboard ships as members of the vessels landing/boarding force, as sharpshooters, or performing security, they were treated by loblolly boys and nurses, the predecessors of the Corpsman. As Marines came ashore, medically trained members of the ship’s company came with them. On June 17, 1898, the Hospital Corps was officially brought into existence by Congress. Hospital Corpsmen served with distinction with the Marines on the Western front of World War 1 and earned 2 Medals of Honor, 55 Navy Crosses, and 237 Silver Stars.
During World War 2, the Hospital Corps again stood ready to handle the casualties of the brutal Pacific campaign. Every Marine platoon had at least one Corpsman assigned. The Hospital Corps accounted for 7 Medals of Honor and 1,170 Corpsmen were killed while serving during World War 2. They were the only corps of the US Navy to be singled out by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal in a speech at the end of the war.
The World War 2 Hospital Corpsman
The Hospital Corpsman of World War 2 began military life like any other sailor in the US Navy, at boot camp. Following basic training, he would be sent through Hospital Corps School to learn the basics of medicine, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and trauma management where they would emerge as Hospital Apprentices (Seamen) or Pharmacist’s Mates (Petty Officers). Selected Corpsmen would be sent to Field Medical Service School where they would be indoctrinated into the culture of the United States Marine Corps and the Fleet Marine Force. Their training included rigorous physical fitness, Marine Corps traditions and history, advanced trauma management, weapons familiarization, and many other topics to prepare them for the grueling combat in the Pacific.
Upon arrival at their assigned unit, a Hospital Corpsman would be responsible for the day to day care of the Marines in his platoon. While in garrison, Corpsmen were tasked with providing morning sick call, manning the Battalion Aid Station, providing first aid instruction to members of his platoon, and seeing to the hygiene and sanitation of the Marines and their living conditions. In the field, a Corpsman was on the front lines with his platoon and providing critical lifesaving interventions. More often than not, this was performed under fire. Unlike the majority of their Army medic brethren in the European Theater, Corpsmen were routinely armed with pistols and/or M1 carbines for the defense of themselves and their patients. The Japanese specifically would target Corpsmen knowing that Marines would make themselves easy targets, risking their lives to save their beloved “Doc” and that without a Corpsman present, any other wounded Marines may die unattended. This lead to the removal of any red cross insignia as it made for an unmistakable target.
A Corpsmen assigned to the Fleet Marine Force would be issued all of the uniforms and equipment through the Marine Corps. In garrison the Corpsman had the option of wearing either the Marines’ Service Dress uniform or the Navy’s Winter Service Dress Blues or Undress Whites (depending on climate). In the field, aside from the medical bags he carried, he was indistinguishable from the patients he cared for.
Reenacting the World War 2 Hospital Corpsman:
Portraying a United State Navy Hospital Corpsman is one of the most intriguing, challenging, and rewarding impressions one can take on in World War 2 reenacting. The information is not always as readily available as the information for other impressions and medical supplies are also harder to come by. A new Corpsman reenactor must be prepared to master not only the knowledge of the World War 2 United States Marine Corps, but also the knowledge of the United States Navy, the medical terminology and medical protocols of the Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman, as well as the care and operation of the M1911A1 pistol and the M1 Carbine.
Equipment Guidelines for the Corpsman
Minimum Uniform Requirements:
P41 HBT Utility Uniform (2 sets preferred)
P44 HBT Utility Cover (Late War)
or M41 HBT Cover with Globe and Anchor device attached (Early War)
or Summer Service (Khakis) Overseas Cap with Globe and Anchor device attached
Boondockers (preferred) or Roughout Service Shoes
White Undershirt (Early War)
Kelly Green Undershirt (Late War)
Period Socks
USMC/USN Leggings
Khaki Belt with open faced USMC style buckle
Required for Full Impression:
Summer Service Dress Khaki Uniform with appropriate rank insignia
USN Undress Whites (May be worn in lieu of Khakis)
Winter Service Dress Green Uniform with appropriate insignia
USN Dress Blues (May be worn in lieu of Greens, USMC Blues are not authorized)
USMC/USN Style Dog Tags
USMC (USN for Corpsmen) ID card
Optional Uniform Items:
P42 Camouflage Uniform
M41 Field Jacket
USMC Flannel Shirt
Minimum Field Equipment:
USMC Pistol Belt and M1 Carbine Magazine Pouches
M2 Jungle First Aid Kit
Canteen with USMC Cover (2 Preferred)
M1942 First Aid Pouch (Or USMC substitute) with Carlisle Bandage
M1 Helmet with Reversible Camouflage Cover
Additional Uniforms and Equipment for Attached USN Hospital Corpsmen:
14-450 Medical Pouch (1 required, 2 preferred)
Medical Yoke, GP Straps, or Litter Carrying Straps
14-280 Medical Pouch (Optional)
Reproduction or Original Contents
USMC Issued Bolo Knife (optional)
USN Dungarees Uniform (for duties aboard ship)
Required for Full Impression:
782 Pack System (Haversack, Knapsack, and suspenders)
Entrenching tool with cover (M1910 Shovel or Pick Mattock preferred. M43 acceptable for later war)
USMC Camouflage Poncho
USMC Shelter Half with Poles and Stakes (1 Shelter Half Set Minimum)
Wool Blanket (OD or USMC issue)
M6 Gas Mask Bag
Ka-Bar Knife with period style sheath (No EGA Embossed sheaths)
Required Items for Complete Shipboard/Garrison Duty:
Seabag
Marine’s Handbook, 1940 Edition
Blue Jackets Manual 1940 Edition
USMC Issue Wool Blanket
White Twin-Sized Bedsheets (not fitted)
Period Hygiene Items
Footlocker
Weapons:
M1 Carbine with flip rear sights and no bayonet lug (preferred)
M1911A1 Pistol (Optional)
A Word on the Corpsman's Pouches
There are currently 2 makers of Corpsman equipment out there, At The Front and WWII Impressions. Now before you go spending money on your equipment, be sure to read what follows.
Some vocabulary:
Unit __ :This is a designation given to each grouping of supplies. A Unit 35 for example is a SET, Dental, Portable. With me so far?
For your average Devil Doc assigned to a Marine rifle platoon, you would be issued a Unit 3 or KIT, Hospital Corpsman's. This would come with the following:
Left Pouch
(1) Badge, Arm, Red Cross
(12) Bandage, Gauze, Compressed, 3 inch (in box)
(10) Dressing, Battle, Small (In box)
(1) Pencil, Indelible
(1) Tag, Diagnosis (Pack of 20)
Right Pouch
(2) Morphine (Box of 5)
(2) Spirit of Ammonia
(3) Tincture of Iodine (3 in package)
(1) Badge, Arm, Red Cross
(12) Bandage, Gauze, Compressed, 3 inch (in box)
(3) Bandage, Triangular, Compressed
(2) Pins, Safety, Small (Card of dozen)
(1) Tourniquet, Instant
(1) Shears, Bandage, 7 Inch
(1) Jack Knife
(1) Case, Scalpel and forceps, Canvas, Complete
This would come delivered to you with a set of two bags, two cantle ring straps, two litter carrying straps, and harness. Most corpsmen ditched the harness in favor of carrying their bags on the litter carrying straps. Photos suggest they often used only one bag. So lesson here is, for the average Doc you want to invest in the bags available from At the Front. These are the 14-450 bags.
www.atthefront.com/v/vspfiles/photos/USGFANCP-3.jpg
So now you're wondering... What are the other bags for? These bags are the 14-280 bag.
www.atthefront.com/v/vspfiles/photos/USGFANMB-2.jpg
These can be found throughout the supply catalog for other Units. They are as follows:
Unit 5A- Aid Station and Dispensary
Unit 5B- Aid Station and Dispensary
Unit 6- PACK, Covers, Combat
Unit 7- PACK, Combat Dressings
Unit 9- CRATE, Litters, Folding
Unit 15- PACK, Blankets
With that being said, there is evidence of Navy Corpsmen in training at Hospital Corps School wearing these bags so it is my guess that they were used on board ships as well to treat the wounded.
From the early days of the United States Navy, when Marines served aboard ships as members of the vessels landing/boarding force, as sharpshooters, or performing security, they were treated by loblolly boys and nurses, the predecessors of the Corpsman. As Marines came ashore, medically trained members of the ship’s company came with them. On June 17, 1898, the Hospital Corps was officially brought into existence by Congress. Hospital Corpsmen served with distinction with the Marines on the Western front of World War 1 and earned 2 Medals of Honor, 55 Navy Crosses, and 237 Silver Stars.
During World War 2, the Hospital Corps again stood ready to handle the casualties of the brutal Pacific campaign. Every Marine platoon had at least one Corpsman assigned. The Hospital Corps accounted for 7 Medals of Honor and 1,170 Corpsmen were killed while serving during World War 2. They were the only corps of the US Navy to be singled out by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal in a speech at the end of the war.
The World War 2 Hospital Corpsman
The Hospital Corpsman of World War 2 began military life like any other sailor in the US Navy, at boot camp. Following basic training, he would be sent through Hospital Corps School to learn the basics of medicine, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and trauma management where they would emerge as Hospital Apprentices (Seamen) or Pharmacist’s Mates (Petty Officers). Selected Corpsmen would be sent to Field Medical Service School where they would be indoctrinated into the culture of the United States Marine Corps and the Fleet Marine Force. Their training included rigorous physical fitness, Marine Corps traditions and history, advanced trauma management, weapons familiarization, and many other topics to prepare them for the grueling combat in the Pacific.
Upon arrival at their assigned unit, a Hospital Corpsman would be responsible for the day to day care of the Marines in his platoon. While in garrison, Corpsmen were tasked with providing morning sick call, manning the Battalion Aid Station, providing first aid instruction to members of his platoon, and seeing to the hygiene and sanitation of the Marines and their living conditions. In the field, a Corpsman was on the front lines with his platoon and providing critical lifesaving interventions. More often than not, this was performed under fire. Unlike the majority of their Army medic brethren in the European Theater, Corpsmen were routinely armed with pistols and/or M1 carbines for the defense of themselves and their patients. The Japanese specifically would target Corpsmen knowing that Marines would make themselves easy targets, risking their lives to save their beloved “Doc” and that without a Corpsman present, any other wounded Marines may die unattended. This lead to the removal of any red cross insignia as it made for an unmistakable target.
A Corpsmen assigned to the Fleet Marine Force would be issued all of the uniforms and equipment through the Marine Corps. In garrison the Corpsman had the option of wearing either the Marines’ Service Dress uniform or the Navy’s Winter Service Dress Blues or Undress Whites (depending on climate). In the field, aside from the medical bags he carried, he was indistinguishable from the patients he cared for.
Reenacting the World War 2 Hospital Corpsman:
Portraying a United State Navy Hospital Corpsman is one of the most intriguing, challenging, and rewarding impressions one can take on in World War 2 reenacting. The information is not always as readily available as the information for other impressions and medical supplies are also harder to come by. A new Corpsman reenactor must be prepared to master not only the knowledge of the World War 2 United States Marine Corps, but also the knowledge of the United States Navy, the medical terminology and medical protocols of the Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman, as well as the care and operation of the M1911A1 pistol and the M1 Carbine.
Equipment Guidelines for the Corpsman
Minimum Uniform Requirements:
P41 HBT Utility Uniform (2 sets preferred)
P44 HBT Utility Cover (Late War)
or M41 HBT Cover with Globe and Anchor device attached (Early War)
or Summer Service (Khakis) Overseas Cap with Globe and Anchor device attached
Boondockers (preferred) or Roughout Service Shoes
White Undershirt (Early War)
Kelly Green Undershirt (Late War)
Period Socks
USMC/USN Leggings
Khaki Belt with open faced USMC style buckle
Required for Full Impression:
Summer Service Dress Khaki Uniform with appropriate rank insignia
USN Undress Whites (May be worn in lieu of Khakis)
Winter Service Dress Green Uniform with appropriate insignia
USN Dress Blues (May be worn in lieu of Greens, USMC Blues are not authorized)
USMC/USN Style Dog Tags
USMC (USN for Corpsmen) ID card
Optional Uniform Items:
P42 Camouflage Uniform
M41 Field Jacket
USMC Flannel Shirt
Minimum Field Equipment:
USMC Pistol Belt and M1 Carbine Magazine Pouches
M2 Jungle First Aid Kit
Canteen with USMC Cover (2 Preferred)
M1942 First Aid Pouch (Or USMC substitute) with Carlisle Bandage
M1 Helmet with Reversible Camouflage Cover
Additional Uniforms and Equipment for Attached USN Hospital Corpsmen:
14-450 Medical Pouch (1 required, 2 preferred)
Medical Yoke, GP Straps, or Litter Carrying Straps
14-280 Medical Pouch (Optional)
Reproduction or Original Contents
USMC Issued Bolo Knife (optional)
USN Dungarees Uniform (for duties aboard ship)
Required for Full Impression:
782 Pack System (Haversack, Knapsack, and suspenders)
Entrenching tool with cover (M1910 Shovel or Pick Mattock preferred. M43 acceptable for later war)
USMC Camouflage Poncho
USMC Shelter Half with Poles and Stakes (1 Shelter Half Set Minimum)
Wool Blanket (OD or USMC issue)
M6 Gas Mask Bag
Ka-Bar Knife with period style sheath (No EGA Embossed sheaths)
Required Items for Complete Shipboard/Garrison Duty:
Seabag
Marine’s Handbook, 1940 Edition
Blue Jackets Manual 1940 Edition
USMC Issue Wool Blanket
White Twin-Sized Bedsheets (not fitted)
Period Hygiene Items
Footlocker
Weapons:
M1 Carbine with flip rear sights and no bayonet lug (preferred)
M1911A1 Pistol (Optional)
A Word on the Corpsman's Pouches
There are currently 2 makers of Corpsman equipment out there, At The Front and WWII Impressions. Now before you go spending money on your equipment, be sure to read what follows.
Some vocabulary:
Unit __ :This is a designation given to each grouping of supplies. A Unit 35 for example is a SET, Dental, Portable. With me so far?
For your average Devil Doc assigned to a Marine rifle platoon, you would be issued a Unit 3 or KIT, Hospital Corpsman's. This would come with the following:
Left Pouch
(1) Badge, Arm, Red Cross
(12) Bandage, Gauze, Compressed, 3 inch (in box)
(10) Dressing, Battle, Small (In box)
(1) Pencil, Indelible
(1) Tag, Diagnosis (Pack of 20)
Right Pouch
(2) Morphine (Box of 5)
(2) Spirit of Ammonia
(3) Tincture of Iodine (3 in package)
(1) Badge, Arm, Red Cross
(12) Bandage, Gauze, Compressed, 3 inch (in box)
(3) Bandage, Triangular, Compressed
(2) Pins, Safety, Small (Card of dozen)
(1) Tourniquet, Instant
(1) Shears, Bandage, 7 Inch
(1) Jack Knife
(1) Case, Scalpel and forceps, Canvas, Complete
This would come delivered to you with a set of two bags, two cantle ring straps, two litter carrying straps, and harness. Most corpsmen ditched the harness in favor of carrying their bags on the litter carrying straps. Photos suggest they often used only one bag. So lesson here is, for the average Doc you want to invest in the bags available from At the Front. These are the 14-450 bags.
www.atthefront.com/v/vspfiles/photos/USGFANCP-3.jpg
So now you're wondering... What are the other bags for? These bags are the 14-280 bag.
www.atthefront.com/v/vspfiles/photos/USGFANMB-2.jpg
These can be found throughout the supply catalog for other Units. They are as follows:
Unit 5A- Aid Station and Dispensary
Unit 5B- Aid Station and Dispensary
Unit 6- PACK, Covers, Combat
Unit 7- PACK, Combat Dressings
Unit 9- CRATE, Litters, Folding
Unit 15- PACK, Blankets
With that being said, there is evidence of Navy Corpsmen in training at Hospital Corps School wearing these bags so it is my guess that they were used on board ships as well to treat the wounded.